Things have changed since then, mostly for the worse. And it continues to get worse every year. I can relate to David Solway's reasons for quitting. I don't know if I can make it to 30 years to get my full pension. I'm close, but it might be worth it to save what's left of my sanity and self-respect to step away from the classroom and maintain a lower standard of living.
To put it bluntly, the administration is venal and unscrupulous. Faculty is compromised and reprobate. The student body is a haven for ineptitude. Regrettably, the exceptions – for they do exist – cannot redress the balance. What is perhaps most troubling is that the more reputable faculties and disciplines – math, physics, engineering, astronomy, medicine, law – are gradually but inexorably being eroded by the "social justice" meme and subject to extraneous cultural forces that are political in nature. Even here, gender and race rather than scholarly accomplishment and talent are starting to predominate in hiring protocols. These departments are slowly coming to be governed not by the principles of classical propriety, but by agendas alien to their mandates – agendas whose function is to promote the collectivity over the individual; so-called "human rights" over human excellence; and equality, however unearned, over freedom, however precious. As a result, even among the purer disciplines, meritocracy will surrender to mediocrity.
There are different reasons on the elementary school level. Yes, the students come in with fewer skills than they once had. I'm not allowed to teach phonetically so there is no chance for many of them to improve. The paperwork requirements have become ridiculous and do very little toward actually improving students' literacy and math skills.
Perhaps I'll go into greater detail in a future post, but I see a new generation of barely literate, social justice warriors being created.
