Education: A view from the Front

Annie B., a good friend of mine down in the capital of Jeb Bush land, has recently retired after 35 years as a high school English teacher. This is what she has to say about ending her career:

It was getting too frustrating dealing with students with ringing cell phones that take pictures of tests, who send text messages with test answers, and who have lost the desire to read because they camp out in parking lots to buy $600 play stations while playing other video games. Books are almost a thing of the past, and so are many parents who back teachers who expect high standards.

So welcome to the post-literate world our society is creating. Everyone can read, but they can't read for more than about 10 seconds - witness the advice to bloggers to keep posts short.

Annie thinks she may not enjoy retirement since she is a high energy person who needs to be doing something useful (like sky-diving, or bungee jumping, or chaining herself to trees in front of bulldozers). If it is anything like my sabbatical I think she will have a blast.