Illinois teacher commits suicide citing working conditions

[Tansy_Gold]

22. I had one "mean" teacher

And I had a couple I thought later might have been less than great. I even had one who was a blatant anti-semite, and another who was so incompetent I took the outrageous action -- at age 15! -- of walking out in the middle of a class and reporting him to the principal!

But teachers were seen as professionals and for the most part they saw themselves as professionals, and those of us who got through the system came out at the other end with a decent foundation, prepared either for life or further education.

Maybe my perspective is skewed because it was a suburban district, but I don't think the public attitude toward teachers and teaching was all that different between suburban, city, or even rural schools. Something shifted, something basic, and that's what screwed it all up.