I have been reading William
Ayers book, To Teach: The journey of a teacher, and I have been feeling very grateful
that he writes so candidly. I especially
appreciated his honesty regarding the challenges teachers face and the many
reasons why someone wouldn’t want to be a teacher. According to Ayers, teachers encounter
uncertainty as well as conflict in the classroom, and their duties will demand
more “judgment and energy and intensity than, on some days, seem humanly
possible.” His assertion
spoke volumes to me. It prompted me to
reflect on society’s unrealistic expectations of educators. As teachers, we are expected to deter
conflict and keep total control in our classrooms at all times. We are also expected to have all the answers,
and to facilitate instruction with unfailing certainty and endless energy. This is a tall order for a seasoned teacher
and it’s certainly enough to scare the pants off of me, a teacher in
training.
While
I am currently a preschool teacher and an optimist, I have to say that not
every day of teaching has been a joy. As
teachers, we are supposed to love and defend our career, and when anyone asks,
we tell them how rewarding the work is and how much we love our jobs. It is an expected response, and I hear it on
an almost weekly basis at my preschool.
Parents will always comment “How great that you’re a teacher,” or they
will add “I bet you love your job!” As
teachers, we smile politely and respond by telling them what we wish we felt
and what we know they want to hear. While
it is true that the other teachers and I do love our jobs a lot of the time,
there are days that challenge us to our core.
This is why I found Ayers writing to be so refreshing. He is speaking to the truth of life as an
educator, and it reminds me that it is “ok” to have tough days and to verbalize
our challenges and seek support. It
leads me to believe that through acknowledging our imperfections and the
challenges we face as educators, we can help to eliminate some small amount of
societal pressure and we will be more open to seeking support. I know
that as a teacher, I will need all the support that I can get!
~ Christy
Growing up with a mom as a teacher, I can tell you that your family will come to understand the difficulties of teaching simply through the venting and discussions you bring home to the dinner table. Hopefully we as teachers can also create a professional community in order to alleviate much of the feelings of needing to vent to others and to create more ears and resources for frustrated teachers. Until we create a national professional community, know that me and your other cohort members have your back and are available for support any time you feel frustrated.
ReplyDeleteI like your point about expectations that teachers be positive. I do think some people also say things like "I could never do what you do!" Is that a compliment?
ReplyDeletePeople have similar expectations of adoptive parents, that you should be only grateful to have this child, and never complain. I think this may be tied to the assumption that adoptive parents are usually infertile, and that that is the reason they adopted. While my husband and I just chose adoption and did not go through the infertility experience (which sounds very harrowing), I don't think it's fair to expect ANY parents, birth parents or adoptive parents, to not complain once in a while! Of course we will not want to complain to parents of our students, but luckily we will have the cohort to call on for troubleshooting and occasionally venting.