Li Mei (not her real name) is a high-quality kindergarten teacher, she has a wealth of teaching experience and good teaching evaluation, she loves her work, and is also loved by children and parents. But not so long ago, she quit her job abruptly, and the reason for her resignation was surprising: she was going to work as a waitress.
Li Mei's resignation caused confusion and regret among her colleagues, who knew that she was a teacher with great teaching talent and educational feelings, why should she give up her profession and pursue a job that had nothing to do with education? Li Mei's answer is: she can't stand the "cards" in school.
What is a "card"? "Card" refers to a variety of assessments, evaluations, inspections, evaluations and other activities in the school, which are usually carried out in the form of punching cards, requiring teachers to complete various tasks on time and in accordance with quantity and quality, otherwise it will affect teachers' performance, ratings, bonuses, etc. These "cards" seem to be aimed at improving the professional level and teaching quality of teachers, but in fact, they bring a heavy burden and pressure to teachers, so that teachers have no time to take care of their own teaching innovation and educational ideals, and even affect their physical and mental health.
Li Mei is one of the victims of these "cards". She told reporters that she has been working in the kindergarten for eight years, and she has always enjoyed spending time with children, and she believes that the essence of education is to cultivate children's interest, curiosity and creativity, rather than instilling knowledge and skills. She has also been working hard to improve her professionalism by participating in various trainings and seminars, reading various educational books and materials, and exploring teaching methods and activities suitable for children. Her teaching achievements have also been recognized by peers and parents, and she has won the title and award of outstanding teacher many times.
However, as there are more and more "cards" in school, Li Mei's work pressure is also increasing. She said that every month, the school arranges all kinds of "cards", some of which are within the school, some are from higher departments, some are from social institutions, some are from parents, and some are their own. These "cards" include: lesson plans, courseware, reflection, summary, evaluation, report, display, speech, training, examination, competition, research, questionnaire, observation, guidance, communication, cooperation, innovation, reform, etc. The content, form, requirements, standards, time, frequency, and difficulty of these "cards" are all different, but teachers are required to strictly abide by them, and there must be no mistakes and delays, otherwise they will be punished by deducted points, demotion, fines, notices, criticism, etc.
Li Mei said that these "cards" made her feel very tired and helpless, she felt that her work had become a kind of mechanical repetition, and she did not have the time and energy to pay attention to the real needs of children, to design interesting teaching activities, to enjoy the fun of education, to realize her educational ideals. She said that she has to work more than ten hours a day, get up at 6 in the morning and go to bed at 11 at night, with almost no rest time in between, she is under tremendous physical and psychological pressure, she often feels headaches, stomach pain, insomnia, anxiety, depression and other symptoms, her family and social life are also affected, her husband and children rarely see her, and her friends and colleagues rarely communicate with her. She said that she had repeatedly reflected her difficulties and demands to the school, hoping that the school could reduce the burden on teachers and improve their happiness, but the school's answer was always: these "cards" are all for improving the quality of education, for the growth of teachers, for the future of children, for the expectations of society, and for the development of education.
Li Mei said that she finally chose to resign because she felt that she could no longer tolerate such a working environment and working state, she felt that she had lost her dignity and value as a teacher, she felt that she had deviated from her educational beliefs and ideals, and she felt that she had lost the passion and motivation for education, and she felt that she was no longer a real teacher, but a robot enslaved by "cards". She said she chose to become a waitress because she wanted a different way of life.