Monday, May 31, 2010

To clarify ....

I have seen so many posts and comments made about President Obama neglecting to honor veterans and fallen soldiers this Memorial Day. In fact our President did honor the dead today back in his home state of Illinois. What could be more appropriate than that? Really, people think he neglected his duties because he chose to pay his respects outside of D.C.? Not all of our dead lie in rest at Arlington, folks. My grandfather fought in WWII and is resting peacefully in Ohio. I'm sure he is just as thankful for the gratitude shown today in Illinois as he would have been had it come from anywhere else. Happy Memorial Day to all, and I link so everyone knows I didn't make this up.





http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37436443/ns/us_news-life/

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

A Word to the Wise

This week has been hard. Very hard.  So hard that Monday felt like an eternity and I was already not wanting but needing the weekend. Most of it has been work-related, but all the way around it has just been an exhausting, chaotic, never-ending week.  Today (and it's only Wednesday) was the final straw.  So yes, I am venting.  I don't care if anyone reads my blog, this is one of the few things I do in my life for my own benefit, so yes, I am about to vent, right here, right now.

Most of us with an ounce of common sense know that good teachers are a rarity.  Let me tell you why: because they are not appreciated, not by parents, not by ungrateful students, not by society as a whole.  Everyone will admit teaching is one of the most important professions one can enter into, yet as a general rule, teachers get paid next to nothing to shape, mold, and care for your most precious possession: your child.  Now I admit it, I have it good.  Unlike many, I am appreciated by my employer, and my students are too young to be jaded about school so as a general rule, they adore me and enjoy coming into my classroom everyday.  That is because I am a good teacher, and I know this.  I'm not the best, but I strive to be, which is what makes me good.  My kids learn something everyday, they have fun, they love me yet they respect me and my boundaries, and in almost 12 years of teaching in some capacity, I have maybe a handful of children and parents with whom I just couldn't get along and find some way to make that necessary bond that needs to exist between student, family, and teacher.  

I appreciate the many parents who show and speak their appreciation for the job I do.  Many recognize that I spend more waking hours with their children each day than they do.  Many tell me they see my influence on their child's life and they see how hard I work to do what I do each day.  Because of these parents, I am usually quite happy to get up and go to work each morning.  I put in my own time to ensure my classroom is fun, inviting, and challenging because I know the children will benefit and because I want to do a good job each day.

Then there are days like today when some parents make it quite clear that I am nothing more than the hired help.  They went out of their way to show me they consider their time to be valuable while mine is expendable.  Not only do they not show appreciation of what I do each day, but they act as if my extra effort and diligence is expected.  Guess what - it isn't.  I do things for your child that you will never understand, of which you will never be aware, and for which I don't get paid, except with the hugs and adoration that emanates from your child's eyes.  I am SOOOOOOO glad that has been enough for me, because if not, I would have told you all to go to hell and left this profession long ago.  My life could be easier emotionally and financially if I didn't find it so important to be a part of your child's life.  

So I have advice for all and everyone.  If you find a teacher that you know is a genuinely good teacher, a teacher who cares about your child and whom your child enjoys, do this: say thank you.  Tell that teacher he/she is important to you and that you see the great job that is being done.  Understand that every good teacher puts forth time and energy that you will never see, for which he/she will never get paid.  Understand that while your child's development and education are the rewards we seek at the end of the day, your one moment of ingratitude and general rudeness can wipe all that happened good that day.  Take serious the role teachers play in your child's life and show respect for the job that is being done.  When you aren't there to hold your child's hand, hug your child, give your child the encouragement needed to take that risk necessary to reach the next milestone, it is a teacher that is there doing the job for you.  Remember that and remember we aren't required to care. It is what a good teacher does and just like your child, you have the power to make or break that teacher's spirit in an instant.

Now I can breathe and sleep well knowing that as a good teacher,  I kicked ass today, and that as a parent, many of you sucked.    :)

Friday, May 21, 2010

The Power of Subtlety

Because I need to write, I need to put something out there, yet I am totally drawing a blank (too much traffic in the head leads to a jam), I am going to just say this:

If you didn't watch last night's season finale of Grey's Anatomy, you missed out on some of the best television to I have ever viewed.  Yes, the storyline (a crazed shooter in a hospital) was riveting and the acting was Emmy-worthy, but what caught my attention was the skilled filming.  So many times in this finale, it wasn't what you could see that keep you gripping your seat, but what you couldn't see, what was reflected in the horrified eyes of someone else.  There were moments when the events in question were happening just off-screen, just out of the viewer's reach, yet you could still sense it, you could hear it, and you knew it was coming as you stared helplessly into the eyes of another horrified character.  There were moments when no action at all took place, and the adrenaline rushed from the silence befell your waiting ears.  Anyone who knows about me and how I think knows how I feel about perspective and valuing what others see even if it is beyond your own experience.  The Grey's finale often depended on perspective: the perspective of the unknowing bystander, the perspective of the doctor hiding under the bed, the perspective of a helpless and pregnant wife watching from afar as a gun is pointed at her husband.  Maybe it was the reliance on perspective that made me feel this episode more than usual, although from the Facebook posts I saw last night and today, I am not the only one who enjoyed this gripping, spellbinding ride.

My advice: if you didn't catch this episode, find it online or look for it to be replayed in the fall prior to the new season opener.  You won't be sorry.

Thank you for allowing me this.  I will try for something a little deeper next time.

xo