Dr. Mike Robinson, host of Parent Talk Live discussed teacher attrition. Why are so many new teachers fleeing the profession after so few years in the classroom?  What are the challenges and issues confronting teachers and driving many to leave the profession? In the cases, when teachers do not leave many indicate they are under intense stress ranging from demanding school districts to parents. Are our teachers under fire? If so, what support do they need to provide the quality instruction that impact student achievement?

Joining Dr. Robinson on this week’s Parent Talk Live is a 14 year veteran educator who will discuss the challenges of being a teacher in today’s educational systems. Dr. Robinson’s guest is Mr. Walter Duncan. Mr. Duncan is 14 year professional teacher. Mr. Duncan is the creator of the Facebook group The Teachers' Round Table was created to discuss progressive thought in K-12 education. The Round Table was formed by Walter Duncan, a 7th and 8th grade English teacher. Walter is also the Co-Founder of Design by Educators, Inc., a social impact company whose mission is to design technology that works for teachers, rather than making work for teachers.

You do not want to miss this week’s show.

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Living Education eMagazine Presents Men In The Classroom from Forest Of The Rain Productions on Vimeo.

Following the death of her husband Mike in a drunk driving crash, Laura joined MADD to help craft better laws to ensure the tragedy never affected another family. For the past 17 years later, Laura has worked steadfastly to change the laws in both Texas and Florida. Now as National President of the organization, she does similar work in all 50 states so that one day she can witness the total elimination of drunk driving.   

On November 21, 1991, Laura’s husband Mike left a business meeting in Oklahoma and drove towards the Dallas-Fort Worth area to visit his family. Both born and bred Texans, he and Laura had moved to Denver six months previously to start a new chapter in their life with their 8-month old daughter. The two had only been married two and a half years.   At 7:15 p.m., a drunk driver going the wrong way on a Texas highway met Mike’s car head on, killing him instantly and simultaneously making her both a grieving widow and a single mom. The offender, who died at the crash scene, had a BAC of .34 and was driving with an almost empty bottle of Jim Beam whiskey in the vehicle.      After the crash, Laura moved to College Station, Texas.  Once she received her settlement from the civil suit in 1993, she called the Austin branch of MADD to donate part of that money to the organization specifically to help public policy laws in Texas. This started her involvement with the organization. She immediately became active with the Brazos County, Texas Chapter. Soon after, she earned a position on the Texas State Board and was elected State Chairperson in 2000.   Laura moved to Florida in 2001 and immediately began volunteering with the Central Florida Chapter. In 2001, she came on as a Chapter Advisor to the National Board of Directors and was elected to the National Board of Directors in 2002. She served as Chapter President of the Central Florida Chapter from 2003 to 2005. She served as the Law Enforcement Advisory Committee Chair from 2004 to 2008 and served as leadership chair of the MADD Florida State Operating Council just before taking office as National President. Carrying on her passion for public policy, she served as the Public Policy Committee Chair while on the National Board of Directors

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