A teacher’s life

Schools today are in a state of crisis. Teachers are on the frontline of educational institutions leading the fight for scholastic excellence. They feel under appreciated and left to face their problems alone. This sense of being abandoned has made them want to speak out, to let everything hang out including their sometimes painful face to face confrontations with their students. A television crew chronicled a year in the life of a “difficult” suburban High School. Accepted by the entire school, the camera became a part of the daily routine.In this School the problems of integration, of families in difficulty and of poverty have displaced the business of teaching to assume a role of primary importance.Violence goes hand in hand with the social situation. Some teachers manage to “handle” it, while others give up, take sick live, or have nervous breakdowns.All these teachers represent the various types of teachers that can be found working throughout such institutions. Even though their stature continues to be diminished, their fundamental role remains essential. If they continue to feel undervalued, it is the education of the nation’s youth that will suffer.