Awesome - After A Teacher Wrote An Explosive Post About Bad Parenting, She Was Shell-shocked By The Reaction
There may come a point in all our lives when we can’t hold our frustrations in any longer. Teacher Julie Marburger can certainly attest to that, as she posted an epic rant on Facebook about bad parenting in March 2018. However, the online response to her lengthy message left the educator utterly shocked.
During that period, Marburger worked as a teacher at Cedar Creek Intermediate School, located in Texas. As for her subject of choice, she taught English Language Arts to those in the sixth-grade. Prior to taking on that position, though, the teacher already harbored plenty of experience in the education sector.
For, you see, Marburger used to work as a “parenting educator.” This meant that she focused on areas such as behavioral psychology and child development. It was a role that she appeared to relish at the time, as she looked to assist moms and dads who needed guidance. But that positive outlook soon changed.
When Marburger relocated to Texas, though, she realized that those subjects weren’t covered by the local schools. So, she decided to adapt. The educator then became qualified in a number of different topics before joining Cedar Creek Intermediate School. Yet despite her previous enthusiasm, one moment in 2018 caused her to snap on social media.
While there are many important jobs out there today, it could be argued that teaching is still one of the most significant. Those individuals are, after all, entrusted with guiding youngsters through their school years, helping them achieve the best education possible. On that note, this particular role can be incredibly rewarding for some.
Marburger knows that feeling all too well, regardless of what eventually happened in March 2018. A former resident of Richmond, Utah, she enrolled at Utah State University back in the 1990s. During her spell there, the future teacher focused on the subject of Family and Human Development, finally earning her degree in 1996.
After graduating from college, Marburger then entered the world of work and took on some contrasting positions. In her home state, she got a job as a mental health rehabilitation worker at Salt Lake City’s Valley Mental Health facility. Meanwhile, the graduate also gained a bit of experience as a business manager in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
However, Marburger had eyes on one job in particular, which she later revealed on her official website. On the site’s “About Me” page, the Utah native wrote, “For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a mother. A passion to which I have devoted half my life, and certainly most of my energy!”
Marburger continued, “I was fortunate to be able to make [motherhood] my full-time career as my children were growing up. I have four beautiful daughters, who are now in their late teens, on up through their early 20s with homes of their own. There is no other accomplishment in my life that I am more proud of.”
After Marburger helped guide her daughters through childhood, she took a real interest in teaching, leading to a big moment. The mom then went on to earn some additional qualifications in her quest to join the education sector. And once everything was in place, she finally put her skills to the test.
But as we previously mentioned, Marburger focused on educating parents during that period. She wrote, “Child Development is probably my favorite subject to talk about, with parenting and behavior modification being my pet topics within that. Occasionally younger parents will ask me for advice, and it brings me such joy to be able to help them when I can.”
At that point, Marburger recalled the process that she had to go through after moving to Texas. As none of her previous subjects were being taught in her new home state, she became a middle school teacher instead. Thanks to that switch, the parent got a first-hand look at how children behaved in the classroom, among other things.
With that in mind, Marburger made a rather worrying observation on her website. She said, “I see many gradual yet significant changes happening in our society that are negatively impacting all of us, but more tragically, our children. I see common civility declining at an alarming rate.” Her thoughts didn’t end there, though.
Marburger added, “Children are growing up thinking behaviors we would have shunned a couple [of] generations ago [are] the norm and perfectly acceptable. They are not learning essential life skills and manners that will help them succeed in life.” And as it turned out, those concerns appeared to be well placed.
For, you see, in the spring of 2018, Marburger shared a vitriolic message on that very subject on her Facebook page. In addition to the lengthy post, the sixth-grade teacher also included some startling photographs that further backed up her point. The various images showcased the damage being caused in her classroom.
However, while the photos were shocking, Marburger was eventually tipped over the edge by one particular encounter. She wrote, “I left work early today after an incident with a parent left me unable emotionally to continue for the day. I have already made the decision to leave teaching at the end of this year.”
Marburger continued, “[But] today, I don’t know if I will make it even that long. Parents have become far too disrespectful, and their children are even worse. Administration always seems to err on the side of keeping the parent happy, which leaves me with no way to do the job I was hired to do… Teach kids.”
At that stage, Marburger then highlighted the photographs that she shared alongside the post. According to the teacher, those images were snapped over a two-day period, but she went on to clarify something. In a surprising revelation, the mom-of-four said that her classroom is usually left in that state when the final bell rings each day.
“Keep in mind that many of the items damaged or destroyed by my students are my personal possessions or I purchased myself,” Marburger wrote. “Because I have NO classroom budget. I have finally had enough of the disregard for personal and school property. [I] am drawing a line in the sand on a myriad of behaviors that I am through tolerating.”
Following that stern declaration, Marburger touched upon the incident that led to her outburst. In the end, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The educator explained, “Unfortunately, one parent today thought it was wrong of me to hold her son accountable for his behavior, and decided to very rudely tell me so in front of her son.”
