Teachers on the brink

 It's kinda amazing. 

People are wondering why is there a teacher shortage? 

Why are over 50% of current teachers considering leaving the profession? 

Hmmm, 

Maybe because they get no respect. Parents who tell their kids that "those who can't do--teach" somehow expect that these kids will respect the teachers? 

 

But since the pandemic it has been hell. 

People are blaming the teachers for everything. 

"Why isn't teaching an essential job? Why aren't the kids in schools? I don't want my kid to wear a mask! HOW DARE YOU MAKE MY KID WEAR A MASK!!!"

--That entitled shout?  Has now become-- I want my child to eat peanut butter and I don't care if someone else's child DIES!!!!! HOW DARE YOU NOT ALLOW MY KID TO EAT PEANUT BUTTER!

I WANT MY KID TO BE ABLE TO CARRY A GUN TO SCHOOL! (I haven't really heard about this--but it wouldn't surprise me.)

The parents are worse than the kids. 

Schools should remain open. OPEN I tell you-- no matter what! I don't care if there's a bomb threat. 

 Then there are those who are markedly kind.  "My kid had a rough time during the pandemic."

Guess what--so did your kid's teacher.

Your kid's teacher thinks about them all the time.  Am I good enough to teach them? Why aren't I getting through to them?  What's going on at home? Is someone hurting them? Am I doing something wrong? 

Teachers are suffering. 

And when a teacher suffers so does their family. Because we want to help. 

And the teachers--they want to teach. They missed your kids. 

What they don't miss is all the bullshit. And they are leaving. 

My sweet husband is an exceptional teacher--and he's considered leaving the profession. A Profession that he was born to do--and he's just so fricking good at. 

Congrats--people have made a passion driven job so hellish that people just can't deal. 

Pages and listents

 So when I was dusting off the furniture of the blog, I gave some thought as to whether or not I wanted to change the name. 

I decided against it. 

For one, even though things have been crazy, I still feel the need to talk about pages, stages and rages.  

So now-- The Pages. 

I work in Publishing again.  For a big publishing company.  I work in audiobooks.  There was big transition, and I felt like I would be fired at many points. Maybe more on that later. 

The thing I wanted to talk about is audiobooks. 

They are great. There are some (Andy Weir novels especially) that are actually better as an audiobook than as a print book. More often (the In Death series--the Harry Potter series) they are equal. I get incredibly angry when people (like one of Lotus' teachers ) say that they are not the same and that if she wants her reading to count she has to do it with the eyes. 

First, it's so fucking ablelist. There are people who can't see, can't read, have severe learning disabilities that make reading a chore. Audiobooks even the playing field. And now, audiobooks have been coming into their own. We have full-cast versions of books, sound effects and audio only titles. 

Lotus--not unsurprisingly has started listening to audiobooks.  When I first started this job, she called them "listents" (pronounced list-tent) so sometimes I do say that when I mean that I haven't even picked up the print version. 

More often, I do simultaneous reading.  I get the audiobook (if it is one that we publish I can download it) and the print from the library and go between them. 

But in the past two years--I kinda went back to rereads. Not that there's anything wrong with that--but I just haven't found enough new books to grab me. 

Well, so far in 2022, that seems to be at an end. 

On my goodreads account I did the reading challenge for 100 books for 2022.  I'm at 7. 

One I put down unfinished--mainly because I started to want to slap the hero across the face. But my rule is if I have finished over a third of the book--It goes in my goodreads as read. 

So here's  some what I've been reading and listening to. 

Blind Tiger by Sandra Brown --Four Stars (out of 5)

Both Audio and Print.

I either like Ms. Brown's books or I REALLY don't. This was the former. She really should do more historical fiction as she has the knack of making me forget where I am when she builds the setting historically.  This one, set in the height of prohibition is wonderful. 

The audio, well, if I didn't work in the business, I'd say was great, but since I do there were some production details that could be seen to. 

Becoming by Nora Roberts -- Three Stars

Print only

I LOVED the first book in this trilogy--Awakening.  The only reason I didn't make it a 5 star book was because it ended on a cliffhanger and I hate that in books.  This book was--okay. Granted I hold Ms. Roberts to a much higher standard but I was so looking forward to it and it just didn't live up to my hopes. Which isn't to say I can't wait to see how it ends in the next book.

Forgotten in Death by JD Robb --Four Stars Reread

Audio only

So after a disappointing Nora Roberts, I went back to In Death, and enjoyed the listen.

Untitled book - put down unfinished. 

I might go back to this book so I'm not listing the title here

 

and more to come

 

Well--I am back

 2022. 

The last time I wrote a word on this was 2018. 

Damn. 

So, What's been going on? 

New Job. 

I work in publishing. I work with audiobooks.  After a longer than should be adjustment time, I am starting to feel competent at my job. I like my boss and my coworkers. 

Pandemic

Oh yeah-- is there still a Pandemic? 

Fuck yes. I work from home now. And I shepherded my beautiful daughter through remote learning. And oh yeah--we're remote learning.  But my teacher husband is expected to go in and work with the high school kids.  

It sucks. 

Kid

I like 9 years old. 

Husband. 

I still love him. He loves me. But the pandemic was not good for our marriage. We're working it out. 

Health

And We're working out. We started Zoom.  I've so far lost 15 lbs. So has my husband. Yeah he started a month ago and I've been on since October. But that is men and women's different body chemistry. Does that bother me. Oh you bet your ASS!

Well I'm dusting off the furniture of this blog. Maybe I will post a lot. Maybe a little.  But. I'm back.