A 2nd Grade Teacher, Steven Round, with the Providence Public Schools in Rhode Island read his resignation letter on camera and posted it to YouTube when he wasn’t permitted to read his letter at a recent school committee meeting. He quit over how the educational system in his community had changed. Instead of creating life-long learners he says they are churning out test-takers.
Round stated, “The school system in which I had so much pride drastically changed. Rather than creating lifelong learners, our new goal is to create good test-takers. Rather than being the recipients of a rewarding and enjoyable educational experience, our students are now relegated to experiencing a confining and demeaning education.”
He cites the how a one-size-fits-all curriculum has lead to the loss of creativity, the inability to address individual needs in the classroom, and severe behavior problems.
At the end of the video he tendered his resignation in rather dramatic fashion, “I would rather leave my secure $70,000 job, with benefits, and tutor in Connecticut for free than be part of a system that is diametrically opposed to everything I believe education should be.”
Good for him. Expect to see more teachers take steps like this as the Common Core State Standards are implemented. This may be a consequence unforeseen by the educrats foisting the standards upon us.
Be sure to watch the video below: