A teacher who left: Every day is spent playing defense

Most teachers understand why it is critical that Georgia address how it conducts and grades teacher evaluations. But few parents understand the evaluation process or why teachers detest it so much.

In an essay that is garnering a lot of attention on MyAJC, former metro middle school teacher Malorie Leighann Hubauer attempts to help parents understand the flaws in Georgia's evaluation system, which has inspired several bills in the Legislature this session. One of them, Senate Bill 364, is likely to pass. It will speak to some of the problems that Hubauer cites.

In explaining her decision to leave a job she loved because of how she was being evaluated, Hubauer writes, “Every day is spent playing defense…The teacher evaluation system, however, went beyond pointing out flaws. Of course I wanted feedback about how to improve! I will never claim to be the best, the image of perfection, the role model for all. I know I have growth areas. What I don’t need to do is defend every decision I make. Literally. Every. Single. Decision.”