These thoughts have been bouncing around my head for a while, in between slaps from the Dragon Lady of Education. Jerry Maguire is playing on DVD, and the scene where he writes the 25 page mission statement got my attention. I'm not likely to crank out 25 pages, but I have reached a point where some things need to be said.
To administrators: It is your role to support the teachers who work in your school or district. So STOP THROWING US UNDER THE BUS! I have sat through countless meetings and PD sessions that revolved around a single point: you don't trust us to do right by our students. I even witnessed on instance of the superintendent calling us out and scolding us, IN FRONT of the overpaid outside consultant who breezes through a few times a year.
I spend extra hours of MY personal time, both at the school and at home, trying to make this work for my students.
I spend excessive amounts of my stagnant pay (when the hell did we last get a cost of living increase? while everything costs more, like food, gas, home?) buying resources and materials that are not provided by my employer, yet are needed by my students. All of the books on the shelf in my classroom were purchased with my personal funds.
When you talk negatively about us to students or parents, you undermine our ability to function effectively.
When you talk negatively about us to our faces, you suck the joy our of our long day.
When you talk negatively about us to our colleagues, you destroy your own credibility.
So, please, stop throwing us under the bus!
To parents: If you have not answered your phone or checked your email, please don't waste all of our time questioning grades. They are online and you can see them any time your want. If you had taken the time, you would know what's going on with your child.
When a teacher takes the time to call you about behavior, please don't blow it off. Please don't run us down to your child. Please don't make excuses. We were students once. We were good enough students to get through college. We know what kind of behavior makes for a successful academic career, whether it's through high school or through college. Please get on top of it, and then there's no need for anything else to be done on our end.
To students: For heaven's sake, listen to someone other than yourself and your childish pals. You might learn something new. Scary, I know, but if we don't learn we can't go forward in life.
When you are all talking and goofing off, you are missing important stuff. Sorry you didn't hear it, but it's still on the next quiz. The homework still needs to be done, even if there was a great game on TV last night. You still need to study, even though you were 'busy' all week.
When one of your so-called 'friends' disrupts class, you are doing him no favors by cheering and applauding. You are shooting yourself in the foot, by letting that foolish behavior take priority over your education. You are blessed to live in a country where you are guaranteed the right to an education, at no monetary cost to you or your parents. The only cost to you is the time and effort you need to put in. If you aren't willing to put in the time and effort, well, just remember the saying, "You get what you pay for."
To the media: Please shut up until you do some research. You are not an expert on education just because you sat in a classroom once.
To the elected policymakers: Get over yourselves. If you were held to the 100% success target that you've imposed on me, you'd be out the door in a hurry. Or maybe you'd finally figure out how to get some damn thing done for a change?
To my principal: I'm tired of being manipulated by you. I'm tired of being disappointed by you. I'm tired of being lied to by you. It doesn't take much reading on the subject of leadership to discover that none of those are effective leadership strategies. Why don't you try doing some of that reading?
Like the title promised: REAL TALK!!!
