This time of year always summons the first day of school memories for me. I was a teacher's kid, and I LOVED school. I couldn't sleep the night before knowing the next day I would get to see my friends, wear my new wardrobe and get that much smarter. Today we prayed for our kids and teachers as they are preparing the initiation into a new school year. And I hope that they all go into the year with renewed excitement and a sense of joy.
I have to be honest here. I'm a teacher drop-out. I taught 4th and 5th grade for 3 years right out of college, and I knew a month into my first year that I couldn't make my career teaching. But let me be clear here: it wasn't teaching that stopped me. Our society is so quick to jump all over teachers for the problems in the classroom, for societies problems, for anything, that we fail to realize the lack of support makes it hard to feel fulfilled in your calling.
Let's just take a step back for a minute and look in wonder at all these individuals do. Teacher arrive to school at least a half-hour prior to school starting to set up, organize and return the previous days corrections and grades (that were probably graded by these tireless people during their time at home, while they were trying to spend time with their families). They then proceed to share their next 6+ waking hours with your little rugrat. That's right, they will spend more engaged, waking hours with your child than you will Monday through Friday! But let's not forget that they also have to actively engage the other 20 individuals and assess their needs, learning styles, strengths and weaknesses too. They then stay after school to tutor, coach, and prep for the next day.
But here's where I really feel the teacher gets under-appreciated, and where the school systems are failing. We fail to realize that this man or woman must earn the trust of the child who is getting abused at home, they must earn the trust of a person who says something and means it, they must break through barriers of a child hearing their parents bash their older siblings teachers and they must first address all of this before a child can learn. What other job does that happen? What other profession has to earn the clients trust after-the-fact of being thrust into a semi-permanent relationship? In the business world, we choose who with and where we want to spend our money and time. In the medical world, I garner some trust because I've been well-educated in my field. But we treat teachers like they don't do their job. I argue that maybe they can't in some situations.
And then even with all of this, even through common core and whatever-the-next-new curriculum will be, they have to adapt. They have to change. And so many, the majority really, plan amazing units where everything is integrated, create thoughtful assignments designed to engage the student with the world around them and construct a year-long plan to incorporate every learning style. They teach the illiterate to read! They apply a math scenario to the real world! They create science experiments that take a book lesson and make it real (they are the Bill Nye the Science Guys-real life version)! But most importantly, they love and care about these kids. How could you not if you were spending the crazy amounts of time that teachers and their students spend together? And I'll share a little secret, the bad kid your kid comes home talking about every night, that's the one your child's teacher is losing sleep over, that's the one she plans the lesson for so he'll get it, so he can feel a sense of success and accomplishment, so that that child might be given the gift of hope that might lead to the gift of changing a life.
So instead of trying to pigeon-hole these wonderful human beings, who have made our children's future their life calling, why don't we stop piling on all of our condemnation and start to support them? Adopt a classroom, provide the teacher with the supplies she will need through the year. I guarantee those school list supplies are gone in a couple of months, and the school DOES NOT PROVIDE THE REPLACEMENTS-that teacher goes out and buys the replacements out of her meager salary. Volunteer in a classroom. You're in a sciency field, volunteer to teach a lesson on chemistry or the human body, or biology. You're a business whiz, ask to speak with the local econ teacher. I'm sure they would love for you to come in a speak to a class.
I don't have kids in the school system yet, but my days are numbered. The public v. private conversations started when my children were still in diapers. I want my kids to be excited about school but more importantly I want my kids' teachers to be excited about returning to school. I want them to know that for every 1 parent who has something mean to say there are 4 or 5 parents in their corner. I want them to feel that every time the state announces another cut to education, my resolve to vote the right people into places of decision making grows stronger. But mostly I want them to know that they are part of my village, my kids' safety net. And that I understand when a lesson goes wrong or homework doesn't get graded or that it is MY responsibility that my child know the importance of turning in their work. Because they have 20 lovelies to reach, 20 minds to feed, keep interested, and touch (and that is without a TV present!).
I know I didn't cut it, but that doesn't mean that I don't support the art of teaching. If anything, I realize that I will do anything I can to help those brave men and women going to the front lines of our education system and who still having the energy to eat dinner at night. I can't even muster the energy after a car ride home with my two boys, some evenings!
Have a good school year to all my teaching friends! You are truly invaluable and if the world were able to realize your true worth, you would be paid in blocks of gold! (Too bad Congress doesn't quite see it that way, but I'll continue to pray for change and vote for it, at least!)
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