Wow! That was my first reaction when I first read this chapter. Just wow. It really spoke to me and hit home. I know this may sound bad but let me explain. I have been saying for years that people take teaching way too seriously. Does that mean that teaching is a joke? No! Absolutely not. I just feel that teaching can be fun and it seems that it has gone.
I remember being a kid and enjoying school. I looked forward each day to coming. Was I a nerd? Nope. I just really enjoyed the environment. The main reason is because of the teachers. I remember how the teachers would smile. How they interacted with one another. When I first got into teaching I experienced it first hand. I was able to build those kind of professional/personal relationships. That has changed. There is not a time for any of that. All of the time is taken to the very last second. It's just not as fun.
Do I have the answer? Again, no. But I do believe that Teachers should be first. I know that sounds crazy, but think about it. If teachers are happy to be teach, who are they going to put first? Yep, the students. I mean how many companies firmly believe in making their employees happy first? If they are happy, products are better. Products are better, customers are happy. Pretty much common sense. So I am looking forward to reading just how we can make teachers happy. Teachers happy=better prepared students in my opinion.
Andy I haven't known you for very long but I can commend you for keeping such a positive and fun attitude throughout the day. On stressful or crazy days, your upbeat attitude is a breath of fresh air! I'm so glad that kind of positive and joyful teaching made such an impact on you as a student. It causes me to take a step back and make sure that I don't lose sight of that!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very insightful post! I agree with you--taking care of ourselves as teachers is directly related to our ability to care deeply for our students. I love your approach to choosing joy!
ReplyDelete