“Teachers have summers off”, this is one of the first things most people say when the topic of teaching comes up in conversation.  It’s not usually the very first thing but it’s near the top.  These four simple words seem to have summed up the teaching profession for many people.  I know a lot of teachers and very few of them actually have “summers off”.  In fact, many teachers spend their summers working or preparing to go back to work. 

Teachers often need to subsidize their primary income with additional employment.  Many teach summer school, work retail or teach adult learning courses.  Teachers are often required to attend professional development trainings, take college courses for additional endorsements and participate in planning meetings at their schools or districts.

Once the new school year approaches, teachers head out to buy school supplies, set up classrooms and prepare materials. Much of this time is outside of the regular teaching contract and, in essence, a volunteer effort on the part of teachers.  Teaching is no longer a nine-month job; it has become a year round profession with little time off and a very hectic pace.  A teacher’s summer is really an opportunity to work outside of the classroom and far from a vacation.

A summer off is only for kids.

 

 

This blog is dedicated to Maurice Sendak and teachers everywhere who are bringing their school year to a close.

Where The Wild Things Are reminds me of teaching. You might be wondering, how?

Every year we get students like Max who make mischief of one kind and another. I invite you to reflect back over this year and think about your “Max.” What strategies and techniques did you use to help him or her find success and reach their potential? What did you learn about yourself and your teaching from Max?

His mother called him, “WILD THING!” and Max said, “I’LL EAT YOU UP!” So he was sent to bed without eating anything.

That very night in Max’s room a forest grew and grew and grew until his ceiling hung with vines and the walls became the world all around…

Every year we plan how to set up our classroom. We plan how to create space for learning. How effective was your classroom arrangement? In what ways did your classroom environment create space for learning? What did you learn about your students and their learning styles?

And an ocean tumbled by with a private boat for Max and he sailed off through night and day and in and out of weeks and almost over a year to where the wild things are. And when he came to the place where the wild things are they roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws till Max said, “BE STILL!” and tamed them with the magic trick of starring into all their yellow eyes without blinking once and they were frightened and called him the most wild thing of all and made him king of all the wild things.

So what was your trick? In what ways did you push your students to do their personal best? How did you reach your students' individual needs? What do you want to keep in mind as you begin to plan for next year?

“And now,” cried Max, “let the wild rumpus start!"

What were some of your most memorable lessons? How do you know those lessons impacted student learning? What were some things that surprised you about your kids this year?

“Now stop!” Max said and sent the wild things off to bed without their supper. And Max the king of all wild things was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all. Then all around from far away across the world he smelled good things to eat so he gave up being king of where the wild things are.

But the wild things cried, “Oh please don’t go- we’ll eat you up- we love you so!” And Max said, “No!” The wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws but Max stepped into his private boat and waved good-bye and sailed back over a year and in and out of weeks and through a day and into the night of his very own room where he found his supper waiting for him and it was still hot.

As your year comes to a close and you wave good-bye to your students, take time to reflect on your accomplishments. In what ways did you impact student achievement? How have you grow as an educator? What do you want to be mindful of as you begin your summer vacation and prepare for next year?

 

Each year teachers go through the ritual of gathering boxes and purging their classrooms of unneeded items in preparation for summer break and the new school year in the fall. For many teachers this will be the last time they undergo this process. Far too many teachers are currently leaving the teaching profession. You might think that it is normal for teachers to retire and for others to decide on new career paths but this year is different. This year teachers are not leaving because of retirement or other careers, this year many teachers are leaving because they can no longer stay in the profession.

I’ve asked several teachers across the state why they are choosing to leave teaching and their answers have left me wondering about the state of our profession. Some of the reasons for premature departure from the teaching profession have included:

• Not being able to pay medical bills, mortgages and student loans

• Working over 60 hours per week

• Student loads of 150 or more

• Limited classroom resources and time to plan for instruction

• Being caught between policy and parents

• Frustration

These conditions are not new to anyone that has been a classroom teacher. Teachers have been doing more with less for a very long time, however this year seems to have revealed some type of tipping point. These teachers are leaving with heavy hearts, they regretfully walk away from a career they love but can no longer subsidize. What is changing that is causing committed career educators to walk away from their classrooms and students? The loss of these highly skilled and motivated teachers is a blow to our profession. The gaps in experience that these teachers leave behind will not be filled by the revolving door of new teachers.

I found it very interesting that none of the departing teachers stated that they were leaving the profession because of students. In fact, all of these teachers spoke fondly of their time with students and looked back with a sense of loss. I wonder how many teachers will decide to come back next year and what changes might need to be made to keep them coming back year after year.


Bullying behaviors.  

