Teaching is one of the most rewarding jobs ever, but it is also one of the most challenging. Voluntarily corralling a roomful of crying Kindergartners, awkward 7th graders or too-cool-for school seniors for seven hours a day seems like a job only crazy people would want.
But you guys are so lucky because you get the WHOLE summer off!
Um, no. Even THAT little facet of the job is nothing like you probably think it is.
I’ve been working with kids for… well, since 2002, which would be 15 years now! I’ve taught kids age 10 to 19 in Grades 6-12, (oh, and once in the very beginning, I subbed a day in 4th grade. That was an experience, let me tell you.) I’ve also coached about a million after-school activities over the years. This year, I’m strictly coaching, and I feel so lucky to be getting all the fun and none of the politics that come along with the education sector of this crazy world we’re living in today.
That being said, I feel compelled to help out my fellow teachers, with a couple things they’d probably like you to know as the school year begins. Most would tell you themselves, but they’re too busy this week to edit those welcome letters we send home the first day. You know, the ones that never get to you because we find them all still in the bookracks under the desks after class? Yeah, those. Sigh. So this one is for all the parents out there… and all the teachers too.
"It's the moooost wonderful tiiiiime of the year..."
Send them prepared.
“Ms. Morris, kai have a pencil?” “Kai have a re-raser?” “Kai have a tissue?” “Kai get a drink?”
Now, please imagine that times 36, (which is the largest number of students I’ve ever had in one class. 7th graders.) for 9 periods a day, and you’ll get a little taste of what my day was like.
Yes, you may have a pencil (which I give you everyday), a “re-raser” (to re-rase all your mistakes), a tissue (and let me mentally document everything you touched so I can attack it with the Clorox wipes after you leave) and yeah, go get a drink, but then you have to get started on your workbook page because everyone else is almost done.
You feel me? Think of the magical world we could live in if Joey would have just had a pencil, an eraser, a pack of tissues and a water bottle in his backpack. This is an unimaginable fantasy scenario and teachers thank you whole-heartedly for any efforts you make towards making this pipe dream come true.
Why am I the one in charge of the bananas?
Teachers need your support.
I used to have recurring nightmares about the first day of school. I always dreamed the kids came early, all wound-up, and I had no rosters. No idea who these little humans were, and no way to control them. Teachers get nervous on the first day because first impressions are everything, and establishing that rapport and routine lays the foundation for a successful year. Mess it up and it’s 180 days of doom.
So we need your help. Your kiddo is going to come home with a detailed report of what we look like, how our classroom is decorated and organized, everything we said and who their clear favorite is. Teachers are aware of this, and here’s a favor we’re going to ask: Don’t take all that to heart right off the bat.
It is so awesome that your child is able to assess and form an opinion on all that. Aw, they grow up so fast! But opinions are subjective. Things are all well and good for the “favorite” teacher, but otherwise… If your kid comes home saying that he or she doesn’t like a teacher, before you start calling the school demanding a schedule change, maybe go to the Open House or arrange to meet the teacher yourself. There are definitely bad teachers in the game, but I’ll tell you that most of them are great and, as is true in real life, people can really grow on you if you give them the chance. I used to teach with a veteran teacher whose motto was “Don’t smile until Christmas or you’ll never get them back.” Lol. Might be a bit extreme, but being a little more discerning that your 8 year-old is probably a good start.
Ahh, it all makes sense now.
Teachers go the extra mile.
There are teachers who leave at 3:00 everyday. But they’re rare mythical creatures created by decades in the classroom and penchant for pulling the same “Xerox” sheet from the “Wednesday Folder” of Unit 6, pass it out and sit back down at their desk.
I’m sorry, did she just age-shame older teachers?
That’s not the intention. But you know YOU had one like that. I certainly did. They’re not lazy, terrible people. They’re just jaded and have been in the game long enough to stream-line the process to mediocrity. They get in, do what they’ve always done, nod off in staff meetings and then get home. That’s about 5% of the teachers out there.
