Being an educator, particularly in the K-12 sector, is just not worth it anymore. Never mind that in order to be certified to be a teacher, one needs a good education, which include student teaching, passing a battery of exams, and annual updates and follow ups. That’s a lot of hoops to jump through. And for what? Certainly not the financial remuneration.

Yes, having time off in the summer is nice. It used to be 3 months, now it’s more like 8 weeks. Still nice. But the academic workplace has become a political and hostile environment. Teachers used to be revered; their word was gold. Now teachers do not get respect from students, parents, or academic administrators. Sometimes they don’t even get it from each other.

Of course, a number of “bad apples” these past few years, with extensive bad press, has increased the number hoops to jump through and put most teachers under a microscope, with the slightest deviation from some ordained path to be a cause of discipline. Many a teacher these days is looked at with suspicion from all corners of the spectrum. Some have their reputations ruined by false allegations.

But teachers can’t expect much from their administrators, as the administrators, themselves are at a higher level of political infighting than teachers are. Principals keep getting re-assigned or terminated; or leave because the pressure is too much. There is a great demand for principals, as more are leaving the field than coming in. There is a shortage at this administrative level. And no wonder. The next two levels above are potboilers for cockfights and catfights.

Recently, a local County School Superintendent in Arizona pled guilty to a misdemeanor in order to avoid a trial that could have made her a felon. She also agreed to step down as superintendent.

The superintendent of another nearby school district, Tacy Ashby, announced her resignation on July 7. And 5 of the 8 principals in that district were replaced this current school year. In that same district, 3 Cave Creek school board members, including the board president, have quit, all mentioning community negativity in their resignation letters. One was the School Board president.

“This community has allowed itself to be held hostage by a few very negative people who use both oral and written methods to speak with very loud voices,” said the departing Board President.

Another board member’s letter said: “After several months of Board meetings . . . by my standards, my ability to offer satisfactory, and satisfying service to the community and students through the Board, has not been achieved.”

And yet another board member resigned from his position, saying that he could “no longer cope with the toxic environment that exists among the governing board members.”

So, if the decision-makers of education, whether elected or appointed by an elected official, fight and bicker and back stab, how can the next level, the superintendents, principals, and assistant principals feel any stability?

Tucson School District got a “new” Superintendent recently. In the TUSD, in some cases, a principal is in charge of more than one school. What’s that all about? The turnover in teachers is also high.

A few years ago in Broward County Florida, the School Board abruptly voted 5-4 to fire its Superintendent from his post after serving seven years. He left in November 2006. Shortly after that, School Board elections were held, and several of the members who fired the Superintendent were thrown out of office. No matter, the newly constituted Board didn’t want to consider him again. During his tenure, he always seemed at odds with the school board.

A federal appeals court ruled on July 11, 2008, that the vice principal at an Arizona school in violated a 13-year-old student’s constitutional rights by subjecting her to a strip search for drugs based on a classmate’s uncorroborated accusation. The eighth grade honor student was pulled from class by the vice principal who was investigating accusations that the girl was giving prescription-strength Ibuprofen pills to classmates. No pills were found. The full appellate court said the vice principal, is financially liable for damages and ordered U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge to determine damages against the vice principal.

Essentially, the American educational system is a mess. There are many more examples, but these few are typical. And in the end, who want to enter the teaching field with such endemic enmity?