The support I experienced then was wonderful. From the professors to the other students, we were always available to work with each other or answer questions. Most had already decided what they wanted to teach. For me, it was history. I was advised not to do history. History jobs were few and far between. High school history jobs were held by coaches. History teachers stayed for years. The list goes on and on.
I didn't take their advice, most thought I should become an English teacher, and two weeks after I completed my courses in education, I had a job teaching middle school U.S. History.
My career in teaching is relatively new, only 8 years, but during those years I have become certified and endorsed in other areas: journalism 6-12, ESE K-12, Reading and ESOL. I have attended too many professional developments to count and every summer you can find me taking more to maintain my skills.
The strongest support I have received in eight years have been from other teachers. In the schools I have been in, I have worked with some awesome administrators who supported their teachers and went to bat for them. I always try to remember that their bosses are sometimes not on the same page. Unfortunately, districts are answerable to school boards which are answerable to parents and politicians. Teachers that have administrators like that are lucky because then teachers can support other teachers.
I have been lucky with parents. I have only had a couple who yelled or removed students from my class. Some parents don't like for you to punish their children for things like plagiarism. They are very worried about what impact this will have on their child's future. Perhaps they could teach their children that stealing, whether from the internet or from a store, is still stealing. The teachers I work with tend to agree.
I have been lucky with students. Every year my students make gains. Sometimes they are small; sometimes they are big, and sometimes they outshine even my expectations, which are very high. Most teachers do set a high bar and expect the best from their students. Most students will strive to meet that goal. The trick is to not set the goal higher than the student is capable of. I have never met a teacher who did not know the difference.
Teachers are always there to lend an ear or a helping hand. Many times they don't even know the other teacher's name. They only know they need help with something, whether it is a lesson plan or pencils.
Yesterday, how I feel about teachers came through loud and clear. It began early in the morning when I helped a teacher move in to her new classroom. I have worked with her for years. She is an excellent teacher and I have a truck so we moved boxes of stuff upstairs in her new classroom. We are going to love having her there.
From the time we entered the building, the others we ran in to were friendly and welcoming. They introduced themselves and offered any help she might need. What a breath of fresh air.
In the afternoon I began my teacher stuff, checking email, answering, checking on wish lists for supplies, etc. I had helped a brand new teacher with an idea to use Donor's Choose for her gym supplies because I had such luck at my first school helping the coaches and students get things as diverse as tumbling mats and blocking dummies. I shared her project on our district teachers' page and then checked on the teachers from my school. Our chorus teacher was looking for a few things so I made a small donation to her.
Then I got a note from a different person in the district offering to complete my wish list for composition books. Wow. Before I could celebrate that, I received notice the first year teacher I helped with her Donor's Choose had her project funded.
To top off the day, another friend whose is an artist, posted a small, original painting of Shakespeare for the first comment agreeing to commit 3 acts of kindness in the next 30 days. I won and will gift my friend, the new English teacher, for her classroom.
The sense of family and closeness that most teachers feel for each other is unlike any other relationship I have known. I think they understand each other because they are all faced with the same issues on a daily basis. Even though most of us come from different backgrounds and different life experiences; some are just beginning their journey and some are reaching an end; we all want the same thing.
We want our students to flourish and grow. We want them to have the opportunities available to them. We want them to ask questions and offer solutions to problems. Sometimes we succeed; sometimes we struggle. Luckily, we have the support of so many others in our community. This is what teachers do.
If you would like to help support teachers, please visit Donor's Choose where your can choose a project you like or my district's page on Facebook: Adopt a Manatee County Teacher. You can also check in your area for classrooms that need a little help with supplies. I appreciate your support and they will as well.
l
No comments:
Post a Comment