A month into my first year of teaching, I talked to a veteran teacher who also taught my students for English. I told him about the horror stories TFA teachers have to deal with, describing one instance where a corp member had a chair thrown at them, but returned the next day with their head held high. What I expected was a nod of approval and possibly an affirmation of how tough the job can be. Instead the veteran teacher looked at me with an incredulous look. He asked me if what I was saying was true and I confirmed it, surprised by his reluctance to believe it. I followed it up by saying, " well that's part of the job." He then responded in a candid manner that opened my eyes to the true wonder of teaching. He told me "there needs to be an alternative to having a chair thrown at me."
Teaching is supposed to be a selfless job. This perception is taken to the extreme, often recreated through compelling narratives of a single teacher who gives up their days, nights, lunches, bathroom breaks, their brother's wedding and their own physical safety in the hopes to compel their kids to academic success. This all or nothing attitude is glorified in the rank and file of Teach For America. Michelle Rhee, the famous education reformer and former corp member, described her first year as horrible experience and instead spent her entire summer working to get her kids to succeed. What is not given much thought is the fact that she was only able to keep this practice up for two years, after which she left her job to work in the field of education as a reformer. Is Michelle Rhee's story really what we should be striving for? Is it fair to our teachers to ask them to burn themselves out in order to teach our kids?
When the veteran teacher candidly spoke about having standards for his work space, it was the first time a teacher had spoken about their profession with their own mental and physical health in mind. The entire time I saw the profession as a selfless endeavor people took on themselves until they couldn't muster the energy to do it any longer. Now I realize we need to stop promoting an unsustainable standard for teachers. Teachers are not only entitled to work hard, but they are also entitled to maintain their health while doing so. Over testing, high stakes evaluation systems, and ineffective administrations all contribute to a system that makes the teaching profession poisonous for mental health. Charters are not exempt from this poison, often seeing high turn over rates due to unrealistic expectations and unhealthy hours.
It is national teacher appreciation week and I don't want you to appreciate me. I want you all to appreciate veteran teachers who have stood past the initial 5 years to devote their lives to a craft that is incredibly difficult and often over taxing. When cheering your favorite teacher on why not also show your support by saying no to many of the policies that cause them undue stress? Why not support for reform that does not punish teachers. Why not push for smaller class sizes? At the very least we can support a narrative that no longer glorifies an unsustainable model of teaching. Teachers need an alternative to having to burn themselves out in order to teach their kids. It's our job to push law makers to find that alternative.
Teaching is supposed to be a selfless job. This perception is taken to the extreme, often recreated through compelling narratives of a single teacher who gives up their days, nights, lunches, bathroom breaks, their brother's wedding and their own physical safety in the hopes to compel their kids to academic success. This all or nothing attitude is glorified in the rank and file of Teach For America. Michelle Rhee, the famous education reformer and former corp member, described her first year as horrible experience and instead spent her entire summer working to get her kids to succeed. What is not given much thought is the fact that she was only able to keep this practice up for two years, after which she left her job to work in the field of education as a reformer. Is Michelle Rhee's story really what we should be striving for? Is it fair to our teachers to ask them to burn themselves out in order to teach our kids?
When the veteran teacher candidly spoke about having standards for his work space, it was the first time a teacher had spoken about their profession with their own mental and physical health in mind. The entire time I saw the profession as a selfless endeavor people took on themselves until they couldn't muster the energy to do it any longer. Now I realize we need to stop promoting an unsustainable standard for teachers. Teachers are not only entitled to work hard, but they are also entitled to maintain their health while doing so. Over testing, high stakes evaluation systems, and ineffective administrations all contribute to a system that makes the teaching profession poisonous for mental health. Charters are not exempt from this poison, often seeing high turn over rates due to unrealistic expectations and unhealthy hours.
It is national teacher appreciation week and I don't want you to appreciate me. I want you all to appreciate veteran teachers who have stood past the initial 5 years to devote their lives to a craft that is incredibly difficult and often over taxing. When cheering your favorite teacher on why not also show your support by saying no to many of the policies that cause them undue stress? Why not support for reform that does not punish teachers. Why not push for smaller class sizes? At the very least we can support a narrative that no longer glorifies an unsustainable model of teaching. Teachers need an alternative to having to burn themselves out in order to teach their kids. It's our job to push law makers to find that alternative.
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