We ve all heard of the golden parachute. This is a parachute of a different color. These people never made big money. Then they retired at less than 56 percent of their pay. There are reasons they left early.
Teaching can be a fulfilling job.
But, several conditions have changed since our retirees first scratched their names across the blackboard. The 60s notion that it was more important to make a change in society than earn extra money has been replaced with a new millennium version of financial reality. Also, the individual rights of students have superseded the need for a greater good for all. This is seen in disciplinary issues where a litany of excuses is accepted for the student despite the problems he causes the group. It is seen in special-education situations where the law allows that a student can do almost anything because of a disability, or, at times, because medication had undesirable effects that cause the student to become uncontrollable.