Forget about it. My partner is a corporate attorney, so I have the privilege of spending a lot of time at events where I am often asked, "Oh, so how long do you plan on teaching? The prestige problem is, ironically, the worst in some of our "highest-performing" schools. In suburbia, teachers deal with the open disrespect of the upper-and-middle-class parent. I'm talking about those parents who fight for every letter grade, who teach their children to teach the teacher a lesson, and who regard teachers as merely obstacles on the way to an Ivy League admission.
I was often amazed by the outrageous lies some parents would tell to get an extension on their child's assignment. And in our urban areas, teachers wrestle with the inescapable effects of poverty and are afforded little-to-no credit for helping solve it.
This poverty, even the mention of it, is completely absent from the political debate. We haven't heard about it since John Edwards and his "Two Americas" speech, and I certainly wish that someone would take up a mantle that was once carried proudly by Democratic presidents think Kennedy and Johnson. If you think the middle-class and business-owners are owed better, spend some time at least volunteering in a lower-income community before you start railing about tax cuts, and the people and teachers who are lost when we slash state and federal spending.
Spend some time with teachers at work before suggesting that their job is easier than yours. Spend some time with them grading papers at home before you say your tax dollars pay them too much for too few hours.
Perhaps that's a solution- - a Teacher for a Day program for all businessmen, lawyers and would-be congressmen. Having taught in both types of systems, I know firsthand how hard ALL teachers work. But in terms of prestige, teachers are attacked on all sides regardless of demographics.
We've even created positions where teachers are expected to leave the classroom if they wish to "move up" in the profession. It's a self-absorbed, ego-driven, adult-centered system of educational governance.
As for autonomy, it's gobbled up by these people leaving the classroom, usually for reasons of pay. So no, teachers can't live comfortably on our currently salaries. And I haven't heard anyone talk about teachers being "called" to the profession in a really, really long time. Rather than just complain, I propose a solution. It's a drastically simple, Steve Jobs-approach to education. You have teachers teaching in a school. And that's really about the only thing that goes on.
One of those teachers is selected as an instructional leader, by peers. These leaders continue to teach at least one class. Then you start dividing up responsibilities usually handled by administration.
Who orders books? A classroom teacher. Who writes the curriculum? Who handles discipline? Evaluations are done by peers, and the tools are developed by teachers. Teachers are hired by other teachers. There are no outside consultants, no central office administrators, and no superintendents.
Two criteria: I would enjoy it, and I would be good at it. Nine years and four kids later, I enrolled in Eastern Michigan University's Post-Baccalaureate teacher certification program, and first stepped into my own classroom at the age of I was teaching high school, because that's where I had my first offer, and I was given five classes of kids who were below grade-level in math.
And I still loved it. After three years, I switched districts to be closer to home and to teach middle school, where I belonged. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven! I was hired to teach in my district's Talented and Gifted program, so I had two classes of 8th graders who were taking Honors Geometry, and three classes of general 8th grade math. This coming year, I was scheduled to have five sections of Honors Geometry -- all my students would be two, and sometimes three, years advanced in math.
I was also scheduled to have my beloved first hour planning period, and I was excited to work with a new group of kids on Student Council. It was looking to be a great year -- and I'm still walking away.
My friends, in real life and on Facebook, know what a huge supporter of public schools I am. I am a product of public schools, and my children are the products of public schools. Public education is the backbone of democracy, and we all know there is a corporatization and privatization movement trying to undermine it.
I became an activist after Gov. Rick Snyder and his Republican goons took over Michigan and declared war on teachers. I am part of a group called Save Michigan's Public Schools. Two years ago, we put on a rally for public education at the Capitol steps that drew over 1, people from all over the state with just three weeks' notice and during summer break.
I have testified in front of the Michigan House Education Committee against lifting the cap on charter schools, and also against Common Core. I attended both NPE conferences to meet with other activists and bring back ideas to my compadres in Michigan. I have been fighting for public education for five years now, and will continue to do so. Coming from the Republicans at the state level and the Democrats at the national level, I have been forced to comply with mandates that are not in the best interest of kids.
I am tired of having to perform what I consider to be educational malpractice, in the name of "accountability. The amount of time lost to standardized tests that are of no use to me as a classroom teacher is mind-boggling. And when you add in mandatory quarterly district-wide tests, which are used to collect data that nothing is ever done with, it's beyond ridiculous.
Number one on my district's list of how to close the achievement gap and increase learning? Making sure that all teachers have their learning goals posted every day in the form of an "I Can" statement. I don't know how we ever got to be successful adults when we had no "I Can" statements on the wall.
In her new book, The Weekend Effect , Katrina Onstad argues that we live in a "cult of overwork," and being a workaholic is often celebrated as a virtue when it shouldn't be. Teachers, especially, need to be reminded that they're more than their job. While teaching does become part of your identity, you still need to nourish the other parts of yourself that demand attention and care. True burnout is much more than simply feeling tired or overwhelmed, and can lead to serious depression.
That's why it's so vital to be vigilant about the warning signs. To avoid becoming a victim to teacher burnout, educators need to build balance into their lives. One way to do this is by setting clear work boundaries.
Perhaps that means you won't check your emails after 6 p. Whatever schedule you set for yourself, stick to it to ensure balance in your life. Another way to avoid burnout is to take time off. Onstad suggests that we need to reclaim our weekends and remember that a full life includes time for recreation, hobbies, personal relationships, and downtime. Make sure you have some time every weekend where school is the last thing on your mind.
Each year, aim to take a vacation, even if you're staying at home. And take some of that much-deserved time off to catch up with friends, go on a date, or just hang out without thinking about school.
As a side note, if you're sick, call in sick and take the day off. Don't be a martyr—your students will be fine, so take care of yourself. The American Medical Association recently reported on a resurgence of doctors' lounges and how they can be used to battle burnout.
Teachers, who also work in people-focused occupations, should look to build a sense of community and solidarity by using their teachers' lounges in a similar fashion.
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