As a schoolteacher who left the Philadelphia School District in frustration, I understand the concerns raised by former teacher Maria Ciancetta in a recent Inquirer article by Kristen A. Graham. Like Ciancetta, I tried my best to stay but was overwhelmed by some of the same challenges.
After I left the School District, I earned my master's degree in counseling. I provide family-based counseling and have done work with children in the School District who have been affected by violence. In my spare time, I also lead workshops for teachers in stress management and social-emotional skills.
Here's one truth I've learned from all this: We will continue to hemorrhage teachers unless we address the reality of what is happening in our schools. We can avoid this only if we pay attention to who is teaching and who is learning.
Let me be more specific. My experiences as a counselor, and as someone who believes in principals, teachers, and students, tell me that when we take care of teachers, we take care of students. How do we do this? It seems that there are three issues to examine...
[For more of this story, written by Joanna Schwartz, go http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/20140723_Phila__teachers_need_support.html]
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