“In my day” if you talked in class, it resulted in a slap on the hand with a ruler. Throwing a snowball at someone in anger at recess usually resulted in making 100 snowballs with your bare hands after school. With the exception of a few holidays, you went to school for a full nine months. And, we weren’t asked to “turn off” anything, just “tune in.”
Admittedly, today’s level and advancement in education is far superior than anything I experienced. But the challenges for today’s teachers are equally far superior than in the past.
Providing instruction to a diverse, impatient and energized group of children who have been enabled, have a long list of “rights,” and are used to the instant gratification that technology provides, can challenge even the most dedicated of teachers.
Basically we still expect teachers to do their job – impart knowledge or skill to an ever-expanding classroom of children with different ethnicity, learning and behavior abilities. But, in these times, we have come to expect more from teachers with additional responsibilities resembling that of many other professions.
Teachers are expected to provide safety in the classroom and playground so that conflicts, bullying and threat of harm will be dealt with swiftly and fairly – like a policeman.
Teachers are expected to recognize and deal with unique health and mental problems in children by finding ways to help them – like a counselor.
Teachers are expected to be knowledgeable of, and timely in executing, all local and state requirements so that our children can pass tests and graduate – like an administrator.
Teachers are expected to provide some levity and interesting ways to engage children’s interest – like an entertainer or a computer game.
Teachers are expected to provide support and encouragement to children who lack that in their personal life – like a mentor or confidant.
Teachers are expected to be continually learning in order to keep up with an ever changing world – like a student.
“In my day” it took my parents to the next report card to find out I was flunking a subject or misbehaving in class. Today, teachers are required to input student behavior and progress online for access by parents at any time, including e-mailing and texting parents when there are issues.
“In my day” our school year was nine months long with the occasional holiday – that’s “day,” not weeks. The current stop-n-go schedule of the average school district, with all of its half-days, teacher workshops, snow days, holidays and week-long breaks, makes it impossible to obtain any instruction consistency without constant repetition of what was just learned.
“In my day” we wore uniforms. Teachers weren’t distracted by what we wore because from the neck down, we all looked alike. This allowed them to focus on us – our individuality, our faces, expressions, thoughts and words. Today it is hard for teachers to concentrate on children’s minds, when sometimes all they see are body parts hanging out of their clothes.
As you can see, there is more to teachers than data and “show me how” skills. Contrary to what many might believe, they are not high-priced baby sitters but professional educators. To truly understand the multiple aspects of a teacher’s job, I encourage you to visit a classroom, chaperone a field trip, and attend school events or sports activities.
I think you will be amazed at the tremendous things happening in the classroom, co-existing with tremendous challenges.
The ones holding it all together are teachers. May 7 is National Teacher Appreciation Day – a perfect day to say “thanks” for their dedication and inspiration.
Tish Gregory is a freelance writer. She can be reached at: tishgregory@aol.com
