Teacher breaks down while resigning during livestream - she has one powerful last lesson for students watching
When challenges are heating up and coming hard against you, everything you do in response becomes a learning lesson - either for you or others. A teacher named Amanda Coffman was heartbroken after putting up a tough fight with education laws in her district. When nothing seemed to work, she decided to stand up for herself and she resigned during a livestream, per KCTV5 News. The teacher announced that she would no longer render her services at the Shawnee Mission School District meeting and left some powerful words for her students and others present. Coffman boldly announced that she was resigning “effective immediately” in front of the entire board and members present at the meeting.
This bold resignation came after an approval of a 3-year contract from the board which has bleak salary increases and other factors, per WDTN. It wasn’t just the pay that pushed Coffman to resign but rather the ruthless communication the board had with teachers. She was heartbroken to understand over time how her fighting for the cause wasn’t going to work because the board refused to listen. With her voice breaking, the teacher pointed out that she was disheartened by the board’s insignificant efforts in listening to the teachers. Coffman noted, “Just like a bad relationship, our communication has broken down. You aren't listening."
She added, "I thought that maybe like a troubled relationship, we could go to counseling and get an outside perspective to work out our differences but when you failed to show up to the conversation but sent your lawyer instead, I finally understood that this just isn't going to work.” The teacher seemed to receive a backlash for her decision saying that she was resigning because of the money, per KCURTV. However, Coffman remarked if she "could wear a neon sign that said, ‘It’s not about the money,'" she would. Her idea was never money-focused but to look for her welfare and that of her students. The teacher said, “I feel like I can be a better advocate for the teachers as an outsider and as a community member than I ever could as a teacher.”
Coffman fought back tears but considered it her duty to share life lessons with her students, especially on account of the rash experience she had. "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should," she told them. The teacher encouraged those who were watching the livestream to prioritize respect in personal and professional relationships. “Just because you can accept less for yourself, doesn’t mean you should. Respect should not have to be earned. It is owed to you as a human being,” she remarked. Considering it her last public lesson as a teacher, Coffman shared life lessons for her students, per Now This Impact. Her message went on, “Just because you could stay silent doesn't mean you should.”
She acknowledged that starting over is never easy but can often be important. “Just because you can stay in a familiar place doesn't mean you should. Go chase your dreams. Find your passions, remember me in your acceptance speeches,” she tearfully said. “Finally, I don't know what I'll be doing when the bell rings at 8:40 tomorrow morning but I won't be greeting you in the hallways,” Coffin assured her students one last time that her leaving is not a sign of her abandoning her students. “That empty doorway is my sign that you are still my favorite humans and I will always be your biggest advocate there.”