A Challenge I have Overcome...
is not getting beaten down in a profession that often sucks the life out of anyone who dares to stick in it.
Politicians feel they know best and are incessantly pulling the fragile marionette strings that dictate the can and cannot do’s in my little classroom.
Add to that negative publicity at every turn about inappropriate behavior and choices made by educators across the nation. Sad to say, the gullible public believes we must all fit the bill and are to be mistrusted and seen as the enemy.
Throw into the mix, a bevy of parents who have helicoptered their way into middle school never saying no or holding their child accountable... only to meet me...who will do both...daily... God forbid.
Most recently, add a smattering of outstanding young professionals who continue to become my bosses....while I see them through a shroud of age that keeps reminding me..I really could be their mother!! They are great...but their “ new” ideas have sometimes cycled through multiple times in my career.
Oh and last but certainly not least, let’s acknowledge ridiculous high stakes testing that had been tied to teacher effectiveness and school report card grades...which invites more criticism and disdain for me and what I do. Absolutely the worst thing to happen since I began teaching!
Heard enough yet? Yeah, me either! Because dear ones, there is still magic in Room A13. It comes encased in awkward, hormone driven, young bodies that are honest and pure and really searching for what I can offer them. Those things being: unconditional love, forgiveness, hope, basic knowledge and where to find information they crave , and the most important thing of all...that who they are will always trump what they know in my eyes. My joy can never be robbed when self-discovery and acceptance are celebrated within and among my middle school students.
So...yes... there are lots of reasons to feel defeated and downtrodden. BUT....This old gal ain’t throwing in the towel any time soon! Believe that!
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