Post by Loralee Cole: Loralee has been teaching for 19 years, the last 18 years at Bettendorf High School. She currently teaches American/World History. She can be found on twitter @LoraleeCole
Students from St. Ambrose University sit in my class, earning observation hours. As they watch, I wonder if they really know
how much a teacher does. In their mind (as was mine 20 years ago!), it seems
pretty easy; design lessons, deliver material, grade papers, test, attend
in-service meetings and if you’re lucky, wear jeans on Fridays. Pretty much that’s it! Oh, then not to mention the paid holidays as
well as two months of vacation time in the summer! SWEET!! I’m in! Not so fast…. Do they REALLY know the jobs of
a teacher??
Teachers
wear many hats. Their first hat is of course the teacher hat. Even though most of us are not art teachers,
creativity definitely comes in handy when designing lessons, especially when
you have to compete with Instagram and Clash of Clans. Of course, teachers know EVERYTHING about the
subject they teach. Since I teach
history (specifically World and American), that means I should know EVERYTHING
about those topics. Oh!! The pressure!!! Of course I do not know everything about
history. However, with iPads, we definitely have many tools available (as long
as they are iPad compatible!) to engage students. Plus, the iPads have come in really handy
since if I don’t know something, I can tell students to look it up!!
The second
hat a teacher wears is the counselor hat.
Students today have so many issues to deal with it's any wonder they
actually get to school. Some students don’t have the time or don’t want the
stigma of making an appointment with the counselor. Maybe they feel they really don’t “know”
their counselor. Many teachers are easy to talk to and students see their
teachers every day with no appointment needed.
We easily establish relationships with them, which means we are easily
accessible. A teacher might be the only
adult throughout the day who looks them in the eye and personally engages them.
Many teachers will have at least one student divulge some kind of personal
information to them at some point in their career. We have to be good listeners, show empathy,
and maybe even offer some advice at times.
There are times when we also have to bend the rules. Fair is not always equal.
Being their
teacher and counselor at times is not enough.
Putting on the “parent hat” is necessary in some cases. As a teacher, we need to ask ourselves, “If
this were my child, what would I want the teacher to do?” We all want our children
to be challenged, learn something, respect others, feel cared about, and have
fun. Holding students accountable to
high expectations can be hard at times, especially when they have been coddled
by other adults. Sometimes the “parent hat” means settling disputes like, “Mrs.
Cole! He took my iPad and won’t give it back!” Other times it means, “Pay
attention to my child. Notice my child in your class and don’t let them blend in
with the furniture.” Always it means
creating a caring environment where everyone feels safe and respected. And at times it means have fun! Most of the memories we have from our own
school days do not involve the day we finally solved for "x." Most of the memories we have were when we had fun and did something
out of the ordinary, probably directed by a teacher.
A few of the
other hats we wear are friend, colleague, and professional. We develop friendships with people we work
with that come in handy when we need to vent about the latest state mandate
just handed down. Friendships with co-workers are important as a teacher to
share life events and they allow us to just be ourselves, since most of the day
we are “on stage” in front of 30 students. We help our colleagues with lessons
as we collaborate together about the latest and greatest app. And we are professionals when administration
decides we can’t wear jeans on Fridays or in-service days anymore.
So, to the
St. Ambrose student in training to be a teacher earning your observation hours,
while it’s true you will design lessons, deliver material, and grade papers,
you will also wear many other hats. Be
ready to change your “hat” multiple times throughout the day, because no day is
ever the same. At the end of a year of being a creative teacher, listening to
student problems and concerns, and being a “stand in” parent, you will earn the
two months of "vacation" in the summer.
Loralee, I love this post! I feel so often that I play so many roles during the day as well. It certainly makes this profession interesting!
ReplyDeleteYou wear your many hats well Mrs. Cole!
ReplyDelete