Furthermore, Marburger wasn’t just angry about the bad behavior and the state of her classroom. In fact, the teacher was also annoyed with the overall lack of output from a number of her students. She admitted that close to 50 percent of them were set to fail the class after snubbing certain pieces of work.
On that note, Marburger made another sobering point. She wrote, “Most of these students and their parents haven’t seemed to care about this over the past three months. But now I’m probably going to spend my entire week next week fielding calls and emails from irate parents, wanting to know why I failed their kid.”
Unfortunately for Marburger, the potential issues didn’t end there. She continued, “My administrator will demand an explanation of why I let so many fail without giving them support. Even though I’ve done practically everything short of doing the work for them. And behavior in my class will deteriorate even more.”
Regarding that latter point, Marburger was particularly confident that deterioration would happen. After all, she claimed that the behavior was only getting worse throughout the school year. But that didn’t signal the end of her incredible rant on social media. She then focused on another negative aspect of her job.
“I have never heard of a profession where people put so much of their heart and soul into their job,” Marburger wrote. “Taking time and resources from their home and family, and getting paid such an insultingly measly amount. Teachers are some of the most kind and giving people I have ever met, yet they get treated so disrespectfully from all sides.”
Marburger added, “Most parents can’t stand to spend more than a couple hours a day with their kid. But we spend eight with yours and 140 others just like him. Is it too much to ask for a little common courtesy and civil conversation?” From there, the experienced educator then made a heartbreaking confession.
While Marburger realized an ambition by becoming a teacher, her time at Cedar Creek Intermediate School left her “disillusioned” with her career. In addition, she claimed that there were many more like her in the school system, ready to abandon the job. And such were their numbers, she believed there could be a problem down the line.
Marburger suggested that there could be a “teacher crisis” in America in the near future, due to the aforementioned issues. Then, the mother rounded off her epic Facebook post with a passionate plea. She wrote, “People absolutely HAVE to stop coddling and enabling their children. It’s a problem that’s going to spread through our society like wildfire.”
After that, Marburger concluded, “Many will say I shouldn’t be posting such things on social media… That I should promote education and be positive. But I don’t care anymore. Any passion for this work I once had has been wrung completely out of me. Maybe I can be the voice of reason. THIS HAS TO STOP.”
With that, Marburger’s powerful message finally came to a close, but few people could’ve predicted what happened next. The post appeared to strike a nerve on social media, with users flocking to read the teacher’s story. In the end, she was simply taken aback by the sheer scope of the online reaction.
Since being posted, Marburger’s rant has earned over 340,000 likes and more than 420,000 shares on Facebook. Alongside that, the post generated just under 100 comments from online users as well, with many offering their support. Off the back of that, she then responded to the reaction via an update.
“Thank you everyone for your words of support!” Marburger wrote on the social media website. “I’m feeling a little shell-shocked over the attention I have gotten, to say the least. This is something I had no way of anticipating and have taken a few days to come to terms with.”
Given the reaction, Marburger wanted to make something perfectly clear to everyone. She explained, “I never intended to be a spokesperson for anything. I’m not the most qualified to do so, and I’m certainly not the best teacher out there, by far. But obviously my words, spoken in desperation that day, have struck a chord with many people.”
At that point, Marburger praised the pupils in her class that actually did the work required to earn a passing grade. As she herself suggested, anger and frustration made her focus on the negatives at the time of the original post. And with a clearer head, the Utah native also tried to look at the bigger picture in her update.
In Marburger’s opinion, her lengthy post brought up long-standing issues with the education sector in America. As well as that, she claimed her message flagged up problems with behavior and accountability in today’s society, too. So after sharing those thoughts, the teacher had one last thing to say on the matter.
Marburger wrote, “I am a woman of faith, and have been quite reflective this week on the good that I can bring to this world because of this experience. I have decided to (as soon as feasible) start blogging my feelings on all of the above. [I] hope many of you will join me in the discussion.”
To conclude, Marburger added, “If we all work together, we can make the changes we need for our collective success.” As for the reaction to the post itself, there were many people in the comments section who couldn’t help but defend her plight. In fact, some of those users had already seen the problems first-hand.
And that’s because, those individuals had connections in the education sector, supported what Marburger wrote in her post. But of all the comments, though, one in particular really stood out. The user in question was a teacher themselves, and made a fairly damning point about some schools in the United States.
The Facebook user wrote, “And this, Julie, is why I refuse to teach in America. When I taught abroad, I was treated with respect and even honor. Parents would come down hard on their kids for giving me any problems and sort the kids out right in front of me. Like you, I love teaching.”
“I’m sorry this has hurt you so much,” the user added. “I agree, the administration is at fault in most cases for bowing down to the parents. Once again the instant gratification generation has lost an opportunity to excel.” That comment subsequently earned over 2,000 likes on the social media website.
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