Teacher Appreciation Week––everyone, please read this.

Okay, look out. I am about to go on a rant, so be prepared. And it’s not just about testing in schools. It’s more, much more.

First, it is Teacher Appreciation Week. A huge shout-out to all teachers everywhere  or at least to the teachers who are doing their jobs. A huge thank you to my former teachers (the few that are still alive), my children’s former teachers, and my former co-workers.

Now for my rant. It’s directed to parents, teachers, principals, school boards, and educational leaders. I’m retired now, so I can rant without fear of being fired or of making a parent mad.

Teaching, if done correctly, is one of the hardest jobs you can do.

Don’t believe me? Try it. I switched from a banking career, in which I was a loan officer and bank vice president, to teaching when I was thirty. I had never done student teaching or taken an education class. And I learned very quickly that even though I knew my subject matter, I was clueless about how to teach effectively. To my first-year students, I apologize. I didn’t know what I was doing. But I learned.

Of the thirty-two years I worked in education, twenty-five were spent in the classroom. I averaged fifty-hour work weeks. Some weeks more like sixty, especially when you consider all the extra-curricular responsibilities on top of preparing lessons, grading papers, and other things that cannot be explained to non-teachers.

It was hard work. As a principal, the stress was greater, but I enjoyed the work more. That’s just me.

But I chose it, and it worked out. I loved working with students (most of them) and miss seeing them as well as my co-workers now that I’m retired.  So what am I ranting about today? Here goes:

To parents: My two sons were not perfect, and guess what, yours aren’t either. One of my children was a talker and got in trouble for it frequently. I told his teachers, “Give him a detention, he deserves it!” If my child misbehaved, I expected him to be disciplined. However, parents, if your child gets in trouble at school, some of you want to blame the school. Seriously? Do you really think teachers have it in for your child? No. But if your child is misbehaving and disrupting the learning activities in class, your child is making an already difficult job more difficult. Your child is preventing other students from learning. There might be a teacher who seems to be “picking on” your child, in which case you need to schedule a conference. But it your child is getting into trouble with several, guess who’s at fault?

To teachers: Most of you are doing the best jobs you can do. You each have different abilities, and the truth is, some of you do a better job of teaching than others, whether due to personality or ability or knowledge. My complaint is with those of you not giving your best. Some of you make other teachers’ jobs more difficult. You’re the teachers not doing your jobs. You let the kids violate school rules in your classroom. You don’t actually teach. You manage to keep your job somehow. Oh, the kids love your class. After all, you make them do very little. You teach maybe twenty minutes and allow them to talk the remaining thirty. You give open-book or open-note tests, not expecting them to really learn anything. By the way, I’m referring to high school teachers here. I never hear about this scenario at the middle school or elementary levels. And before anyone gets worked up about this, I’m not referring to a specific high school. I’ve worked in three and talked to teachers in many others, so take it how it’s meant to be. This is a generalized problem in high schools everywhere, even in other states. And, teachers, please read what I have to say to principals as I address you once more.

To principals: You have a difficult job, more stressful than a teacher’s. You have to deal with students, teachers, parents, supervisors, the community at large, the school board, and the director of schools. Not an easy task. You are expected to hire and retain the best teachers, although that is not always easy. You make mistakes. I surely did. You’re human. We all make mistakes. But what do teachers need from you? Consistency in school discipline and your support. They need you to back them up when they’re just doing their jobs. If little Johnny is failing their class because he has five zeroes and Mama is angry at the teacher, they need you to be o their side. For everything from the dress code to school policies to detentions for misbehavior, they need you to be their champion. If they’re in the wrong, please address it with them privately. And a personal “thank you” from you to them, collectively and individually, can go a long way in motivating them to work twice as hard. A side note to teachers: if you are not enforcing the school rules, you are making the principal’s job even more difficult as well as your fellow teachers. The most efficient schools are the ones in which everyone is on the same page. I always appreciated the teachers I had at the middle school because, for the most part, they were on the same page when it came to school policies.

To school boards: First, thank you for doing a thankless job. You have to hear complaints from parents and teachers. But teachers know education. Talk to them. Find out what their concerns are. I know, you represent the community, but teachers, as a whole, know what will work best in education. Hear them out.

To school district leaders: You have to do what the state powers-that-be tell you to do. Teachers don’t always get that. You have to make hard decisions. You have a high-pressure job. Teachers don’t usually show their appreciation to you, only their dissatisfaction. So communicate with them. Explain to them why things are the way they are. Trust them to understand. Explain to them why you can’t share everything for confidentiality reasons. A lot of teachers may not understand the legal implications of school cameras, police presence, and more. If you explain it to them, they will be more understanding and less likely to complain or criticize. Communication is the key.

I realize everyone has different opinions about public education, and in light of the recent legislation passed in our state, my heart is saddened to think of the future ramifications. If this legislation results in larger class sizes for public school teachers and fewer resources, we will lose our best teachers. The job is already challenging.

This is Teacher Appreciation Week. Most teachers are in the profession because they love working with kids and they love sharing knowledge. I hope you show appreciation to your local teachers, especially those of you whose children are in school. No gifts necessary. A simple email or thank-you note will end up in a teacher’s collection of the few kindnesses shown to them in their career.

Appreciation goes a long way with anyone.