Day 3 topic:
What's your biggest concern about teaching and what can we do about it?
What's your biggest concern about teaching and what can we do about it?
We all have things that concern us. There are the day to day things, the larger scale things, then the systemic things. Immediately, passing rate for the AP exam on the 13th, how to push the three kids who didn't do well on the state exam to move forward before June 2nd. The Spring Talent Show in June and how to get the underclassmen involved. Supporting 9th grade team to help get their kids read for the science and math exams as well. Hiring fairs and events as we look to hire our last cohort of teachers as my school grows to have all 4 grades. Completing the last of the observations for mentees for the year and logging those hours. Oh and lessons, always lessons....
Things like one ones I listed above come and go. They are part of the constant flow of working in education. Our work never stops. These are not the things that concern me any more. My bigger concerns now reside in the sentiments about teachers by public officials. I watch the news in the morning as I get ready for work and there is one in particular that is disheartening. The picture is paints of who we are is inaccurate at best. In airing it in this high traffic time of 6-7 AM as many parents are getting ready for work, I wonder what they are internalizing. Any counter on behalf of our union seems adversarial at best as thus begins the war of words. This is where we need to come in.
Early on in my career someone told me that the climate, policies and ideas circulating about teaching and learning shift about every 8 years. Next year will mark the beginning of my 8th year and I am hoping for a shift in the public narrative about teachers. That is one of the reasons I started with the April Blog A Day challenge and now the Ed Blog A Day. Even though I don't think that I have some great insight or brilliant piece of thinking on teaching and learning, by being authentic, looking for progress and not dwelling in negative, I hope to work to change the narrative, one blog at a time.
Next week is the beginning of Teacher Appreciation Week. With your colleagues and even students ask them to finish the statement: "Teaching is..." and post it to your social media platforms #teachingis. There are some great resources here with the Teaching Is Partner Pack. This is one easy way to continue working to change the narrative and what a powerful way to bring teachers in your school community together to start each day in celebrating what we do. (Special thanks to Jenn Ward for sharing this with the #Edblogaday community)
Love it! #teachingis We've got to get the stories of our students and our teachers and our schools out there. Because the story being told is untrue and unhelpful. Thanks for a great post and for blogging to change the narrative. We might only be a drop -- but those drops reverberate and spread.
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