We know them as daily and lamentable interpersonal events.  We can recall moments of being observers, and perhaps even participants.  We may remember Alex’s peers snickering behind his back because he was quirky and “just weird.”  Or, the cool girls looking down on Maria because she didn’t dress as well as they did.  We recall David’s lack of social status as being painfully obvious to everyone in the neighborhood, especially him.  Our peers sitting at the lunch table and spreading stories they suspected weren’t true about Kristen.  But because they were quickly and awkwardly silent when she entered the room,  she never had the opportunity to contradict the details before word spread.  Perhaps we remember Andre getting mocked daily because his family had different customs, traditions, and beliefs than the “popular group.”

We remember name calling.  Taunting.  The exertion of will and power.  

If you don’t remember these sorts of events, look closer.  Because, I’m not talking about children.

I’m describing us.  You know, the role models that children are supposed to strive to become.

In fact, I’m tired of children being asked to be better than us, when generations of bullying children have become bullying adults.  However,  we have new and whitewashed names for the phenomenon, such as,  “Politics,” “The Water Cooler,”  “Tabloids,” “Business, ” or “Reality Television.” I would assert that the typical adult breakroom can be more destructive than a high school cafeteria.In our world it is perfectly acceptable to gossip about others.  To tear them down.  To roll our eyes behind their backs.  To not find solutions to differences by focusing on thoughts, not the people behind them.  To insult, rather than debate.  To excessively belittle an opposing team’s fan at a sporting event, in front of a thousands of children’s eyes.  It is normal to have an overheated confrontation in a parking lot, a stop light, or a checkout lane.  And, often, the loudest cries of, “He cut!” come from the parking lot of the school, not the hallways.

Why? Because, we’re old enough to believe in our perceptiveness about others.  In short, we think we’re right.  

Never mind the irony that roughly 80% of us believe we’re better than average.

In essence, we’re asking children to ignore what children see all around them. 

Sanctioned bullying. 

We tailgate to make the car in front of us go the speed we would prefer.  We name call and ridicule people through syndicated media programs, rather than critiquing their ideas.  We create celebrities and then relish in their fall.  We gossip.  We slander.  We intimidate.  We’re asking the impossible from our children: do as you’re told, not as you see. 

Make no mistake, bullying is a legitimate problem, and many adults are doing their best to counter the culture I describe here, but few reading this will identify themselves as contributors to the problem.  

The stories we hear about children being looked down on, humiliated, or made to feel second rate, are heartbreaking.  But, at what point do we stop calling it bullying?  It seems to me it’s sometime around when they’re old enough to vote.

What a coincidence.

Turn on your television.  Sit in a parking lot after school  Watch a session of Congress.  Go to a football game.  Look at magazine covers in the checkout aisle.  Eat in a breakroom.  

It seems as if bullying is a life skill.

I believe kids get a bad rap. Bullying should not occur, and schools need to work diligently to ensure that no child is subjected to such behaviors.  But most children are kind, compassionate, supportive, accepting, and tolerant.  Three year olds might call a passing woman “fat,” because they’re too young to have the requisite filter, not because they’re trying to feel better about themselves.Our children are often amazing citizens who can collaborate, cooperate, and produce.  If you’ve ever seen the fifth grade girl welcome the non-english speaking student, and guide her through her first days, you might not believe it.  If you’ve never seen a group of kindergarteners support a child with Down Syndrome, you don’t know what you’re missing.  

Children can often represent the very behaviors we should emulate, and, it's why I relish working with them, everyday. Contrary to popular beliefs, schools aren’t crawling with bullies who seek to exert their will on others.  They’re full of our kids.  Wonderful kids.

But, be warned.

They grow to be more like us with each passing day.  

Every year, during Teacher Appreciation week (last week), one of our Spanish teachers invites students to write a thank-you letter in Spanish (with an English translation) to give to one teacher. Every year, I get a few of these letters and they always warm my heart.

As I'm closing out my last year in the classroom for awhile, these letters are felt a little more deeply. And as I'm composing my last blog with this entry, I can't think of a better swan song than to share one of the letters I received. Everything this blog is about - everything I'm about - is centered on students.

For privacy's sake, I will call this student "Alice." During the first week of school, I ask students to draw a non-linguistic representation that represents their personality. Alice drew a woman trapped in a bubble. In the "I Am" poem she wrote a week later, she stated, "I am calm and shy, I worry about my future, I cry about my unforgiving past." Alice hardly said a word this year, but I could tell she was learning by the caliber of her work and through the hungry, scholarly gleam in her eye. When I saw her name on the letter, I was surprised - and excited! The letter reads:

"Ms. Adams, as part of a project for my Spanish class, I was asked to write a letter to a member of the school who has influenced me during the academic year. I chose you because, although I'm sure you are unaware, you have greatly helped and influenced me to be better. On many occasions during your class, we learned about life and the (sometimes) tragic things that can happen to people. These lessons that you have taught us have really helped me understand myself, men, and my parents. Through what I've learned in your class, I've found the strength to forgive those who have wronged me and, each night I stayed up late to write an essay to meet your deadlines, I reflected upon how the topics of each assignment seemed to mirror my life. The time I spent on work for your class has helped me heal and let go of parts of my past. Had it not been for the work I did in your class, I would not be as liberated as I am now. I will always keep your teachings in mind and am forever grateful to have had you - not only as an English teacher - but as a teacher of life."

