Random Woman: Did you go to the UO?
Me: Yes I did.
RW: I went to (insert community college name). Although a bachelor’s degree doesn’t get you very far anymore either.
Me: It is a lot harder to find a job.
RW: Did you know you even need a Master’s to teach now?
Me: I have heard that.
RW: Although some of those people are pretty stupid, didn’t do them any good.
Me: Have a nice night.
Sadly, not the first time that a random person has insulted teacher/teaching in the checkout line. The other time was when a checker said that the schools were spending too much money on new schools…
Where again? In the city 35 miles West where the schools were A) unsafe and B) overcrowded?
Looking at this, and then state test specifications, and thinking about all the things that teachers need to do, and all the things that I want to do, and all the things that should already be in place in our schools can sometimes feel like the following:
It’s a good feeling because it means I’m still in the game and I want to win. Our students deserve the best and we should always be looking to improve.
*Written on a plane, forgive me for any hokiness.*
Sometimes the flight attendants forget to close the curtain between first class and the horde in the back of the plane. That gives me, a member of the horde, the opportunity to see what it’s like near the front. Am I jealous of the personal massages and I’ve sculptures? No. I am jealous however, that my economy class ticket didn’t buy me the chance to spend a few minutes with the complimentary basket of kittens.
Ok, to the point. Are we providing first class service to our students, our are they economy class? Do all of our kids feel special and welcome? Do they feel like we are going the extra mile to show that we care?
If not, are there other teachers who are providing first class service while your students peek through the open curtain?
I have been trying to provide first class service this year, but I know there will be moments when I’m tired or something isn’t working when I will find it really hard to do so. That said, I’m going to remember this flight and work really hard to ensure that the students are always in the front of the plane.
I’m dreaming of a lab that isn’t used for testing….Just like the ones I used to know…where the teacher can choose….and children get to use…computers in the spring…the spring…
—–
Thanks for the inspiration NCLB. I really appreciate how your relentless drive for test scores has crushed several projects this year. Thanks for the pressure on staff and administration. That’s ok though, kids don’t need computer skills beyond clicking on answers.
RIP Greek Research Project Google Docs Collaborative Learning
Frequent trips for online studying
Project Citizen Research (This one’s on life support)
If you teach, or work in schools, help create an exhaustive list of what teachers do everyday in their lives. The only required question is the second one. I will publish the results in a later post.
Please pass this around to your friends or people you know are teachers. I would love to end up with a complete list, and the more voices we have, the more likely it is that we will end up with one. Thanks!
Unfortunately, wordpress.com doesn’t allow me to embed the form into this site, so click the link to go to the form:
Sometimes it’s hard to remember that there is only so much we can do. I can’t go into specifics, but I have a student with a medical issue that is easily fixed, but it took a few days to hear back that something was going to be done. It was a tough few days because I really felt bad for the student.
Second, an extremely happy and kind student moved away to a place where she likely won’t get the attention that she needs to reach her full potential. She was in my class for a year and a half and I didn’t know she was moving. I was gone for the class period that I taught her, and when she tried to come and say goodbye I didn’t hear her. I was really heartbroken about that. Of course, if a kid moves that’s just the way it is, nothing you can do about that.
In both of these situations I have to remind myself that I am the teacher, and there is only so much I can do. I hope that you remember that in your own lives. Keep up the effort, but don’t let the things that are out of your reach get you down. We win many and lose some.
