The truth about public educators

There has been much public bashing of teachers.  I could say over the past few weeks or months, but I’d be exaggerating.  People have been bashing teachers, public education and schools for as long as I can remember.  Of course, with having been a public educator for the past 20 years, you’re going to think I’m biased.  You may be right.  But I have also had children in the public education system for the past 13 years so I do see both sides.  Here’s what I have seen.

I’ve seen educators break down and cry over their students.  Not because they were scared of them or feeling bad because their students didn’t like them.  But I've seen them cry over the sheer hopelessness that comes with watching a student with a horrible home situation try to rise above, only to be knocked down again.  They’ve cried when a child is pulled from our school because mom and dad are fighting over who gets the kids and causing them to have to change schools again.  And again.  They’ve cried because they are pretty sure their student is going to a home with not enough to eat, no one who cares that they are there and no clean clothes to wear.  They’ve cried because so many many times educators are helpless to truly help those students in ways that are meaningful and matter most.

I’ve seen educators on their knees in grief when they have lost a student, even a former student, to an accident or tragedy.  No matter how many years pass, they are all still our kids and a part of our extended families.

I’ve seen educators cry tears of joy.  Joy when that student who has struggled finds success and achieves a long sought after goal.  Joy for that student that comes back after graduation to say, "thanks to you I believed I could, and I did."  Joy for an award won, a piece published, a scholarship gained.  Pride and joy for those students who have become their kids through the weeks, months and years that we live and breath their every success and every setback or failure.

I’ve see teachers wonder about students they had 2, 7, 15 or 20 years ago.  I’ve seen them pray that their lives worked out and that they are happy and healthy.  I’ve seen educators run into former students and take the time to ask how they’ve been, what they’ve been up to and how they are.  I’ve had educators ask me about my kids, who haven’t had them in class for years.  Each and every one of them were authentic in their concern.

I’ve seen teachers spend money they didn’t have or couldn’t spare to buy materials for their students and classrooms.  Scouring garage sales, thrift stores and dollar stores for every deal, to try to stretch those few dollars as far as they can.  Many times they've asked for materials for their classroom only to be told there are no funds and they need to make do with what they have.  Wanting the best for their students, those same educators go out of their way to make sure that their students don't go without.

I’ve seen teachers give up time with their families to coach, attend concerts, plan lessons, grade papers, create or design projects, you name it.  Teaching isn't a 40 hour a week job for 9 months of the year.  Yet tell someone you are an educator and what is the first thing they say, "Must be nice to get paid to have summers off." 

I’ve seen teachers agonize over lessons that have failed and spend hours trying to design just the lesson to help their students understand that tricky subject.  Those teachers get so excited and enthused about what they are teaching and share that excitement with their coworkers.

I’ve seen teachers attend classes, courses, workshops, seminars, webinars, etc... trying to learn the latest news in their profession.  I’ve seen educators spend hundreds on books or subscriptions trying to better themselves as teachers and trying to learn how to better help their students.

I’ve seen the worry etch it’s way across their faces as they struggle to figure out why their students aren’t understanding a concept.  I’ve seen them beg colleagues for help, admit their limitations or mistakes and do whatever it takes to help their students with little to no regard for their own dignity or pride.

I've seen teachers busting their backs at a second or third job that they need to make ends meet for their families.  They coach, give lessons, work at the local restaurant/golf course/retail establishment, etc... Meager salaries and giving back to their own classrooms often taps teachers out financially.  Some putting their students' needs before their own or their own family's.

Before you jump on the bashing teachers bandwagon, think about what a teacher does every single day.  Put yourself in their shoes.  In fact....come hang out in our classrooms for a day.  See what teaching really entails.  Watch us play counselor, psychiatrist, prison warden, hall monitor, educator, therapist, technology expert and all the other hats we wear in the first 30 minutes of school.  Hear us repeat the directions 3 times for EVERY SINGLE THING we do, only to have a student ask 10 seconds later, "what are we doing?"  Watch us go with the flow when our class is interrupted.  Again.  Watch us listen to the story about the new puppy, the new little brother, the trip to the dentist.  Again.  Think of every single time your child has annoyed you or frustrated you and magnify it times 15, 20 or 30 kids.  And remind yourself that we do it for the virtually the LOWEST paying college educated position there is.  Then, you can climb up on your bandwagon and beat a different rhythm, because you, if you walked a day in a teacher's shoes, you may actually get it.

Myths about teachers and their pay:  Click here