I cannot remember a time growing up that I didn’t want to be a teacher. I absolutely loved going to school. I enjoyed meeting my teacher each fall, buying new school supplies, writing in brand new notebooks, growing, changing, and learning with each new school year.
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Then my time as a student came to an end, and finally my dreams came true. In the Fall of 2007, I began my (so far very short) teaching career teaching third grade in the largest school district in Georgia. I went all out decorating my first classroom with brand new cubbies, shelves, bulletin board themes, desk tags, an interactive calendar, curtains, the whole she-bang! Imagine if Pinterest were around back then?! It would have been so much cuter!
My students were a great group! I actually still keep in touch with a couple from that class to this very day (they are in 8th grade now…yikes). Everything that first year was wonderful, we had our little routines down, I was teaching, they were learning…it was a win-win! All of them even passed the state Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). I couldn’t have been more proud. Then the last day of pre-planning I was asked to become the grade level chair for the following school year and handed a ton of notebooks with state standards.
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I knew that the standards existed, but did I exactly follow them or the pacing guide that first year? Nope. To be honest, I was never told that it was an expectation (true story). Plus, you read above…I taught, they learned, they passed without being worried about following a pacing guide. We did it together without a government mandated set of rules/standards to follow. I can say, still to this day, that my first year of teaching was the most fun I had in my short four years. I wasn’t bombarded with standards, I didn’t realize how crazy principals and school districts can get over the CRCT, and I did what I had intended to do my whole life…I simply taught! I did it the way I wanted to and the best way I knew how. I set high expectations for my all of my students and taught to the tips of my fingers every single day.
As I began my first “summer off” I realized just how poorly people think of teachers. I’d be out running errands or at a doctor’s appointment, and I’d hear things like “must be nice to have three months off out of the year.”
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REALLY? You think teachers have three months off?! School gets out in Georgia during the last week in May (yes, it’s nice that it’s earlier than a lot of other areas in the country), but we head back to school by the second week in August (teachers went back this year the last week in JULY). I’m not great at math, but that is most definitely NOT a three month break. That’s two months (at best) because let’s be honest, with shorter contracts and furlough days, teachers aren’t given enough “pre-planning” time to actually prepare their rooms and make lesson plans for those ever important first few days of school. So what do they do? They go to school in the summer to get ready for next year. I’ve known some teachers that might take a week off and are back at it the following week so they’re ready. And let me tell you…those are the teachers you want your child to have. They are prepared, they are excited, they have high expectations for not only themselves, but most importantly for their students. To sum it up, they actually care.
In college I was asked on three different occasions why I chose to “only” become a teacher since I was such a smart girl.
Well, I chose to “only” become a teacher because I am such a smart girl. I wanted to help children. I wanted to teach them. I wanted to see them learn and grow. I wanted to witness that “aha!” moment that an 8 year old gets when he finally figures out his 9’s times tables. I wanted to be the person that a 10 year old girl hugs and thanks for helping her figure out a dilemma with some friends. I know I could have done a lot of other things when I grew up, but for me the only choice was always to become a teacher. So you see, I didn’t “only” become a teacher…I became a teacher because it was the only choice that made me smile and feel good about what I wanted to do.
Now, fast forward five years…
I’m now proud to say that I’m a stay at home mom. I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to have this new job! I would not trade it for anything. The hours are much longer, the work is much harder, but I love it.
I love it so much that I’m hoping to continue to do it for a while. I’m actually planning to home school our son when the time comes, and I’ve gotten mixed emotions on the subject from my friends and family.
“He won’t have friends.”
“He’ll be weird.”
“He’ll be afraid to meet new people because he’ll only be with you.”
After being a teacher and working for two school systems in Georgia, I just don’t feel that public education always gives our children the service, time, and education they deserve in order to succeed. Don’t get me wrong…there are fantastic and extremely dedicated teachers in every single school in America, I’m sure of it. I’ve just witnessed too many not so fantastic teachers that continuously remain employed because of tenure and contracts year after year, and I don’t want my son to end up with one of them.
I know that I’m a great teacher. I know this because I loved doing it. I made lasting relationships with a lot of my students. I taught them and they learned, and excelled, and grew. I had high expectations for each and every one of my students, and they most definitely knew that from the beginning. I know that I will push myself that much more because not only will I be a teacher once again, but my son’s education will be in my hands. I (with the help of my husband of course) will decide which curriculum we’ll follow, what field trips we’ll take, the science experiments we’ll conduct. Every step of the way, my son will be learning and I will be teaching.
Now, enough personal stuff, though I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about me. What got me thinking and reflecting on my career as a teacher was a great new book I was recently asked to read, Mission Possible, by Eva Moskowitz and Arin Lavinia.
I think this small excerpt from Mission Possible says it all:
“Join us on this frontal assault against the achievement gap and against mediocrity in public education. To fellow educators we say forget what you think is “realistic” or possible and rethink just how much YOU are capable of and how fast and far your students can move with inspired teaching. To parents we say this cannot be done without you as our partners, not just checking the homework but also demanding more and pushing your school to prepare your child for college from the first day of kindergarten. To policymakers we say don’t let rules and regulations or entrenched interests stand in the way of letting schools achieve excellence. We need freedom and encouragement and less red tape. Don’t be afraid of competition. It’s what made America great and what may save American education. Already we see a new day dawning for public education. The future is in our hands.” (Moskowitz & Lavinia)
In order for public education to succeed educators, parents, policymakers, and sometimes even the students need to work together to demand a more rigorous effort from everyone involved. Teachers need continuous professional development to constantly improve their teaching ability and principals and other school leaders need to be instructional leaders instead of building managers. I’d like to think that there is still hope out there to fix our public education system.
One of the authors of this book is Eva Moskowitz, the Founder and CEO of the Success Academy Charter Schools. Ever seen the movie Waiting for Superman? Success Academy was one of a few charter schools featured in the film. She is a huge fighter for improving public schools’ rigor and resources and a strong believer in investing in the arts, sports, and science instruction.
Have more questions? Do you want your opinion heard? Chat with her on Facebook and Twitter. She’d love to hear your thoughts about improving education!
Interested in reading Mission Possible for yourself? One lucky reader will win a copy. It includes a DVD showing actual footage from Success Academy classrooms. There are a several ways to enter, so good luck! The giveaway will be open until August 15th.
I received a copy of Mission Possible to review and one to give away to a reader; I was also compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are my own, as always.
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