Note: a version of this was posted to Facebook in the fall of 2016, and again in August of 2019 on the Meemic blog.
Happy
New School Year to all of you dedicated Michigan educators! Hopefully summer—or
at least part of it—was a time for renewal, relaxation, and fun. As I prepare
for the unknown, unique and somewhat intimidating year ahead of me, I have some
thoughts to share with all of you. I've separated them into messages for
teachers in different parts of this journey, but I hope you will read it all.
(Movie & book references are an added bonus.)
Dear
young/new teacher: It's hard, right? Maybe more than you bargained for? Bet you
could fill a spiral notebook with all the things "they" didn't teach
you in college, am I right? It's not only an incredible workload (that no one
outside of your teacher friends gets), but you're always second-guessing
yourself. Am I doing this right? What can I do better? Did I mess up on my
evaluation? (I don't even understand my evaluation!) How do I follow this IEP?
When will I have time to grade all of this? Are my students getting it...? How
do I know who is getting it? And on and on and on. But you must stay focused on
the kids. They matter most, and they need your energy and creativity (and
knowledge of current dance moves & reality tv stars). So, as Aibileen says to Mae in Kathryn Stockett’s The Help: "You is smart. You is kind.
You is important." We need you, and the kids need you. We need your energy
(and possibly your help with Google Docs). The kids need you to make mistakes,
own them, learn from them (laugh at them!) and grow as a professional. Stay
with us. Don't give up. And—most importantly—ask for help.
And
you, middle-career teacher, how's that work-life balance going? Not enough
hours in the day? Feeling
too far in to switch schools (or careers!), but so overwhelmed
it feels like every day brings a new challenge? Some days you still love (and I
do mean LOVE) the job so much, you cannot fathom another path. Other days,
you're spending lunch searching "alternate careers for teachers" on
your phone. The pressure on you is different than it was way back when; not
only are students relying on you, you are also a mentor to all of those young
teachers, not to mention all of the “extras” administrators are asking you to
do. We need your experience, your knowledge of the pitfalls, and your courage.
You may not know it, but those younger teachers are looking to YOU for how to
make this career work. They need you to show them how and where to draw those
lines between teacher & student (so they won't get their hearts broken when
those kids let them down—because they will—they are kids). So here is my—and
Dory’s—very simple message for you: "Just keep swimming." Don't give
in to bitterness or frustration. Don't give up on all of us. Don’t give up on yourself.
Take time for your life outside of your classroom, and keep going. Keep
growing. Help a young teacher—you are better at this than you know, and this is
a career worth fighting for.
And
you, veteran. Still working just as hard, but getting REALLY tired of people
saying you're "burnt out" just because you don't want to chaperone
every dance, club or sporting event or volunteer to head up six different
committees. You have more knowledge, have seen more changes, have been around
longer than most of the staff (and possibly your administrators), and still you
are treated like a dinosaur because you don't
want to "tweet" your
homework assignments. You've survived every "GREAT NEW IDEA!!" that
has come along, and lived to come out the other side. We need your perspective,
your willingness to speak truth to power, and to share your earned insights.
The light at the end of the tunnel is SO bright now, but still there is a part
of you that doesn't want to go. Because this isn't just a job, you know. This
is a passion, a calling, a profession, and can be tough to give up. So until
that day comes--and even after you retire (while I know I'm changing the
wording in A Few Good Men a little),
please know that "We want you on that wall. We NEED you on that
wall." YOU are our history. You warn us when things don't look quite
right. And even if (when!) we don't listen, keep it up.
To
close, this is my wish for 2019-20: Let’s—at all stages of our careers—spend a
little time reaching out to each other, so we can all be better for kids. Let’s
do less judging of and bickering with each other, and more
listening to other’s
perspectives and experiences, so we can focus on banding together as one voice
for our students and for our profession. You want change in your school? In
your district? In your state? In your country? You have allies, and they are
your colleagues. Remember, as The Three
Musketeers (and Bryan Adams) remind us: "All for one, and one for
all."
Let's
make this the year we continue to support each other, no matter where we are in
this exhilarating, confusing, challenging, surprising, crazy, scary ride we
call TEACHING.
Much
love to all of you doing this job. I am so very proud to be a voice for
Michigan’s teachers this year. You are warriors and champions for kids. Thanks
for reading and may your school year be happy & healthy.
