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Birmingham teacher opens up about decision to retire early
Chip Scarborough
Anchor/Reporter
Birmingham teacher opens up about decision to retire early
LOCAL LATE BREAKING WVTM 13 NEWS AT SIX STARTS NOW. THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC HAS DRIVEN TEACHER AFTER TEACHER OFF THE JOB FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. IT IS LEFT MANY DISTRACTIONS CENTRAL ALABAMA WITH A TEACHER SHORTAGE. I THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US AT 6 A.M. AND. RIGHT. AND I’M BRITTANY DECKER. SOME TEACHERS SAY RECURRING PROBLEMS STARTED BEFORE THE PANDEMIC AND IT ACTUALLY DROVE THEM AWAY. OUR CHIP SCARBOROUGH IS LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM TONIGHT WITH THE STORY OF ONE TEACHER WHO SAYS THAT SHE HAD TO WALK AWAY. THIS IS A STORY YOU’LL ONLY SEE ON WVTM 13 CHIP. BRITTNEY AND AND CHRISTINA BLACK SAYS SHE WAS A TEACHER IN BIRMINGHAM CITY SCHOOLS FOR CLOSE TO 28 YEARS. BUT SHE SAYS THE DISCIPLINARY PROBLEMS GOT SO OUT OF HAND THAT SHE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO GET OUT OF TEACHING. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU WORKED HARD FOR. CHRISTINA BLACK SPENT NEARLY THREE DECADES PREPARING STUDENTS IN BIRMINGHAM CITY SCHOOLS FOR THE FUTURE. BUT SHE SAYS COME 2019, IT WAS NO LONGER THE SAME JOB SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH. LACK OF OF OUR SUPPORT FROM THE ADMINISTRATION WAS REALLY IT WAS KEY. IT WAS NOT YOU KNOW, IT WAS NOT PRISON. SO BLACK DECIDED TO WALK AWAY FROM TEACHING JUST A FEW MONTHS BEFORE THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC. BUT THE STUDENTS WERE BASIC WITH TAKING OVER THE CLASSROOMS AND YOU WRITE THEM UP FOR A STUDENT REFERRAL AND THEY WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO EXCUSE THEM TO THE TO THE OFFICE WITH THESE REFERRAL. AND BEFORE YOU CAN REALLY GET TO THE BACK TO THE CLASSROOM, THEY’RE BEHIND YOU WALK. AND SO REALLY, IT WAS NOTHING DONE AS FAR AS PUNISHMENT. BIRMINGHAM CITY SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT DR. MARK SULLIVAN SENT ME A STATEMENT SAYING SCHOOL DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY HAVE FACED SHORTAGES DURING THE PANDEMIC DUE TO TEACHERS LEAVING THE PROFESSION. HE SAYS THE GOAL IS ALWAYS TO PROVIDE A GOOD WORKING ENVIRONMENT FOR TEACHERS AND A NUMBER OF RESOURCES HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE FOR THAT. THE PRESIDENT OF BIRMINGHAM’S AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS SAYS THE SO-CALLED PANDEMIC PROBLEMS ACTUALLY STARTED BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. THIS WAS PRE-COVID. WE HAD A NATIONAL TEACHER SHORTAGE. IT’S BEEN GOING ON. SO THE PEOPLE THEY’RE SAYING, IS GETTING BETTER. CHRISTINA BLACK, AS WELL, AWARE OF WHAT TEACHERS NOW ARE FACED WITH, ESPECIALLY WHERE PANDEMIC LEARNING LOSSES CONCERNED, THEY’RE HAVING TO NOW. OH, PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS IN ORDER TO TO BRING THEM UP TO WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. AND THE SUPERINTENDENT SAYS AN INCREASE IN TEACHER PAY HAS ACTUALLY HELPED KEEP TEACHERS ON THE JOB. HE SAYS THE DISTRICT HAS DONE EVERYTHING IN ITS POWER TO MAKE SURE TEACHERS FEEL VALUED AND APPRECIATED. LIVE AT BIRMINGHAM CITY SCHOOLS TONIGHT CH
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Birmingham teacher opens up about decision to retire early
Chip Scarborough
Anchor/Reporter
Kristina Black spent nearly three decades preparing students in Birmingham City Schools for the future. But she says come 2019, it was no longer the same job she fell in love with. "Lack of support from administration, it was key," Black recalls. "You know, it was not present. And when I needed the support, that was when things started unraveling."Black decided to walk away from teaching, just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic. "The students were basically taking over the classrooms and you would write them up for a student referral," she explains. "And you would have to escort them to the office with these referrals and before you could really get back to the classroom, they were behind you walking. And so, really was nothing done as far as punishment."Birmingham City Schools superintendent Dr. Mark Sullivan released a statement, saying school districts throughout the country have faced shortages during the pandemic due to teachers leaving the profession. He says the goal is always to provide a good work environment for teachers and that a number of sources have been put in place to help. The president of Birmingham's American Federation of Teachers says the so-called pandemic problems actually started before the pandemic. "This was pre-COVID," Richard Franklin says. We had a national teacher shortage. It's been going on. So, the people that's saying it's getting better (nods head no)."Kristina Black is well-aware of what teachers now are faced with, especially where pandemic learning loss is concerned. "They're having to now pull out all the stops in order to bring them up to where they need to be," Black says. Dr. Sullivan says an increase in teacher pay has kept some teachers from leaving the profession. He also says the district is doing all it can to make employees feel valued and appreciated.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —

Kristina Black spent nearly three decades preparing students in Birmingham City Schools for the future. But she says come 2019, it was no longer the same job she fell in love with.

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"Lack of support from administration, it was key," Black recalls. "You know, it was not present. And when I needed the support, that was when things started unraveling."

Black decided to walk away from teaching, just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The students were basically taking over the classrooms and you would write them up for a student referral," she explains. "And you would have to escort them to the office with these referrals and before you could really get back to the classroom, they were behind you walking. And so, really was nothing done as far as punishment."

Birmingham City Schools superintendent Dr. Mark Sullivan released a statement, saying school districts throughout the country have faced shortages during the pandemic due to teachers leaving the profession. He says the goal is always to provide a good work environment for teachers and that a number of sources have been put in place to help.

The president of Birmingham's American Federation of Teachers says the so-called pandemic problems actually started before the pandemic.

"This was pre-COVID," Richard Franklin says. We had a national teacher shortage. It's been going on. So, the people that's saying it's getting better (nods head no)."

Kristina Black is well-aware of what teachers now are faced with, especially where pandemic learning loss is concerned.

"They're having to now pull out all the stops in order to bring them up to where they need to be," Black says.

Dr. Sullivan says an increase in teacher pay has kept some teachers from leaving the profession. He also says the district is doing all it can to make employees feel valued and appreciated.