I have a lot of education articles that come across my newsfeed. I read some of them and am left with the thought, “Maybe I’m ok with just being good.”
While a little dated, this article sets one criterion of a great teacher as someone who “works tirelessly to create a challenging, nurturing environment for their students.” Prior to putting the criteria for a great teacher, they lament that many teachers remain mediocre. “They do the bare minimum required and very little more.”
I think back to my great teachers. One of them drove me across the state to a chemistry competition at Ohio University. He was also my engineering team and Science Olympiad coach.
When I read these sorts of articles or think back to those teachers who were great in my eyes, I feel guilty. In regards to the article, I can not work tirelessly. I work, as they might call it, the bare minimum. And I am exhausted at the end of the week.
Did I say week? Try the end of the day. (And then I go home and do more lesson planning.)
After the “working tirelessly” prelude, the nine criteria are listed. And they seem reasonable to me.
But what the article writer doesn’t seem to realize is those are the bare bones!! To even be mediocre you have to do those nine things. And those things take a lot of energy, no matter what form you must provide it in?
“Respect your students.” How easy is that when you’ve got 150 teenagers talking back, ignoring you, etc…?
Ditto for “creating a respectful community.” Respect often goes both ways. Try to build that community when you have 5 students against you in a class of 25.
And if we “work tirelessly” at the nine different criteria of a great teacher, when do we have time for our adult responsibilities: going to meetings, filling out paperwork, etc…? Is that where the work tirelessly comes from?
Aside from the “work tirelessly” I think I fulfill most of the list. I even have success in the different areas. (More on some days than others.).
But damn, it can be tiring.
I give full props to the club coaches, sports coaches, and all of the other people who can gift time after school to their students. I know I really appreciated those people in my high school life, though I’m pretty sure I never said it.
But at this point in my life and career, I can’t do it. I love learning more about science and sharing it with my students. But on my own time, I love so many other things. I want to create space in my life for those things too. Which also helps to maintain my mental health
The article ends with: “While teaching is a gift that seems to come quite naturally for some, others have to work overtime to achieve great teacher status.”
If being great means teachers need to sacrifice their mental health and their personal time, often with low pay, disrespect from higher-ups, lack of planning time, I’m Ok with good.
One message I do not want to send to my students is that we have to work ourselves to the bone to be successful.
Yeah, I’m Ok with good.