Day 5: It Starts With Listening

    Why did you want to become a teacher? This question is something my students ask me all the time and usually comes about only after a difficult day. Frankly, the answer I give isn't what most people, especially my students, would expect. I didn't become a teacher, because I thought I could revolutionize the classroom setting or even because I thought I would be particularly good at it back when the guidance concealer asked me what I wanted to do in college. I became a teacher, because I know what it is like to have someone who didn't care about teaching me.
    Teaching is a demanding career no matter who you are or how you look at it. The emotional, psychological and even physical demands of this job have many burned out within the first few years and even more simply going through the motions. So when I say that I chose to become a teacher, because I know what its like to be dragged down educationally, students and coworkers tend to pause.
     For both students and teachers, it is hard to admit when you are feeling defeated. We look around and see others going about their lives, without a care in the world and think to ourselves, " Why does everything good happen to them." We ignore the tiny voice inside of us that knows they are probably thinking the same thing and refuse to show weakness. So why is it that we as a society do this to ourselves? Why do we stay silent and slowly allow our frustrations to build?
     I do not pretend to know the answer to this question. What I do know is that by creating a culture within schools that promotes self-reflection we can prevent both students and teachers from burning out. This means as a society we need to teach ourselves the difference between asking for help/constructive venting and whining. Knowing the difference between the two is difficult, but also necessary for creating a functioning and healthy working environment for all.
     So when I am asked why I became a teacher, I think back to when my love for education was put in danger. I think about all the verbal and emotional abuse myself and my classmates went through and how it felt to feel like nothing I did was ever good enough. I also think about how this sort of abuse should never be acceptable in any situation, but also how I now understand where that teacher was coming from. While I do not condone this behavior, I now see how easily it can be to become bitter towards your career.
      One thing that I ask of you is that no matter what career you chose in life, whether it's in education or something else. Please know when you need to make a change. For me, that change will be the day I wake up in the morning and do not feel excited about going to school. When every part of me dreads getting in the shower and driving to work, that is when I know I need to step back and reassess what I am doing. So please for yourself and for your students find someone you can commiserate with. Find something that allows to reflect and know when/if it is time to step back.