Trenchant

Over the last few months, I've discovered an answer to an interesting question which I first posed in my Master's thesis. When I first posed this question, it was something along the lines of, 'Why do teachers quit?' I was advised that this was not a good title for political reasons, so I changed it to 'Why do teachers stay?' and was told that I was a sarcastic person.

But my findings in that area have not changed significantly since 1997. They still stay or quit for the same reasons. Of all the teachers I interviewed back then, none are the same. They've adopted the various staying strategies I discussed, some to the great detriment of their constituencies, or they've left the trenches for greener pastures.

I was chatting with Gnomus the other night. The man is fulfilled now, kept alive and prospering in a healthy nutrient-stream of talent development and new inputs. He works with colleagues who are professionals, who don't do ethically dubious things, and who are serious about applying research findings to the education of the young. There is no chicanery, there is no deceit justified by some warped idea of religion, no retroactive forgery of documents, no disguising of banal and irrelevant (or crass and commercial) interests under 'staff welfare' or 'holistic education'.

Well, that's one thing that might make a good teacher stay in the system. It almost makes me want to do another tour in the trenches. Heh.