I have taught in three different high schools since I obtained my teaching certification sixteen years ago. In all three schools, my colleagues gave as much as they were physically, mentally and intellectually able to, every day. It was not rare to see the majority of the teachers still in their classrooms at 5pm, planning, tutoring, counseling a troubled student, grading papers, coaching a student for a contest, typing up a college recommendation, preparing for the next day’s lessons.
Many of these teacher’s regular routine was running home only long enough to grab a quick supper before going back to the school to take tickets for a basketball game, or to work a fund raiser, or to teach an evening SAT prep course, or to help with the play or a music concert.
On top of these schedules, teachers are also required to attend numerous meetings and in-services, in addition to taking graduate courses to keep their certifications updated. This is all in addition to teaching approximately seven classes per day, and up to 150 or more students per day in their content areas. Teachers cannot grade papers or plan while they are teaching, so at the end of one of these days, they often have a few hours of grading and planning to then do before they go to sleep.
These are not only the teachers without families at home. Frequently, there is little time for raising children in this profession. Those who manage usually have incredibly supportive spouses or other family members or neighbors who are able to assist in some of the responsibilities. Teaching can be incredibly consuming, but the best teachers are aware of this reality before entering into the profession, and obtain their stamina through the recognition of the value and importance of what they are doing.
Teachers need to know themselves well enough to recognize the early signs of burn out and to make the necessary changes to prevent this condition that is a reality of any profession; this may be anything from signing up for a yoga or Tai Chi class, a schedule change which allows for planning for a new course never taught before, or taking a year off from a difficult extra-curricular such as the “Drug and Alcohol/Mental Health Referral Team.”
Teaching our youth is more challenging than ever. I just spent an entire “day off” in a teacher conference listening to presenters speak on the following topics: Disaster Preparedness, the Pandemic Flu Virus, Drugs Prevalent In Our County, Internet Crime and other Dangers to our Youth. Yes, teaching has gone beyond the classroom and teachers are expected to know not only much more about Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic in order to prepare students for the endless state tests, much more about technology than ever, but also virtually every other aspect of a young person’s life.
There are always going to be people who enter any profession for the wrong reasons, and who do as little as possible within that profession; however, in my experience, the teachers I have known throughout my career have risen to the challenges mentioned above, and will continue to do so. It is a seemingly impossible task that we are given, but the best professionals somehow make the impossible, possible – every day of the year.
