I am a perfectionist by nature and do everything I'm given in the most detailed organized way I can. But it is taking a lot out of me and I feel like the part it is taking could be used for teaching. A recent comment in my email (I'll keep the sender anonymous):
Teaching is like starting all over again. We must have to do like you--write down all the standards in our lesson plans, document anything we do to help the profession, and document any means of awarding children and so on and so on.... We will be evaluated and compensated for raising scores. All of this really takes the fun out of teaching. I think a teacher knows what needs to be taught. Let him/her do it. Enough of that.I have a 3-inch three ring binder I'm supposed to fill with Artifacts (such as the picture at the top of the post) that I am teaching. I keep forgetting to take pictures and write down things in the composition book I bought for that purpose. It's hard to stop in the middle of a lesson and have the students wait while you jot down something one of them says or how they are communicating during partner talks. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it, but it is all new right now.
Another thing I'm struggling with is copies. We get 600 a month which is not a whole lot for 18 students. The thing is that we have to make copies of assessments and paperwork for record keeping and there isn't a lot left over for worksheets for the students. I've been making a lot of copies at home.
I don't think most average Americans understand what teaching involves. When my mother-in-law visited last weekend, she couldn't understand why I went in to school on Saturday morning. So many people think you show up at 8:45 and leave at 3:45 and that's it. And how many teachers do you know who don't work on schoolwork in the summer? I know I personally put in 10 hours a day/ 5 days a week in my school building. Then come home and work. I don't think I'm the exception either. Most teachers put in huge amounts of time (and money!).
I guess this is my showing of solidarity for the teachers up in Chicago. Teaching is hard. There is not a lot of understanding or support. Those who do it have to be in it for the right reasons. And a lot of those are getting out.
By the way, we had our open house tonight. 1/3 of my students came (highest attendance in 1st grade!) and the parents I talked to were all great and really value their child's education. That's why I do what I do.
2 comments:
I just left a long comment, but it wouldn't go through.
Keep up the good work. I know that you have wanted to teach for a long time.
Why would anyone want to go into the teaching profession now? It is one of the lowest paying jobs for a professional. In Indiana salaries have been frozen. If a teacher is to get a raise, the teacher must be evaluated as an effective or highly effective teacher. Many items are evaluated but one (a major one) element is the students' standardized test scores. The teacher can not teach the test, and she does not have any control what is on the test. Wouldn't Russian roulette be just as safe?
Teachers are losing more and more friends. Thanks to the media, teachers can be grouped as a bunch of dolts who are just interested in a pension. The parents in Chicago are upset because their built-in babysitters aren't in the classroom. The parents are crying because they have to tell their employers they must miss work. What would have happened if their children were ill for an extended time? What would they do then?
Public schools have mainly great teachers. If the administrators can not tell if the teacher is good or not without all the data that is being collected, maybe the schools need different administrators.
Hire someone to collect data and let teachers teach.
I have taught for many years without doing all of the paperwork required now. I have had many students who have seen me years after graduation and thanked me. Some even apologize for creating problems, but follow up with "I remember when..." and usually laugh. I work next to two teachers whom I taught in school. One of them just the other day said that he frequently stops and wonders, "What would Ms.J. do right now?"
Anyone who reads this blog should think about what he/she remembers from school. The answer probably won't be anything that would have been tested over on the standardized tests, but it probably will be something that has helped out in real life.
Learning happens for many reasons, and we all need to help so that we have a bright future. Plus I'm about ready for my pension, and I want to be sure that I get it.
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