But the other 95% wake up in the middle of the night with an idea for a new review game. And make three versions of the test to accommodate the special needs abilities of each student. They spend their own money and time making 30 puffy-painted team shirts for field day. They notice a kid with no lunch and they give him theirs. How do I know? Because I’ve done all those things a hundred times. That’s what it means to be a teacher. There is not one thing teachers care more about than doing the absolute best things they can for these little people everyday. So when you send your kids to school, know that the person lecturing them on the importance of using the proper pronoun is also unable to fall asleep at night wondering if they really understand the importance of using the proper pronoun. “Above and beyond” is just par for most teachers.
Accept their abilities- and their struggles.
The biggest issues I encountered as a classroom teacher happened as a direct result of unrealistic expectations. There are a few big milestone ages, academically. When they learn to read, when that grammar and math gets harder, when they go to middle school and when they start on a planned path towards future endeavors. Let’s say, 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th grades. I got countless calls and emails saying this, “I don’t understand. My kid has ALWAYS had straight A’s until now. Why are you the first teacher to give her a B/C/D/F?”
Um, well. You know when you’re driving through suburbia toward a city and you keep getting green lights? You think, “My commute is a breeze!” until you hit that city rush-hour and that first red light lasts forever? It’s like that.
Naturally bright regular kids often have straight A’s until middle school. Then the work gets more complicated, very different, and that A streak can come to a halt. No one is saying your child isn’t smart. They might just need to try harder, study more or even try learning in a different way to keep moving forward. Nothing in life is effortless, including education. I know that’s frustrating for both of you, but it’s so important to accept their abilities for what they are. Not everyone is “straight A” good at writing creatively and Common Core math and spelling and memorizing history facts. Are you? Accept their strengths and the weaknesses they need to work harder on and try not to blame the teacher for breaking the streak. We don’t teach the kids based on their pasts; we teach them based on their futures.
Can we please take a moment for the good old days?
Know your own kid.
Your son or daughter’s teachers will come to know them really well. All their little habits and quirks and triggers, and we deal with them on a daily basis accordingly. It’s always so odd when a parent says “Oh, they’re so different at home.” We usually hear that about kids who are quiet at school and not-so-quiet at home. That’s usually a social thing and easy to deal with, but we’re always thrown when parents say their kid is the model of discipline and organization at home and we have to look them in the eye and say, “Nope. Not here. Trainwreck.” Ok, we don’t say that, but we’d like to.
As your kids go back to school, it might be prudent to step back and assess them for a minute. What do they struggle with at home and what difficulties have they had in school in the past? How can you make this school year smoother than the last on yourself, your kiddo and his teachers? If your son cannot remember to bring things home, get him a folder with his favorite comic book character on it and let the teacher know you’re trying to get him into better habits. If I’m passing out papers and every time I hand him one I whisper, “Spiderman,” I’ll probably only have to do that a couple times before he starts to remember first or the girl next to him does or we all- as a collective class- start to yell “Spiderman!” everyday as soon as the bell rings. They love that stuff, it helps them remember and it does work. Know your own kiddo’s weaknesses and form better habits early. And, again, keep them well-supplied so that they have the tools on hand that they need to learn.
You know who you are...
They’re safe.
I recall a particular tornado warning where the sky was green and tree branches were flying into the windows and all “my kids” were hunched into little balls of terror in the English hallway. Good times. I was petrified. Not for myself, but at the prospect of one thing in this world hurting or scaring them.
We had this conversation once after an emergency drill where we were all supposed to imagine an intruder was on the loose in the building.
Girl: “Ms. Dreher, what would you do if there was a shooter at our school?”
Me: “I would shove you all in the storage closets, smallest ones go on the top shelves.”
Girl: “No, I’m being serious!”
Me: “Oh. Well, seriously, I would keep you safe in any way I could. I’d take a hundred bullets to keep them away from you guys.”
Girl: “Aw, Ms. Dre! I don’t think all the teachers would do that.”
Me: “I do.”
Need I say more? Your greatest fears as a parent are teachers’ greatest fears. However what YOU would protect your kid in a dangerous situation is EXACTLY what their teachers would do. Your kids are “our kids” and we will do everything in our power to keep them safe at all times. Feel confident in that.
Severe weather is scary enough. Weather that can sever? Horrifying. Only in Georgia.
Believe us.
