Why you shouldn't be a public-school teacher

Sigh. So my immediate boss (assistant principal over special programs) resigned this past week. Although she exhibited psychotic traits toward others, she was always nice to me. I will miss her. Moreover, I will miss her guidance, work ethic, and genuine interest in our students. My big boss (the principal) made sure to insult her before she left by telling her a replacement for her would not be needed - that her job could be sectioned off to others who already work at our school. If that were the case, I have to wonder why she was there in the first place. Of course it's not true, but women are notorious for being catty. Therefore, in the aftermath, I am the lucky recipient of the ESL testing coordinator component of her job. Equally as lucky, I get to do it for FREE! Woo hoo! I am already a FREE department chair, where other department chairs receive stipends. Why must ESL always be given the shaft? Our student population continues to increase while the number of qualified teachers remains the same. Our accountability level is nearing that of special education, yet other teachers do not consider our accommodations important. I love the students I teach. Students in mainstream USA do not hold a candle to my ESL students with regard to respect and altruism. I will advocate for them whether I am compensated or not. However, it seems criminal to cheat ESL teachers when they have the difficult task of helping their students become proficient in a language within a narrowing timetable when mainstream teachers need only to keep their students afloat in a language they were born using. Oh well. Who said life was fair?