Upping My Game

Ah, yes,...it's time for 'back-to-school' stuff to begin. For some, school has already started - but not for us. Not yet. I have one more week "off" (I say it that way because I'm actually working two days this week) before teacher in-service week begins, and...after that? We will welcome the students back with open arms and celebrate a new beginning! I always love new beginnings!

This year marks my eleventh year as a middle school teacher. To say I have seen my ups and downs...would be an understatement. My "downs" have never been my students. My struggles have been more about the grown-ups and the politics and the lack of funding where we need it most. But I am happy to say that, unlike the familiar public education statistic in this country, I did not burn out after my first five years. In fact, I burned brighter when I hit my fifth year,...and I burn brighter still.

Teaching is a calling. If it isn't a person's calling, they should not teach. Period. It isn't an easy job, but it is a necessary one...for so many reasons other than academics. Academics are, of course, what we teach, but good teachers do so much more than that. I cringe when I hear a teacher say, "I'm just supposed to teach, I'm not supposed to raise the child! I'm not their parent!" I think back to how many teachers I had who loved me, gave me advice, and felt very much like a parent to me. I thank God for those teachers every day. I wouldn't be who I am today without them.

Every child doesn't go home to warm cookies and milk. And, even if their home life isn't tragic, it can sometimes be lonely and children can feel emotionally neglected. Many parents work a lot of hours to make ends meet and their family time is very limited. Some parents may pay more attention to their dating life, their phones, and their "likes" on social media than they do their children. And, often times, phones have become babysitters to keep children quiet. If you think I exaggerate, go out to dinner at a restaurant and look around you. As our society continues to grow more and more narcissistic, at an alarming rate, what will happen to our children? What is happening to our children?

I say all of this to let you know some reasons why I haven't quit my job as an educator or tried to become something in education other than a teacher. I know how important my job is because I know how important my teachers were to me when I was growing up. Teachers have not become less important in today's society, they have become much more important. Does that make the adventure more difficult? Absolutely. That's why I said it has to be a calling, not a job.

I have maintained the same level of commitment and energy to my job for ten years. And now? Now, it's time to up my game, take it to the next level. And I've been working hard this summer to prepare to do just that. You see, I'm old enough to know that things don't get better unless you step up to help make them better. And nothing gets better from sitting around complaining how difficult things are or "how kids are today." My future students need me to do more and to do better - so I shall. :) 

As for books, I've not read as much as I usually do in the summer. I've been having fun outdoors, and I have been working on good things to help my students learn. Reading helps me with that, no doubt, but I've had much less 'quiet time' this summer for leisure reading. I have enjoyed every single minute of everything I've done, though - even the work part. 

I finished Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, and I absolutely recommend it! It is such a good story because, while it is fantasy, it is also reality. His stories are about how people relate to each other. He simply chooses a fantastical, magical setting and odd situations to put his characters in and see what happens. The audio version by him is a true delight! Neil has definitely stolen this reader's heart.

I am currently reading The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson. I just started it, but I'm excited about it. I've read plenty of books around the time of World War II, but this one is in reference to World War I. I've read very little historical fiction for that time period. Since I'm so busy these days, I decided to download the audio for it as a back up, even though I'm reading the book. I thought I could listen as I take my morning walks, sometimes. Neil was excellent company on my walks, so I thought I'd give Fiona Hardingham (the Audible narrator for Simonson's book) a try. 

I hope you try something new! Whoever you are, whatever you do - I wish you a new journey, a new joy, and a new goal to reach for!

Happy reading!

Still Here...

I'll be brief. (I don't have any other choice.)

School is back in session, and I have my hands full. Unless you are a sixth grade English, Language Arts, and Reading teacher in Texas, you wouldn't fully understand. I would explain to you the difference in what I do, as a teacher, that's different because of the grade I teach and the content I teach and,...well,...many other things,...if I had the time.

Instead, let me say this:

As full as my hands are right now, my heart is overflowing! My students are precious and anxious to learn. We're getting to know each other quickly, and we've already read three chapters in our class novel, and we're working on a project for it. Good things are happening, and we're all excited to be together, learning together.

Life is BUSY, but life is GOOD!

(And I promise to post about books this weekend!!)

Happy reading!

A Fierce Battle Cry!

Every year I struggle with the same battle. I know it's coming, I even brace myself for it, but every year it gets the best of me...for a little while.

When I was in my senior year of college, I had a professor ask me an important question one day: What do you think is going to be the most difficult part of being a teacher? I didn't hesitate in my answer because I already knew. I told him the most difficult part for me would be the changing policies and the "red-tape" of public education. I knew that some things would change according to who was in control of my country, my state, and my school district. You know, the ones making the "rules" by which I teach and decide what I teach to my students...but don't walk in my shoes, teach in a classroom every day, and understand the individual needs of each student.

I was correct in my answer.

I am now several years into my heart's desire to be a teacher, and I can honestly say there is nothing I would rather do than teach children. I can also say that every year before school starts, I feel the same pressure build up in me that has nothing to do with the children I teach or the resources I need to teach them. It has nothing to do with the people I work with or the amount of money I have to spend in order for my classroom to have the things it needs. It also has nothing to do with the children, no matter who they are or where they come from or how great their educational need may be.

It has everything to do with how much "the rules of the game" change...constantly.

The problem is...teaching children isn't a game. It's a battle. Not a battle WITH the children, a battle FOR the children. It is a battle to be heard, as a classroom teacher, among all the "experts" of every new learning technique, new curriculum, new sequences of learning, and new trend of the day. It is a beat-down to hear how we've been "doing it wrong" and now need to "do it right" according to who is in charge now.

Please don't get me wrong. I am all for changing for the better. I am not a teacher who is married to whatever textbook or novel or grade-level lesson I teach in my classroom. I can teach anything. In fact, I am a lifelong learner who enjoys new things and new ideas. The problem I have is that, as a college-educated professional in the field of education, shouldn't I be somewhat trusted to do my job and know what is in the best interest of my students? Isn't that what I went to college for? Isn't that why I continue to take professional development classes over my summers and during the school year?

I get all tangled up every year in all the expectations put before me in my week of inservice before school starts. I pay attention to every change I need to make, every bit of data I need to look at, and get copies of all the new policies and procedures. I listen to all the presenters, take notes, get copies of power points, and... I do as I am told. You see, I'm a good student, I learn well, and I obey the rules. It is my nature, always has been. I try to do it all with a smile on my face, but sometimes...it almost breaks me.

Then, a wonderful thing happens...

Just when I am beat-down the most and think they may have finally pressed the last breath of joy out of my chest, just when my spirit feels bruised and battered and defeated - I find myself on the eve of...

The First Day of School.

I know, on this most holy of holy educational days, I will be greeting precious new faces who will look to me to teach them, guide them, and be a good example to them every school day. It will matter what I wear and how I present myself to those children. Every word that comes out of my mouth, for the next nine months or so, matters in the life of a child - of many children. They watch me, they listen, and they learn. I also watch them, listen to them, and learn from them.

This is what is important. My students are what is important. Not the policy-makers, not who is in charge, not the state I live in. The children who look to me are all that matters. Will I do all the other things that are expected of me by my administrators, my school district, my state, and my country? Absolutely. I will do them to the best of my ability, but I can't ever let all those other "things" beat me down to the point that I forget what I'm really fighting for on the front lines every single day! I'm fighting the good fight to ensure that my students receive a great education to give them a better, brighter future!

So, tomorrow morning when you hear my loud, fierce, battle cry, let it serve as a reminder to send up prayers and good thoughts to our nation's teachers who are fighting on the front lines every school day for our country's children.

"God bless us, every one!"