In Room 210, Eric was hunched over his desk with the sound of sports talk radio playing in the background. The same desk he had spent grading papers, responding to emails, and scarfing down lunches for the past five years. He was looking down at the contract that the Paterson school district had presented to him towards the end of the school year. For the first time, he looked at the second option that had always been presented to him.
I am declining to accept a new contract for the 2022–2023 school year.
He had come into the profession with the intent of changing the world or at least making a difference in a child’s life. To him they were one in the same. His professors at Seton Hall University didn’t prepare Eric for the realities of being in the classroom. They never lectured about the meetings that could’ve been condensed into a short email. Lack of parent involvement. The supplies you would have to pay for out of pocket on a regular basis. The never ending assessments, the data to collect and analyze. The so-called “better” programs rolled out every two years just as students were getting comfortable using them. Where was the talk about the inconsistencies among admin and lack of consequences for students. And the acronyms — PLC, SEL, IFL, PDP, PTA, GLM, OPP. Well maybe not that last one. Although he wouldn’t be surprised if such an acronym did exist within the education field.
Eric swiveled his chair over to his right so that he was facing the large set of windows that lined his classroom. He saw Ms. Heinrich enter the school building. She was a mid-year hire in place of Mr. Costello, the 8th grade Science teacher. He recalled one of the few interactions he had with her a month prior. He was on his prep making copies in the library when she came rushing in with wide eyes and an armful of texts to be copied from.
“I’m almost done,” he said, sensing her urgency.
“Great….Mr. Miller, right?”
“Yeah. Nice to meet you. Welcome to George Washington.”
“Nice to meet you too. Thanks.”
She went on to explain that this was her first teaching gig. Prior to that, she worked as a substitute teacher in the district after graduating from the local college. It was a story that mirrored his own. The succession of copy machine beeps alarmed them of his job’s completion.
“All yours.”
“Great. Thanks.”
“Well, good luck to you,” he said with sincerity.
He was still looking outside when Mrs. Heinrich was coming out of the building and walking towards her SUV parked in spot #32. He took a long, deep breath in. Then, another deep breath out. He thought to himself, She’ll be OK. He swiveled back over to the left and looked down at his two options. He picked his favorite pen from a mug that read, World’s Greatest Teacher, and proceeded to check off the appropriate box.
