Other than my dolls and my baby brother, my first students were in Special Education. In fourth grade, I was chosen to go to the SpEd building (it was the 1970s, and SpEd was a separate building; a log cabin on the outside, a bright, cheery, busy room on the inside) and work with various students. I liked the kids; they were sweet to me and fun to be around. By sixth grade, my students were kindergartners, and my job was to work with them on the alphabet and reading. I loved their happy smiles and willingness to work with me. Some of my happiest times were in elementary school, teaching younger students.
One of my natural abilities is to help others make sense of what they're reading or help them figure out what and how they want to write. Kids have generally felt comfortable talking with me, sharing their concerns and problems, even looking for advice from me. It's an awesome feeling, knowing I'm making a profound, albeit brief, impact on someone's life, thinking, and skills. Even now, as old as I am, old enough to be the mother of my students, kids seek me out when they need an adult to listen to them and/or give them advice.
What troubles me isn't just the Jeffco School Board majority; what troubles me is the lack of respect given to the education profession by society as a whole. From politicians, to religious leaders, to the average person, people hold education in disdain, and they seem to hate teachers. Sure, there were teachers I didn't like when I was growing up, but I knew they were there to teach, and it was my job to learn. Now, it's like a battle between students, teachers, politicians, school boards, parents, and society in general. Fun phrases like, "Those who can't, teach;" or "I hated my high school;" or "I hated my _______ teacher," make me cringe. Negative run-ins with a few don't mean the entire profession is like that.
My third grade teacher, Mrs. Henderson, really didn't like me. I never knew why. She always seemed mean to me, refusing to call on me in class, not letting me read aloud, not letting me go to the bathroom when I really had to go. I wet myself during the ITBS, and then she was mean to me on the way to the office; I was crying and she was lecturing me about wetting myself. During the year, I caught the flu; after a seven-day absence, I just wanted to get back to school, but when my mother tried to bring me to class, Mrs. Henderson wouldn't let me in the room. She told my mom to bring a doctor's note before I was allowed to come back to school. She was hateful, but should my judgment of ALL teachers rest on my interactions with Mrs. Henderson?
NO! Because I had many other teachers who loved me, respected me, cared about me. Teachers who would stay late each day after school to make sure I understood my math homework for the evening. Teachers who encouraged me to pursue what interested me; teachers who challenged me. Over the course of my 13 years in public school, I can count on one hand the teachers I disliked...Ms. Green who was my math teacher, for example. I'd ask her questions, and she would embarrass me in front of the entire class. Then I'd get teary-eyed, and she'd ridicule me as well. But Mr. Trembath, who seemed really scary, would patiently explain math problems to me until I seemed to get them. Mr. Cisneros, who seemed to hate us all, ruined Old Man and the Sea for me; but Mrs. Samson restored my love of literature. And Mrs. Cormier, she was by far the most wonderful history teacher I ever had.
What all these school reformers seem to ignore is the passion teachers bring to their craft. I am lucky enough to work with tremendously talented teachers, but school reformers, including our school board and superintendent, will never know that. They are too busy persecuting teachers for the ills of society. And because teachers are not good at advocating for themselves, they allow these myths to perpetuate and do nothing to dispel them. Now, however, is the time to advocate for ourselves as we would advocate for our students. We would not allow our students to be bullied by others, but we will allow it for ourselves. Now is the time to stand up, to raise our voices in unison, to let people know we love what we do; we love our students; and we will not let education 'reformers' have their perverse way with us or our kids.
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