

Geddes, NY –It's not unusual for a teacher to tell students that he's retiring, but one Westhill teacher's retirement letter making the rounds on the Internet has struck a chord with students and parents.

“For the last decade or so, I have had two signs hanging above the blackboard at the front of my classroom, they read, ‘Words Matter’ and ‘Ideas Matter.’ While I still believe these simple statements to be true, I don’t feel that those currently driving public education have any inkling of what they mean,” Gerald “Jerry” Conti wrote.

In what he calls a “ sad long letter,” Conti, 62, notified the Westhill School District last month that he will retire when the school year ends. Conti said he's leaving two years before he is eligible for a full 30-year pension, because he can no longer stomach what’s going on with the educational system.

“This whole thing is being driven by people who know nothing about education,” Conti said today."It's sad."

Conti is concerned about the emphasis being placed on standardized tests and the data they create versus creativity, teacher autonomy and innovation that excites students.

He placed the letter on his Facebook page, and since then it has taken on a life of its own.

Gerald Gerald Conti’s retirement letterConti Letter

"MR. CONTI! Thank you for having the guts to speak you mind, and teaching me how to find mine," Sally Dee posted on Conti's page.

Ethan Kocak wrote,"to teach history in such a way that it was both engaging and interesting (and I think also his habit of creating a sort of narrative) takes special skill--skill that evidently isn't appreciated or even considered acceptable by the unimaginative vogons in charge of administering our education. Mr. Conti, you actually helped me realize there was more to American history than (BS) about pilgrims."

He placed the letter on his Facebook page to announce his retirement to current and former students, Conti said, adding that he also wanted to tell them why he was leaving.

His beef is not with the school district, Conti said. “I feel no animosity toward them. This is larger forces, Bill Gates, the state legislature, and Pearson (a private test assessment company).”

In the letter addressed to school Superintendent Casey Barduhn, with a copy sent to school board President Doreen Bronchetti, the teacher decries current educational philosophy that puts an emphasis on standardized lesson plans, tests, and data collection.

The changes place an emphasis on quantity rather than the quality of an education that’s based on a teacher’s creativity and understanding of their subject, Conti said.

He favors the "university model" of teaching, Conti said. "You hire the best people for the job and let them do the job," he said.

“I can’t teach any more. I spend too much time bean counting,” he said.

Conti is not leaving teaching all together. He has asked the district to allow him to return at some point as a substitute.

Contact Charley Hannagan at channagan@syracuse.com, by voice or text at 470-2161, on Twitter @charleypost, or on Facebook at Neighbors West.