Mrs. Bateswell Bids Farewell

Mrs. Bateswell Bids Farewell

Dear World,

It is with mixed emotions that I announce my resignation.

Not from being an educator who cares,

but I resign from your standards of perfection.

Dear Guardians,

I don't resign from caring for your child. But--

I resign from replying to your messages within minutes at 7 PM on a Saturday night.

I resign from being forced into defending why your 9-year-old thinks I hate him/her because said child couldn't have the last candy in the bowl.

I resign from having to justify why your child's craft was on the far right instead of at the top center of the school art collage.

I resign from having to take the full blame due to a complete lack of accountability from every other party involved.

I resign from coming home feeling like every cell in my body is about to give out from spending over 7 hours moderating the tears, fears, differentiation, allergies, arguments, scaffolding, revising, planning, building, diffusing, buying, walking, running, replanning, reviewing, grouping, chatting, and everything in between

to have you tell me that it's not enough.

No, I don't resign from doing those things for the kids. I resign from doing it in your way-every day.

Theres 100 of you and 1 of me. Therefore, I resign from the version that each of you want me to be.

I resign, better luck next time.

I don't resign from the job, but I resign from being your employee.

Dear State,

I don't resign from the teacher who shows up with support and understanding.

I resign from the scores determining my value.

I resign from the misconception that

despite a student telling me "You're more like a mom to me than a teacher",

despite previous students messaging me to tell me that they still remember the things I did for them,

despite old students running up to hug me with tears in their eyes,

despite talking to parents on my own time to ensure them that they are doing a good job,

despite giving students chance after chance to the point of putting myself on the line,

despite spending my own money to make the year fun and memorable for them,

despite missing my own child's field trips and events because I was showing up for students,

despite coping with students yelling and throwing chairs without judgement, to have the same student come and thank me for understanding the next day,

despite caring for students who thought they'd never make it through the year to come and tell me that they are going to cry to leave us on the last day of school, and they hope they can see us again

for scores to still even imply my effectiveness as an educator.

I resign, better luck next time.

I don't resign from the challenges. I resign from scores defining me.

Dear Society,

I don't resign from doing my best. I resign from your flawed perspective of what my best should look like.

I am not Ms. Honey. There, I said it. Why?

Because Ms. Honey cared for a child who could move things with her mind in a school that had a girl fly through the air by her braids, for one.

I resign from the fake version of teachers that live on the media, shuffling out art crafts of rainbows. Why? Because the media doesn't show the truth- the lack of choice that runs the real classroom.

The media doesn't show the curriculum that we have to follow word for word to have our livelihoods based on something we never wrote.

The media doesn't show the expectation of "making every instructional minute count" while finding time to build relationships with the students, while having to watch every word we say.

The media doesn't show the disconnect between the multiple steps of communication it takes to send home one piece of paper.

The media doesn't show the work that real educators put towards every aspect of juggling a job that never ends with their real life, constantly feeling torn between who gets their time.

The media doesn't highlight how because of this Pinteresty image of teachers, real ones are judged from simply wearing a swimsuit on the beach or holding a cocktail in a picture from vacation.

The media doesn't show the daily damage to the average teacher's mental health, trying to live up to every expectation with little to no help.

I resign, better luck next time.

I'm not blaming the admin because I know the issues run deeper than them, but I resign from society's version of who and what a teacher should be.

Yours truly,

Mrs. Bateswell and anyone who can relate