The beginning of August brings a bittersweet taste. Locally, school won't begin for another month, but the back-to-school advertisements are filling the television and newspapers. School supply sales abound, and many folks are taking their last real vacation before another year of catching the bus, homework woes, and making healthy but edible lunches begins. Summer heat remains, and vegetables grow into full size for harvest. Berries and cherries, peaches and plums, the best of the summer fruit, are available in the grocery stores, along country roads, and at weekly farmer's markets. And teachers begin to review their notes from last spring, select themes for the classroom, and peruse Pinterest for new ideas.
That is, if you are employed. The unemployed teachers continue to scan the job listings, apply to newly posted positions, and resign themselves to another year of subbing.
The piece of advice I have heard most often is, "don't take it personally". In the first few years, I was happy to substitute. I got to practice my classroom management, I didn't have to determine grades or deal with serious academic issues, and I worked fairly often. I didn't take the lack of positions as a personal affront. And then I took on a couple of long term sub assignments. By then, my classroom management had improved, I felt confident working with students and teachers and parents, and I could handle the issues that come up in classrooms. I developed (appropriate) relationships with the kids in those classrooms. We laughed, we learned, we worked together. I became a teacher in those days... it's hard to explain exactly, but now I realize that I did. I graded work, examined my own teaching and worked directly with students who needed extra help. I spoke with parents and counselors and other teachers on how to help my students, how to best support them, what other things had I not yet thought of? I took pride in my student's achievements, and I took it to heart when they failed. Walking back into a classroom a week after the regular teacher had returned to his duties, I was surrounded by cheering students, anxious to share with me their latest news and stories. I took that personally, you betcha.
I was advised that if I wanted to be seen as a "real" teacher, then I needed a "real" teaching job. So I moved away from my family, my home, my mentors, and my friends for a "real" teaching job. It was a tough year. I learned a lot, I worked 12-14 hour days, and I continually worried about my class. I bought my own curriculum, I searched high and low at hardware stores for items we needed for science experiments, and I gave my all to my students. And I was delighted to do it.
After a year of "real" teaching, I returned home, and returned to subbing. Not nearly as busy as I had been before I had left, I spent my year looking for positions, wondering what to do, and taking in all of the changes. The once a week Spanish teacher was replaced with Rosetta Stone programs in the computer lab. Common Core headlined every standard, and class sizes were past 30. "Don't take it personally" repeated through my mind constantly.
Here is my question. How? How do I not take it personally? All I want to be doing right now is finishing up on lesson plans based on my previous experience, and organizing myself for the incoming classroom. I want to be reviewing files and seriously thinking about how best to approach this new group of minds. When it is something so integral a part of you, how do you not take it personally?
If you figure it out, please clue me in.
No comments:
Post a Comment