I was just thinking about what I thought teaching would be like, before I started my career, versus what it actually is like now, eleven years on.
When I was at university, doing my degree, we were definitely given a kind of Utopian vision of what teaching would be like. “If you do X, your students will do Y”. There was no mention of the possibility that students would do Z, or P, or even R in reaction to your X, and what you should do if that happened.
“Students are inherently honest and if you ask them if they’re cheating/lying, they will admit to it right away”.
Uh. Not really. I mean yes, it happens sometimes, but other times they will continue to lie their hearts out, even if the lies are ridiculous and no one would ever believe them. No different than any other person in the world.
Other things that I believed… I thought that I’d go to school every day at 8h30, and leave at 3h30.
I believed in the myth of summer vacation and weekends off and March Break.
I thought I’d go to school every day in high heels and fancy clothes, leather briefcase in hand, and breeze through the day like the teachers on TV shows do, sitting at my desk while my students did their work, interacting with them very formally, and that I’d come home at night and be free for the evening.
Instead, I go to work at 7h30, and leave at 5.
I do get summer vacation and March Break, but the summer is spent preparing for the year ahead, and March Break is spent marking. Weekends off? Marking again.
My high heels didn’t last past the first week. Now I wear sneakers or Docs or God forbid, even Crocs (no, not those crocs – these crocs). I do too much moving around to be wearing heels. Fancy clothes? Well, comfortable clothes first of all – not sweats or anything, but I’m not wearing blazers and skirts every day either. My leather briefcase (I actually did buy one, way back when) has evolved three or four re-usable grocery bags because I have too much stuff to bring home that would never fit crammed into an attache case. Free evenings? Maybe one per week.
I move around my classroom. I sit on the top of desks, when I sit, instead of sitting behind one. When they’re passing notes, I take them, but I don’t read them in front of the class – I think that would be too humiliating. I joke and laugh with my students. And I love it. I really, really love it.
Now here’s hoping that this year becomes the year when I magically become a super-organized marking machine.
Yeah, right.
I understand this all too well – my mother was a teacher so I learned, really early, how much time was put into it at night, after classroom hours, and on the weekends and over the summer. I have a lot of respect for teachers because ya’ll work much harder than people can ever imagine and ya’ll get paid less than what you should.
I was raised to have immense respect for my teachers. I was always completely, utterly stunned when classmates were rude or mouthy, or clearly lied right to their faces. I also did not envy their job, and thought it would take a very patient and dedicated person to be a teacher. I also thought “what a sweet deal, summers off!” and figured they must get paid pretty well. Years ago I worked for the local school board, and became aware of what teaching salaries actually are – and I was horrified. Teachers do not make nearly as much money as they are worth, in my opinion. I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for you – I do not have the patience or tolerance or level of dedication I know it must have to do your work. Kudos!!!