So I had an interesting experience this weekend. I went to a Halloween party and felt like I spent the entire night defending teachers. In my prior career in radio this concept has never been an issue. People would ask what I did for a living, I would tell them I worked in radio, they would think it was cool and then they would ask me about getting concert tickets! I was never really emotionally involved in defending my profession...until this past weekend. I am not even a teacher yet but I feel emotionally attached to the profession and those who say "teachers are whiners and are failing our kids." This was the response I received at the party when a couple was asking what I did for a living. First, they wondered why I was getting into the profession and then they began to complain about the state of education in this country. I felt I could hold my own pretty well but was in no way prepared to deal with this at a party where I was supposed to be having fun. Is this how it is going to be when we tell people we are teachers? Are we constantly going to have to defend this profession? It's hard to talk to people when all they know about education is that teachers "have summers off" and the latest stats the NY Times prints about failing math & science test numbers.
I was so angry Saturday night I couldn't sleep. How is it possible that people think teachers have such an easy gig? Have they ever set foot in a classroom of 25 six-year olds? Teachers are not just teachers. We are substitute parents, nurses, counselors, friends, mentors, nutritionists and so much more. We are supposed to teach not only reading, writing, math, social studies and science but also social skills, potty training (at times!), proper nutrition, manners, sexual education, hygiene...yada,yada,yada. It is extremely frustrating to me when people devalue this profession! I suppose this is part of what we signed up for, right? We are now the next generation of teacher defenders!!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I am right there with you! My own Father has wondered why I want to waste my education by wiping snotty noses all day. Couldn't I at least teach high school? That's a little more respectable. Sigh...
When I tell people I am going back to school to become a teacher I can tell whether they have kids, and how involved they are in the kids' life and school, by their reactions.
Parents who are involved in the school are all very supportive, tell me they think I would make a great teacher, and say they are glad I am making this choice. These are the people who see what a teacher goes through, realize how much work a teacher does and really appreciate it. These are the people you should surround yourself with.
Parents who are not that involved in their school comment on how teaching is the perfect career for a mom - summers off, school holidays, and the like. You can tell they only see if from a distance. They appreciate what teachers are doing for their kids, but don't see all it entails. They see the perks, and are blissfully unaware of all the demands placed on teachers. They don't know or care about all the time spent outside of the classroom, and all the continuing education a teacher must do during the summer. These people can be shown how much work there is, they can be converted to the light :)
The third group of people are the ones without children, or their children are grown. They only read about schools in the news and see only the negative in what teachers do. The media runs more stories about how schools are failing, how teachers are failing, how education itself is falling short. They talk about the good ole days when they were in school and we need to get back to that. It doesn't matter how old they were, they each view their time in school as the best. These are the people who are the most disparaging about the teaching profession.
The only advice I have is to walk away. Surround yourself with people who are supportive and understand what you are going through. You can try to argue with the anti-educators, try to convert them, try to convince them... but eventually you run out of patience and energy and have to walk away. Better to save that patience and energy for the kids, will it will make a difference.
I am always so surprised when I hear of those kinds of reactions. I have had nothing but positive responses when I have told people my chosen profession. I usually only get things like, "that's a tough job" or "teachers don't get paid enough". I am sure I will run into these negetive reactions at some point but am happy I have not had to deal with them yet.
I made the mistake of telling my September Experience teacher of the reactions of my friends to my announcing I was going to be a teacher. I also told her that I was at first reticent to tell people, afraid that they would say exactly what those mean people at the party said to you.
My MT hated me telling her this and wanted me gone because I told her I was at first embarasseed to tell people about wanting to be a teacher. So be careful who you tell these emotions to!
I'm sorry you went through this. People think some jobs are cool and others aren't. It is totally an outsiders' conception.
I think there are just gauche people who don't always think before they speak. Sure, I wouldn't want to be a mortician but I would never rip on the job to someone who has chosen it as a profession. Like any job, it needs to be done by someone and I'm glad those "someones" are out there.
Post a Comment