So, I've been reading blogs posted from teachers all over the place. One thing seems to be common in the vast majority of them: they complain about EVERYTHING. From their kids and co-workers to their districts and parents... according to their blogs, they all suck!
It's no secret. I love, love, love, love, LOVE my job. I feel most at home in my classroom, in front of a group of crazy, hormone-laden, completely distractable 7th-graders than I do anywhere else. Of course I have difficult days. Of course some of my kids drive me to the brink of insanity. Of course some of my co-workers do things that make me want to go for the jugular. Of course some of the parents make me scratch my head and ask why they even had kids in the first place. However, even after the most challenging of days, there is NOTHING I'd rather do with my life.
I'm finishing my 5th year at my school. In all that time, I've never gone home and said, "I had a BAD day." There has always been SOMETHING good that outweighed the bad of the day. If you can't find the same in your day, consider another profession!
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Don't judge the teachers who complain by what you read on that blog on a particular day. Yes, I love my job - most of the time. However, like you, there are things that make me go "WT-?"
ReplyDeleteI teach in a small town, and really can't talk much about the job without risking breaching confidentiality. So, for me, and, I suspect, a whole lot of teachers, the blog is a place to vent.
I don't vent at school. I do my level best NOT to be negative at work. So, for me, the blog amounts to a kind of free-form substitute for the shrink's couch. Once written down, I can shrug it off. And return to the job the next day, ready to go.
I agree with you. Lots of complaining about life in general. I thought blogs were a way to learn something new. I want to learn from others how to use web 2.0 technologies to engage my students in the classroom. I would love to use a blog to communicate with them, I want to learn to podcast, and I want to motivate them to be life long learners. I like my job so much that as we are losing 5 teachers of our 10 I know that I will stay. I have worked there six years and for the last 2 I have worked at least 3 hours of everyday in the summer organizing my lesson, researching for new ideas, or trying to create meaningful science units for my students. It is not because I love the kids, even though I do like most of them, but I am enthusiastic about being and educator. It is a cool way to engage with humanity and make a true difference.
ReplyDeleteComplaining is human nature...and I agree with what Linda said, the majority of us who bring our complaints to the web feel we can do so without repercussions, especially for those who use anonymity. Like you, I feel most comfortable at the front of my classroom, but I know there are things that I complain about. It's usually something that is out of my immediate control. And I truly think that control (and lack thereof) is a downfall of this profession. Even if you are the best teacher, you have no control of a student's ability to learn what you are teaching. And I know for myself, that is one thing that I have trouble with. I can teach little Johnny all day long, different methods to grasp a concept, but in the end...he may not get it.
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