When did Teachers lose respect?

Every day teachers are being told that they will no longer have jobs in August. Boy have things changed! Once upon a time, education was the way to go because there would always be children in need of an education. Today, teachers are losing their jobs because of budget cuts, and other teachers are dealing with overcrowded classrooms as a result of the budget cuts.

There are very few raises for teachers and those that do exist, are so small that they are almost unnoticeable. The number of teachers is decreasing while the number of administrators is increasing. All those who are currently in teacher education programs will find themselves SOL (shit out of luck) for a while, with the exception of those who are brave enough to attempt the rigid subjects of Science and Math.

During the days of Little House on the Prairie and still today in many foreign countries, teachers were and are placed on pedestals and seen as family members. Here in the US, teachers are assaulted physically and verbally by their students who do not fear a consequence. Parents, who deny the truth about their own children, yell and scream at teachers at though it is our fault that all children are not motivated and gifted. Administrators, who are generally working in self preservation mode, too often take the sides of parents without even listening to the teachers whom they hired.

When did it all change? When did teachers lose respect?