kendall, thank you for your vote of confidence. I just took early retirement from teaching, after trying to do the job of 2 people for the past 2 years. I found that, no matter how I tried or how many hours I put in, I just couldn't do it. I finally burned out. When I realized that crying almost every day over the disrespect &/ apathy I met from my students wasn't normal/healthy, I actually took medical leave & quit 3 weeks before the end of the school year. After I filed for retirement, I was told that the district was cutting back further, from 2 library positions to 1, & that I would have lost my job at the end of the year, anyway. There is little administrative regard for the work of the teachers or the best interests of the students. American education is going, more & more, to the business model, to the detriment of our future. Most teachers I know are trying hard to meet the needs of their students, but they are feeling increasingly discouraged. They try to adapt to the changing needs of today's tech generation, but with decreasing success. Fewer & fewer students, each year, seem able to relate to 3D teachers. Add to that the lack of administrative support & we have a sorry situation. I, myself, feel I'm seeing the decline of traditional libraries. I didn't feel adequate to make the transition to the future. I hope someone else in my district will. I realize this post is somewhat off-topic, but, IMO, teachers work damn hard for their money & are so often bashed.

Barbara