When I
graduated from college in 2000 with a degree to teach high school English I
received a gift from a family friend who had been teaching math for many
years. I grew up baby-sitting her
children in Bartlett and even continued heading back in the summers to care for
her sons the week before school started so she could attend hours of PD and
pour over endlessly new curriculum.
(This was the fate of math teachers in the early 90’s). We had grown rather close from these
experiences, so I was not surprised to receive an inspirational book with a
carefully prepared personal message in the inside flap. I was, however, very surprised to read her
closing line. “Just remember, even if
you decide to leave the field of teaching, the world will still be better for
the time you did teach.” The message
left me very confused. Was this a secret
warning from a veteran? Should I expect
to want to leave? Was she unhappy? I had been excited to embark on this career
adventure, and her words left me nervous and contemplative.
After
thirteen years in, I find myself remembering these words and feeling kinship
with this woman I have not spoken to in ages.
I have often wondered how much I would push my own children into
teaching knowing what I now know about the field of education. One of them will inevitably go into
teaching. Both their parents are
teachers, two of their uncles are teachers, one surrogate aunt is a teacher… Though my parents were not teachers, my dad
was an avid baseball coach who challenged and supported his players in ways
that makes him memorable to many still today.
My mom also coached, was my girl scout troop leader, and even taught
some after school craft classes at my elementary school. Her humor and way of making everyone feel
like they were the most special child in the room caused many to tell me how
lucky I was to call her mine. Children
of people who dedicate their lives in this way, often grow up wanting to do the
same. In fact, not too long ago, my
friends and I had to break up a fight at our house as our children argued over
who would be prinicipal as they played school.
We laughed that this would only happen at a gathering where all in
attendance were teachers. I wonder how
many of them will choose teaching as a career.
Should they?
Did you
know that 50% of teachers leave the field after 5 years? Imagine schools trying to seek significant
improvement gains with constant turnover.
Why might they be leaving? A
quick answer could be because they could make a lot more money somewhere
else. It is strange to be only 34 years
old and know that I will never make significantly more money than I do
now. I am about maxed out on the salary
schedule, and there will be no bonus years for high sales. However, that is not the reason. It’s hard to complain about my salary when I
work in a building where over 50% of the kids cannot afford lunch. We are comfortable enough and income is
steady. I never will have to call the
office the day of a school dance and ask the STUCO sponsor (read me) if she
will waive the two dollar entrance fee because we have tried all week but could
not gather the money. For those who have
never experienced it, that kind of poverty is real, and I cannot claim to be a
pauper when faced with it on a daily basis.
Besides, how else could I really make money with my love of reading and
writing. (I do, however, sometimes dream
of things Sephus could do with his crazy smart math skills besides teach 9th
graders how to do Algebra and Geometry and the salary that would result…)
The real
reason people leave is the emotional drain it takes to get through the average
year, week or even day. I can’t think of
too many fields where you are required to pleasantly serve people who at times
emotionally abuse you. (No I will not
walk out of this class with you! Why
don’t you go for a walk? Looks like you
could use a few walks around the block.)
Imagine planning a sales pitch and then walking in to be heckled for
fifty minutes straight. (This is
BORING!!!!!! We will never use this in
REAL life!!!!! – by the way a dancing
seal juggling 14 balls could be seen as boring by some junior high students) Imagine taking time away from your family to
plan a school dance only to have a sassy 9th grade girl say, “I hope
you know no one is going to that stupid dance.
Someone on facebook said it was going to be lame.” Imagine caring so deeply about the well being
of a child and having to know the terror they go home to at night and despite
multiple attempts, no one at the state level being able to do anything about
it. Imagine having parents cuss you out,
or in my worst parent moment ever, having a parent say she was glad your
brother was in the hospital because you are bad person for making her daughter
feel bad about herself just because she stole your cell phone. Imagine trying to sleep at night as the
mother of young daughters after reading a journal entry about a student losing
her virginity at age thirteen. Imagine
having a kid yell that teaching isn’t a real job even after you asked your colleague
to leave his conference hour to teach him math despite the fact that he was in
the office awaiting officer referral sentencing. Imagine having to read 150 of theses blogs in
a row (I am impressed if you are still with this ONE J and then having to write
feedback on each and every one paying attention to content, organization,
usage, etc.) Imagine never really
knowing if you were accomplishing anything at all…
So why I am
still here thirteen years later… Why did
I not run away when I was greeted by a supervising teacher during field work who
said, “So you want to be a teacher huh?
Hope you’re ready for a life in hell!”
The truth is I love my job more today than I did thirteen years ago. If you can find some way to love the quirks and
challenges all children bring, you can find the joy and humor in a life of
service to the young. Educational
Researcher, Marc Lemont Hill, talks about the culture of youth. He explains that we have to realize that all
adolescents have to reject adults. It is
part of youth culture to think anything the old
do is totally uncool. In the process
you confirm what you value and who you are.
I also try to sympathize during emotional break downs by thinking, “Oh
you poor thing trying to manage with all those hormones inside you right
now.” Adolescence is turmoil!
In
teaching, we have to accept slow results.
I once told my students that I loved baking. I could come home from a job where I was
never really sure if I was getting through to anyone and where my plans
sometimes failed, and I could follow a recipe and know that one hour later a
perfect cake would be sitting in front of me to be enjoyed. One of my supposedly at-risk students had the
wisdom to turn to me and say, “We’re your cakes Mrs. Johnson. Some of us just take a little longer to
bake.” My struggling readers often said
things so intelligent that they would stop me in my tracks. For every frustrating moment, there are
equally powerful moments like this one that sustain you on the darkest of
days.
Teaching
allows me to explore so many passions.
When I was younger I wanted to be a child psychologist, lawyer or
actress. I get to do all three of those
things every day. Especially the
acting… I try to tell my students who
escalate so easily that it is perfectly acceptable to smile, comply and proceed
to cuss teachers out in their head. That
is acting my friends! So is pretending
like arrowheads are the most exciting thing you have ever seen in your life
because that boy in third hour has finally accepted your attempts at a personal
relationship and has brought in his entire collection to share with you.
Teaching is
an act of power. Some students complain
about how much teachers like to be in control.
Of course we do, I responded. The
bossy kids on the playground who love school are the ones who end up in front
of the classroom. We get to make
(suggest?) hundreds of people follow our rules every day. We get a captive audience who must laugh at
least some of our jokes on a regular basis.
We make comments in passing and don’t realize that those comments are
sometimes the reason people choose the careers they do or develop the
self-images that shape lives. We must be
careful with this power.
All of this
has been on my mind this week because of a great honor I received. I teach a class at MU preparing future
middle school teachers to be ready for all that adolescents bring with them to
the classroom. One sudent of mine was
chosen as part of the MU 39, an organization that honors 39 of the most
outstanding seniors on campus. As one of
them, she was able to choose one mentor that inspired her to attend a banquet
last night. When asked why she chose me,
she wrote, “Danielle challenged and inspired me and the whole class
to take hold of the opportunity that being a teacher presents.” I read that after an emotionally exhausting
week where I missed my own children terribly, and I burst into tears. She reminded me of something that I can
sometimes forget. Teaching is a
wonderful opportunity. If I should be
lucky enough to have a child choose it, I will tell them how lucky they are to
hang out with young people all day in moments that will forever impact who they
are and likewise, what the world becomes.
Imagine being able to
say that….
