I was recently contacted by a friend from high school that I hadn't spoken to in years. In high school she was the only one of our *group* who KNEW what she wanted to BE. After high school she immediately went off to college to become a lawyer. Somehow her vocation took a slight detour...and she decided to become a teacher.

In our recent email correspondence I mentioned that we were beginning homeschooling this year. As a former teacher you might think her response would be shock and/or dismay. Far from it. Having been *in the trenches* for more than 5 years, she has been nothing but encouraging!

I had to share some of her thoughts...

I'm a strong believer in being held accountable for your work - was all for the FCAT (which is a pretty good test, no matter what those lazy teachers complain about - it tests basic skills everyone should have, and I always taught those skills within the context of good literature quite easily; it just takes more prep time - God forbid)... it annoyed me to no end that most of the other teachers would just complain and not even try. State jobs are a funny thing. If they are established by statute, the employee has a constitutional right to it, which means that it is next to impossible to get rid of substandard workers.

Straight from the horse's mouth...no offense intended!

My friend has given up teaching to work in the private sector where her skills and work ethic will be appreciated. She's now working in a law firm and studying to take the Bar in Ohio. I have no doubt she'll pass with flying colors!

Posted by Wendy at June 1, 2005 05:07 PM