What Good Teachers Really Want To Say But Can’t
What Good Teachers Really Want To Say But Can’t
Everyday, thousands of good teachers go to work to teach the children of the nation and change the world. We dance through our days with smiles on our collective faces. Our students, bright and shiny and eager to learn greet us at the door, well rested, groomed, fed, and prepared for another day of learning. During their days with us, their minds open to the tremendous value of the Pythagorean Theorem, cellular mitosis, cultures long ago dispatched to the annals of history like the Phoenicians, the Babylonians, and the Clevelanders; you can hear the greats being played in the background, Mozart, Bach, Clapton. (It is a well known fact that listening to Eric Clapton makes kids infinitely smarter.)
All throughout the school day, students eagerly attend to their lessons and relish every moment. They are curious, they ask tremendous, insightful questions like, “Will this be on the test?” and “When is snack time?”
When the day is over, students file out of the room in a controlled rush that resembles Black Friday deals on 60 inch LED TVs. As they sprint past us, they thank us for imparting such knowledge as will change the course of their lives. Ok, some of them grunt at us as they leave. A few even make eye contact but we know what they mean.
We also have the privilege of dealing with their parents. Some, indeed most, parents are actually more than a pleasure to work with, always supportive, always encouraging, always realistic in their expectations for their child. Daily, across this nation we teachers receive encouraging notes from parents who simply want to say how much they appreciate us. Honestly, it’s true.
There are also stories all over the internet about “those” parents. Current culture calls them the “Karens” of the world. You know those parents, created from legend like some kind of leprechaun. Usually, our dealings with them begin with them asking to speak to our principals because their little one did not get 148% on the last exam and that is honestly, the first time that has ever happened. “Those” parents add to the adventure of daily life in the school system.
And the administrators? That administrators have a tough job, there can be no doubt. They need to keep the school running, worry about safety protocols like fire drills, tornado drills, and active shooter drills. (As an aside, active shooter drills? What the heck? And yet, it is the true story of life today.) They have to deal with “Those” parents, a student who regularly appears in front of her because, well, she simply doesn’t see the point of homework and therefore does not do it, and of course, teachers. Yep, we teachers can be real pains in the neck as well.
As teachers, we have a wonderful job. It is a privilege. We get to change the world. Kind of. As with many career paths, teachers have to take the good with the bad. Also as with many professions, there is A LOT that teachers want to say but can’t. (OK, perhaps don’t.) There are many reasons we don’t say anything, decorum, professionalism, fear of being burned at the stake at dusk (more on this in later posts). For whatever reason, we don’t say them, but this blog is here to offer little peak at what those things are.