Now, how the heck can all of that be measured with a bubble-test or value-added formula!?

 

Over the past 18 years I have been a teacher, an instructional coach, a mentor and a student. This year I had a unique opportunity to look at teaching through a different lens. I began to examine education through the eyes of a principal. I completed my internship in the fall and coursework and state examination in the spring. All the while, I felt like the frog in the story Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni.

In the story, a tadpole and minnow were inseparable friends. They swam among the weeds in a pond. Time passes and the tadpole discovers he has legs and his tail disappears. The minnow thought that was complete nonsense, as the day before they were both fish. They argued and argued and finally the tadpole said, “Frogs are frogs and fish are fish.”

Time passed and one day the frog climbed out of the water onto the grassy bank. Days and weeks went by. Then one day, the frog jumped back into the pond to tell the fish of his adventures. “I have seen extraordinary things,” exclaimed the frog. He goes on to tell the fish about birds, and cows, and people! The picture in the fish’s mind was full of lights and colors and marvelous things. If only he could jump about like his friend and see that wonderful world.

This year during my internship and coursework, I had the opportunity to jump out of my role as an instructional coach and view the world as a principal. As I traveled around the district visiting different schools I began to see extraordinary things. I observed how principals interacted with their staff, with students, parents and the community. I observed different leadership styles and talked with principals about how they inspire and advocate for teachers. I inquired about challenges and obstacles of being an instructional leader. This year has been a roller coaster of sorts, but my mind is full of lights and colors and marvelous things.

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly

disguised as impossible situations.” - Charles Swindell

This is not a new issue for schools. Bullies have been around for years and I'm positive that everyone at some point in their life has had to deal with a bully. However, this topic has been all over the news the past year. Between the rash of teen suicides and the new documentary, Bully, people are really talking about this topic and taking it seriously and forcing schools do develop policies to handle this problem. What is the best way for schools to address this issue and is it possible to solve this problem?

I had my own issues when I was younger with bullying. It was hard growing up feeling unloved and unwanted and different from everyone else around me. I was picked on, made fun of and laughed at on what I felt was a daily basis. I did not see any hope from my situation. Being young, I felt like my problem was insurmountable and I made three suicide attempts by the time I was fifteen. Because of this, I have deep empathy for kids who are dealing with bullies as well. I became a teacher because I wanted to help children have a better, happier life and in the process redeem my own childhood.

Over the years of my teaching career, many parents have come to me with complaints that their child was being bullied. After listening to them, I learned that everyone has a different definition of bullying. Most cases turned out to be isolated incidents. I knew that I needed to work with parents so they understand exactly what bullying is. One child calling another child 'stupid' during a disagreement is not bullying. It is a conflict. Bullying occurs more than once. It is often continuous and it seeks to hurt one person and make them feel inferior. It is also a way for one person to force their will on another person or a group of people. It can take many forms from punching, kicking, name calling, or being singled out of the group. The cases where the complaints were legit, parents rightly wanted immediate action and they wanted to know what was going to happen. They want to know how you are going to protect their child and what is going to happen to the bully. This is where it gets really hard for teachers and administrators.

There is a scene in the movie, Bully, where a boy is talking to the principal. She is asking him why he doesn't tell anyone about what is happening to him. He says that he came to her in the past and she didn't do anything. She answers, "How do you know I didn't do anything?" We are not just teachers for the victims but we are also teachers for the bullies as well. Both parties fall under our umbrella of protection. It is unethical and in most places illegal for us to reveal sanctions or consequences given to a student to anyone who is not that student's parent. This makes it really hard to satisfy another parent's call for justice. I know what the bully did is wrong and in some cases reprehensible but doesn't that child deserve a right to privacy? Should we remove that layer of protection and make some things public? Maybe if we made more severe examples of a few bullies, would that stop other students from becoming bullies? Exactly how should bullies be punished?

To be continued....

I love that the sun sets later in the evening and the little ant hill along the sidewalk explodes with little black ants carrying objects more than their body weight. It feels that way as the school year winds down. Several, if not all, of my colleagues carry that kind of weight. I hope that I carry my end-of-the-school-year responsibilities with as much grace as those little black ants. I take care not to step on them and avoid not to block their paths (sometimes I wish we were that considerate of one another).

Many of my students stare out the windows of my classroom. They look at the bright green of spring on the trees as they contrast with the present red and black mesas. Even I purposely walk to the back of the class and watch white (sometimes grey) clouds skirt across the blue sky like passing thoughts. A couple of my last assignments are clay sculptures and poetry to finish up the unit on creative writing. It's a calming project to put the imagination to the test.