My sixth year of teaching has officially come to an end. Each year I become more emotional on the last day of school, but for different reasons. In my first couple of years, I would literally jump for joy when all of my students had left the building, perfectly fine never to see them again. This year, as I made the dreaded yet inevitable farewells, I was on the verge of tears. Instead of feeling happy not to see my students again, I felt sadness that I wouldn't see them again.
As I learn more about teaching, I learn more about my students. As I learn more about my students, I learn to look for the good in each of them rather than focusing on the bad.
Additionally, I have learned not to take my job for granted. I have come a long way in six years, from an intern hired only to cover a teacher on maternity leave, to working my butt off so that as an intern teacher I would still be noticed, to waiting in limbo my entire summer vacation to find out if I would be rehired, to finally receiving word that I was rehired only to be let go the next year due to reasons beyond my control, to going through the reapplication process, to becoming an itinerant (aka traveling) teacher, to working at three different schools in three different years. Additionally, I have taught in storage rooms, closets, hallways, and one half of a portable--rarely in an actual classroom. Finally I have arrived at what I consider the best place in my career so far--an elementary school where I teach several groups of EL students in a portable all my own--although I have also learned not to get my hopes up, because it could change at any time.
It's difficult to check any kind of social media without finding some king of whining or complaining by a teacher; "only 2 weeks until summer!"; "I hope we get a snow day tomorrow!"; "we really don't get enough pay!"; "our job is so hard!" While I share these sentiments wholeheartedly and understand the mountain of emotions that precede them, I also feel like many people read these messages and get the wrong idea about teachers. Just as I have learned to do with my students, through several years of trial and error, I think teachers need to focus more on the positive aspects of their jobs rather than giving the impression that they can't wait to get away from school every day.
One of my brothers-in-law is an elementary school teacher in Mexico, and last year I had the privilege of visiting his classroom. His students come from families whose diets consist primarily of rice, beans, and tortillas. Many of their father's have left to find work in the United States, and many are lucky to arrive at school at all, much less bring any kind of uniform or school supplies with them. Yet my brother-in-law teaches with joy and compassion, rarely complaining about the difficult working conditions. Last year schools all over his state completely closed down for three months while the teachers protested new legislation. During this time, they received no pay and were forced to do some things against their will, such as march in the streets or even block roadways. My brother-in-law and I may not agree on all of the issues, but there are two things that we do agree on: 1. teachers should not be forced to join the union or do anything else that they don't agree with, and 2. the ones who suffer the most from these demonstrations are the students. After so much time on strike, the teachers and government never reached an agreement, and students never had to make up the instructional time that they lost. That's right: the students will never get back three months' worth of their education. Now, a year later, they are on strike again, and students are likely to miss two months' worth of their education. Again. And still my brother-in-law does not complain; and I'm sure there are hundreds of teachers just like him all over Mexico and other countries, as well. But in the United States, teachers (myself included!) are making such a fuss about one missed snow day.
So, what's the point? Like I said before, I am trying to find more reasons to love my job every day, whether it be the unique characteristics each of my students bring (even the trouble makers), the drawer that is always full of pencils, or the new technology that is constantly being offered to teachers and students. Sure, the evaluation system is still "a work in progress," and our state leaders may have no clue what it truly means to be an educator, but at least I'm not being forced to stop teaching and march in the streets. My students may not have all of the resources that students in so-and-so's room may have, but they have everything and more that they need to be successful. I want to remember that even though I may bring my work home with me every night and feel stressed to the max and on top of everything else attend meeting after meeting, at least I have a job and a paycheck. I want to truly appreciate the vacation time and days off that we do get rather than lamenting the fact that it was too short. Most of all, I want to value each day not as another day done, but as another day that my students were able to learn and grow.
