Never Stop Teaching
An article from WBEZ today states that teachers are feeling ‘beat down’ as the school year starts.
As students prepare to begin another school year, their teachers are hopping mad. They’re facing layoffs and deep budget cuts and many say they’re tired of being blamed unfairly for just about everything that’s wrong in public education. They’re so mad that many are bypassing their unions and mounting a campaign of their own to restore the public’s faith in their profession.
Betsy Leis, a middle school teacher in Florida, is one of these angry teachers.
“I give my heart and my soul to every single student in my classroom and all I see on the news is that we aren’t doing our job. We’re constantly beat down. That’s why I’m angry,” Leis says. “I don’t make any money and part of me is OK with that because I don’t do it for the money.”
And it’s not enough that people don’t appreciate teachers, they’ve become punching bags, says Claudia Rueda-Alvarez, a high school counselor in Chicago.
Yea, that sounds about right.
I was in my classroom all yesterday setting stuff up, getting ready for the first day of school (which is Monday – AHHHH!), and I found myself wondering if I was doing enough. I found myself faced with more criticism last year than ever before – from the media, students, parents, other teachers, and worst of all myself – and I wanted this year to be different. I wanted to “do it right” this year, as if last year I did it wrong.
And then it hit me. The only thing I did wrong last year was stop believing in myself and what I was doing.
The most criticism I received last year was from myself. Granted, that fire was probably fueled by what I heard constantly from the media, friends, family, etc. about teachers being paid too much and not working hard enough and having these ridiculous pensions and summers off. And I heard from so many others that I should be doing something better than teaching. So I started to think to myself: Well, if that’s how they feel about me, why should I do this anymore?
I lost the passion. I lost the enjoyment. I lost myself. Because I am a teacher. As much as I hate defining myself as my job, teaching is so much more than a job. I teach in a classroom, sure, but I don’t ever stop teaching. I teach when I see my students in the hallways, outside of school, in extra curricular activities. I teach here, at Small Strokes, and at Gender Across Borders. I teach when I’m out with friends and family.
Because teaching isn’t just imparting knowledge, it’s listening, asking the right questions, letting someone cry, laughing your butt off. All of these, every day. With style, poise, and verve.
So little of teaching is actually imparting knowledge, which is why our test-taking culture has got it all wrong. And it’s also why the media has it wrong, and, subsequently, why so many other people have it wrong. All they can look at is the quantitative measure of test scores; they can’t seem to see the qualitative value of what we do every day.
One of my favorite professors told us all the time to teach like your hair is on fire. My hair hasn’t been on fire for a long time, but I think it’s time to set the blaze. (Metaphorically, of course.)
Instead of feeling ‘beat down’ as this school year starts, I’m going to feel fired up. I can make that decision – in fact, I’m the only one who can make that decision for myself – and it’s already been decided. I’m going to teach with style, poise, and verve. I’m going to laugh my butt off. I’m going to tune out everyone’s negative attitudes about teachers. I’m going to listen to the likes of Matt Damon and Taylor Mali. Every day.
Hold me to it, friends.
Taylor Mali! I love him. I met him in high school and it was one of the happiest days of my high school life.
Yes ma’am!! I needed that after the first two days of 2011-2012.
Thank you for reminding me that it is all about the kids.
I also wanted to thank you, Ashley. I find that there are many people out there, even some teachers themselves, who are negative about teaching and who discourage me from becoming a teacher usually because of the money. The problem with all their discouraging comments is that money was never what inspired me to teach in the first place. It’s just good to know that there are teachers, like you and the person who inspired me, who still believe in what it really means to be a teacher, so thanks.
you go ashley! I am starting an alternative certification program to become a teacher this year and am so excited to teach with style and verve as you described, to love my students and laugh every day. I will hold you to the fire because I need to look up to you as an example of a passionate, caring teacher. Good luck with the new year, you’ll be great, and hopefully I’ll be joining you in January!
I’ll do it if you will. 😀
I started school this past Tuesday. One thing I’m really, really fortunate for is that I teach at a school and in a district that largely has its priorities in order and is working to do great things. There’s a lot of pressure to be awesome, for sure, but there is pressure to be awesome in ways that matter.