You: “Why do you have a D in math and why am I signing this slip for you to serve ISS tomorrow?”
Your Kid: “Because Mr./Mrs. ____________ hates me.”
Now… Listen, I just told you that a mad gunman would have to personally fight us off like the rabid animals we would become if anyone ever so much as looked at those kids in the wrong way. Thus, I’ll just say this: No teacher hates your kid. They have favorites, oh sure. But no educator thinks, That kid talks in my class everyday, so I’m going to sabotage his ability to learn to read effectively so that he fails elementary school now and later grows up to have a crappy life! Muahahaha!
You know that doesn’t happen.
What a D in math reflects: They’re not doing their homework and/or they don’t understand the concept.
What a D in math doesn’t reflect: A teachers personal emotional affinity for any certain kid.
I’ve given my favorite kids Fs and given As to the little darlings who are so annoying that I pity the humans who share their DNA. It happens. It’s not personal.
We don’t do this for the money.
Teaching is no one’s “get rich quick” scheme. That, you already know. Although, I would like to say, the pay isn’t AS bad as everyone makes it out to be, at least in the public system. (But if you know a teacher at a small private school, keep her in your prayers because it’s not a livable wage. I’ve had friends make $12,000-17,000 a year as a full-time classroom teacher at schools like that. It’s crazy.)
But even salaries in public education are pretty capped. A teacher might be 30 years old making, say, $38,000 a year, but then 35 years later they might end up being 65 years old making $55,000. Not a ton of room for financial advancement. People I know who teach that long either do it because they’d be lost without it… or because they need to keep their health insurance and I’m sure you can decide for yourself what’s more common.
Teachers teach because it’s rewarding. There is nothing better than seeing a kid turn over a new leaf, gain confidence, move toward a brighter future than his parents had or find a life-changing passion. There’s nothing like it and, truly, there are days where I’ve thought, “I can’t believe I’m getting paid to do something this awesome.” So yes, teachers deserve more money, but on days when my wallet wasn’t so full, at least my heart was.
“Summers off” are barely compensation.
Let’s say I woke up at 6AM when I was a full-time classroom teacher. I got to school by 7:30, kids came at 7:45, I taught all day until 3:00. Then we probably had drama rehearsal after school until 5:30. I’d go back to my room, clean up any mess from the day, finish making those three differentiated, accommodated tests or the instructions for that group activity, and then run copies I needed for tomorrow. It’s 7:00 by then. I head home, just short of 12 hours in. I make some dinner, answer some emails. By 9:00 I start grading the research papers that have been piling up. (Because we have 9 periods, 7 of which are English classes, and there are 30 kids in each class, so I have 210 five page papers to grade. This week.) By midnight, my stack isn’t much shorter, but my patience is. And so I go to bed and in six hours I do it all over again.
From August until May teachers work, I’d say, about 16 hours per day on school-related stuff. That’s 80 hours a week. Yes, they get the summers off, and let me tell you, that sounds good, but most of the teachers I know spent that time working a summer job to keep ends meeting, trying to squeeze in time for any hobbies or passions that made them feel like a person, or coaching swimming or little league or any number of other sports or activities that left them teaching all summer yet. Teacher are die-hard workaholics. The summer is purely carbo-loading for the marathon that is the school year. No one could do it year-long without breaks. It’s just too much. So remember that before you say ANY phrase to a teacher that begins with “It must be nice to…”
Let’s work together.
Kids show up on the first day WANTING to have great teachers. Teachers show up on the first day WANTING to have great kids. I find it’s usually the parents who show up at the Open House looking for flaws in their little darling’s daily mentor. Don’t do that. Know your kiddo and meet this new teacher and then try to figure out how you, as a parent, can support the best possible outcome of these two personalities. Any playing of the blame game will only hinder your child’s progress toward becoming the best, smartest kid they can be by the end of the year.
Not all teachers are good. Not all students are good. Not all parents are good. But as they say, it takes a village, and together, the village can create an even better village for the future. So Happy Back-To-School to all the kids, guardians, teachers, administrators and coaches out there. Hopefully, this is a landmark year for love and learning, and if we all support each other along the way, there’s nothing we won’t be able to achieve. -Kelly
