Teaching is more than a job; it's my purpose and my passion. As I enter my 20th year of teaching, I have been discouraged and frustrated. It's been over a DECADE already that we've been talking about providing better feedback for student learning than the traditional grading system provides. I'm so sick of students (and their parents) chasing points and percents when does it get to be about the learning? I continue beating my head against the wall.
I've done my best to make my classroom instruction more effective and make dramatic changes in the way we approach learning. There was a time when I offered points for students who brought tissues and didn't use their bathroom passes. But there's no learning target in that and it didn't belong in my gradebook. Guess what - parents still send me hand sanitizer and tissues just because I ask for them, not because I've bribed them somehow. There was a time when 50 minutes of lecture was the norm because we have to get students ready for college. I've learned a better way.
But now I'm at a crossroads: do I teach until I'm a blue-haired old granny (by the way, I'm gonna rock the blue hair when the time comes), or do I take my expertise and skills in a new direction and FINALLY get paid what I'm worth and get my life back? Instead of spending every waking moment grading papers and planning lessons, I could spend time with my family - WHAT?!?
Teaching is still what I'm here to do, but there are many ways to teach:
I'm good at what I do. I'm just not sure that the public school system has much to offer me anymore. The only thing that keeps me here is the question my 16-year old asked: Are you really ready to walk away and let someone else take over YOUR classroom and YOUR kids?
I guess I'm a little possessive.
I've done my best to make my classroom instruction more effective and make dramatic changes in the way we approach learning. There was a time when I offered points for students who brought tissues and didn't use their bathroom passes. But there's no learning target in that and it didn't belong in my gradebook. Guess what - parents still send me hand sanitizer and tissues just because I ask for them, not because I've bribed them somehow. There was a time when 50 minutes of lecture was the norm because we have to get students ready for college. I've learned a better way.
But now I'm at a crossroads: do I teach until I'm a blue-haired old granny (by the way, I'm gonna rock the blue hair when the time comes), or do I take my expertise and skills in a new direction and FINALLY get paid what I'm worth and get my life back? Instead of spending every waking moment grading papers and planning lessons, I could spend time with my family - WHAT?!?
Teaching is still what I'm here to do, but there are many ways to teach:
- health care - teaching people to take care of themselves and their loved ones
- corporate training - get the most from your employees by treating them like team members, not underlings
- ministry - learn to seek the Lord and His will for your life
- life coach - I've been doing this for 20 years, just started with middle school kids instead of adults.
- consultant - so many directions to go with this...
I'm good at what I do. I'm just not sure that the public school system has much to offer me anymore. The only thing that keeps me here is the question my 16-year old asked: Are you really ready to walk away and let someone else take over YOUR classroom and YOUR kids?
I guess I'm a little possessive.
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