My son tells me my blog is not focused enough, that I should focus on one topic, like writing, education, exercising, religion, anything that I am passionate about. He’s probably right. After all, me blogging about whatever comes to mind is pretty random.
But I’m passionate about too many things to narrow it down. Public education is one of them.
I won’t go into why I am so passionate about it, but I will say it goes beyond the fact that I worked in public education for 32 years (I worked in banking for eight). I will share that the first year I taught, 1986-87, was the worst year of my life because as a person who had never even taken an education class, I had no idea what I was doing. I felt and was a complete failure that year, but I worked at it (taking night classes and learning from peers) and managed to stick with it and survive 32 years. I think I finally figured it out.
But in those 32 years, I was privileged to be a teacher, then a principal, then back to a teacher. Those experiences gave me insights I would not have had otherwise. So I’m sharing them today in the hopes of helping a principal, a teacher, a parent. I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I’m not saying I know everything. I am saying I’ve been on all sides in the education world: a parent of two, a classroom teacher for 25 years, and a principal for seven.
So here goes. First, I’ll address principals.
School leaders:
Your teachers need to know you have their backs. They need you to communicate with them. I know, you can’t tell them everything. You have access to information that they don’t have and shouldn’t have. But at least follow up. Let them know you are aware of the issue and are working to resolve it. I know how teachers don’t understand why you don’t kick a student out of the classroom or even out of school (I understand), but at least communicate with them. Explain as much as you can. It helps them to know that something is being done. There is no perfect answer, and I remember my teachers being frustrated when they had to continue to deal with problems they thought I was doing nothing about. I was doing everything I could, but my hands were tied.
I worked under five principals, and the ones I worked the hardest for (well, I worked hard anyway, so I’ll say the ones I was happiest working for) were the ones who were supportive, the ones who encouraged instead of berated, the ones who discussed problems professional to professional instead of threatening.
Now, having said that to principals, I’ll say to teachers what principals want you to know.
Please follow the district’s rules. You may not like them, but it is your job to follow them. If you’re supposed to be at work at a certain time, do it. If your district has a dress code policy for teachers, follow it. If you are supposed to be supervising students in a designated area and enforce the rules, do it. Not everyone can be a great teacher, but anyone can follow the rules.
Those teachers who don’t follow the rules make it harder for the teachers that do. The teachers at the middle school where I was principal were all on the same page, pretty much, and for that reason, everything seemed to operate more smoothly. There was conflict at times for various reasons, but I could count on teachers do their jobs any time of the day. They were teaching, students were learning. Sure, there were some better than others, and we had a few bumps along the way with some, but for the most part, those teachers were consistent in enforcing sc cool policies, and it made things much easier.
You teachers have a hard job. You have to deal with discipline issues, expectations of parents and principals, testing, curriculum changes, technology glitches, negative attitudes, and more. It’s tough. I get it. Your job can be discouraging. Hang in there.
Finally, to parents, some suggestions to make your child’s school experience better and ways to help your child’s teacher(s).
- Expect your child to oe accountable. Make sure assignments are completed on time. Help your child study for tests. If your child makes bad grades, don’t blame the teacher. Talk to the teacher. Find out what’s going on.
- If your child consistently gets into trouble at school, don’t assume he/she is being picked on. If your child is getting into trouble, there’s a reason. And I hate to say it, but it’s probably (99.9% of the time) your child’s fault. We educators see a different side to your child than you do. Once again, talk to the teacher. Talk to the principal if needed. Find out what’s going on and address the issue. (Oh, a side note to teachers.)
- Teachers often spend their own money to provide things like Kleenex, GermX, cough drops or peppermints, for their students. Sure would be nice if you’d send one of those items every now and then.
My main point, I guess, is for all involved to work together. Communicate. Treat each other with respect.
The ultimate focus is the child and his/her learning and development. “It’s all about the kids,” we often said. That’s why people should be working in education. To help kids.
Retirement has given me the freedom to say what’s on my mind. Like I said, I don’t have all the answers, and some things I’ve written are not necessarily just my opinions but also the comments and opinions of others. Things I’ve heard over the years. I was not a perfect teacher nor a perfect principal, and I am glad I was not fired for being imperfect. My purpose for this blog today is to help principals, teachers, and parents to hear things that others want to say to them but won’t because of their positions.
And why do I even care, now that I’m retired? Because I am passionate about public education. And I always will be.
Life As I know it 