I want to wish all the educators a Happy World Teacher Day today! I may be retired now, but one of the things I vowed to do in my retirement is champion those still out there, doing the work because they simply don't have enough support in this day and age. For most educators, teaching is a passion, a calling. They do it because they're compelled to teach. That's how I was. I wanted to be a teacher from the time I was a little girl. I loved playing school. I enjoyed doing workbooks for fun. I could never get enough school/office supplies (still can't haha). I was so fortunate to be able to do what I loved alongside some of the best in the business for more than 30 years.
Most teachers just want to do their jobs -- share their passion about a subject, impart a little knowledge to kids along the way, and maybe even ignite a spark. But doing their jobs sounds easier than it is. They also have to buy supplies for their students and classroom with their own money, and yes, sometimes even food and clothes. They are loaded down with mandates and paperwork and meetings (GCN training modules, data/IEP/department/curriculum/staff meetings, professional development, mandated reporting, discipline referrals, bathroom, hall and nurse passes -- the list goes on and on). They bring work home every night, weekend, and vacation -- papers to grade, lessons to plan, emails to write and respond to, phone calls to make, documentation to complete, grades to enter.
Now add to all that having to deal with things like principals who often have little classroom experience, or who have been out of the classroom for so long they don't truly understand what it's like to be in the classroom anymore -- news flash, it is WAY different than it was 10 years or even 5 years ago before COVID. (Quick shout out to the principals who have purposely tried to stay connected to the classroom to be as understanding of what their teachers experience -- that effort does not go unnoticed by teachers, trust me.) The out-of-touch school leaders don't realize the burden of just one more thing added to the plate that only takes 5 or 10 minutes; once you add a dozen of those things across a school year, you're starting to add up the minutes. Or every time you send a kid back to class with a bag of fruit snacks after being sent to the office for discipline reasons, you just add to the burden. Being a principal is a hard job -- there's a reason (well, LOTS of reasons) why I never aspired to that role -- but please try not to get caught up in the job to the point where you can't support your teachers, because that's part of the job, too.
 |
| Me, in the middle, with my CJHS "squad" at my retirement party. |
Pile on parents and the general public and politicians who love to jump on teachers for not having the same political leanings or for teaching a topic in a way that you don't like (or teaching a topic at all) or for not teaching a topic you think should be taught or for thinking they control you because "my taxes pay your salary." Or for thinking you're a shill for being in a union. Or you're indoctrinating students because you expect your students to be polite and kind to each other -- even the trans and gay kids, even the poor kids, even the undocumented kids, even the homeless kids. There is an entire litany of things the general public thinks teachers do that is wrong and bad and they don't hesitate to let you know in their social media posts, in their emails to you, in the media, and to your face.
Heap on to that kids who can't tear themselves away from their phones, their online games, or their social media. And kids who love to parrot what their parents say at home. These kids can't regulate their emotions or handle stress or being told no sometimes. They can be rude and belligerent, and when a teacher gets no help from the principal or parents, they're stuck. The kid wins. And trust me, the kids know it.
ALL of this while always, always worrying in the back of your mind about school shootings (well, for teachers in the U.S. at least). Always checking in your mind for where all your kids are at -- any out of the room at the moment? -- and the status of your classroom door and windows in case you have to lockdown fast.
I'm exhausted just writing this and thinking of it all. I'm not living it anymore. But there are so many people I care about who are still there, still putting in the work, the effort, the sweat, the tears, and the laughter. Because there are still some principals who bring around a cart full of treats for teachers just because it's a Friday. Because there are still parents who send emails thanking you for the help you gave with a homework assignment. Because the PTO set up a great lunch during conferences. Because kids still have those moments when the light bulbs go on and it is an absolute rush when that happens. Because kids still hang out at your desk just to talk. Because kids will say hi to you in the hallway. Because kids will still give you a hug or a fist bump randomly.
Happy World Teacher Day. For what it's worth, I see you. I respect you. And I will speak for you whenever you need me to.
