& all God's teachers said, "AMEN!"
The sad thing about education today is that we are so focused on having the best rating or being first to implement a new thing instead of focusing on the children or the fact that teachers in fact DO have a life outside of work. My friends not involved in education don't understand the demand placed on me outside of the school building and hours. I take work home with me, I work on my weekends (the time I'm supposed to be using to refresh and reset for a new week), and I constantly check emails because I feel like if I don't, I'll make a parent upset or miss some announcement. I should not feel this way!
One thing Routman mentions in this chapter is to Live an Interesting Life. I feel like this is important for two reasons: 1. so my students see me as a role-model for learning AND living, and 2. I don't get burnt out and run in the opposite direction. I feel like it is vital for teachers to have a life outside of school so that they learn that life IS NOT all about work. Our students need us to be excited about learning and create fun lessons, but this can be done within reason. Our students also need us to live interesting lives so that they can learn how to live an interesting life! I think back to the teachers that stick out in my mind...they stick out because I was interested in their LIFE, not what kind of teacher they were. I remember my middle school English teacher, Mrs. Coggins. She talked about her children and how fun it was for her to watch them grow and immerse them in different activities to see what interests them. She talked about having fun on the weekends going to football games and spending time with her friends and family. I don't remember a lick of her teaching strategies because she made an impact on my life based on how she lived hers. Another teacher, Mr. Parris (my high school English teacher), was really into reading and writing (not just at school, obviously for his enjoyment). He shared with us stories of his that had been published in different magazines or websites. He had lots of stories to share of travels he took that involved his writings. I never considered myself a great writer, but he reminded me that one doesn't have to write a 5 star paper to be considered a "great" writer.
I try to live an interesting life so my students see me as a person and not a teaching robot. I love hanging out with my friends as much as I can. Fitness & exercise are very important to me. I love to run and do CrossFit. I share these experiences with my students because I want them to know that I think health is important, and so is spending time with friends!
Wait...you work on the weekend?
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, Shannon! Teaching is so much more than just teaching a lesson! It is about building relationships. Most of your students will leave you having learned a lot, don't get me wrong, but they (like you said) will not remember the specifics of what you taught them. Our brains are not wired that way. They will remember if you had passion, if you cared about them and their well-being, if you made them laugh, if you stood up for them, if you shared your wants and dreams about yourself and them, No, they won't remember that multiplication lesson you spent so much time planning, but what they will remember is how you made them feel. Maya Angelou once said, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I couldn't agree more!
ReplyDeleteHi Shannon,
ReplyDeleteI loved reading about your life and experiences in your blog post! Routman is absolutely right in that we as teachers need to live a rich and interesting life because those experiences and interests provide opportunities for us to share with our students. Sharing our reading and writing interests provide a powerful modeling tool for our students that we don't have to read and write, we choose to read and write about very interesting things. This life is wonderfully rich with amazing people and places and opportunities. We want to open this up to our students. Thanks, Dawn