This is something I ponder often. I'm not talking about kids...they definitely don't have any. What I can't understand is how teachers are confused about their job and what it takes to get it done. Here are some tips:
1. You get a paycheck because your school reports the attendance to the state and you get money from the total number of kids you reported. Take attendance WILL YOU??!!
2. You get a paycheck to teach your content to kids every day. Not just the days you are in the building. If you are going to be out, plan ahead and leave something that is relevant. You make life miserable for the rest of us (and your sub) when you don't.
3. Your boss gives you rules to follow. Do it. For example, don't give your keys to students and send them into an unsupervised space (like the teacher's lounge) that should be a sanctuary for you and your colleagues. Just enforce what they ask you to, and pull your own weight!
4. Be on time. No I don't want to supervise students until you get here because you didn't plan ahead for traffic and are late, again. (Everyone gets 1 or 2 occurrences because there are some things that you just can't predict, it's the chronics I'm speaking about here. I like the 3 strikes and you're out rule.)
5. READ YOUR EMAIL and know email etiquette.
a. You have 24 hours to respond before you are irresponsible.
b. Do NOT just reply to all...many people on the cc list don't really care what you think.
c. ALWAYS cc a supervisor on your parent contact. (This way parents know you aren't afraid of your boss....and you are keeping them informed.)
d. Respond with something that has depth and meaning and actually answers my question.
e. If you don't want EVERYONE to know, don't write it down.
6. Be conscientious of other people's time. I don't care about your title, he said/she said game, what you told "x" kid, and who deserves a shout out. We are in the building by requirement for 9 hours a day before the stupid meetings, can we get out of here in less than 1.5 hours today??
7. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Don't be a wimp. Don't dance around the facts. Hold kids and others responsible so that the rest of us don't have to suffer with you.
8. Pay attention to the time. Start and end class on time. Don't hold kids after class unless it's an emergency. That way, you don't have to send an email that class got out late, kids know you care about their time, and your colleagues know that you respect the time kids should be in their class too.
9. Teachers salaries come from federal/state government funds. This means you work for the tax payers. Teachers are always complaining that they want more respect from others for what they do. But then, they waste tax payer dollars sitting in a desk and assigning text book assignments so they can do a variety of things like: look for jobs, play games, use social network sites, shop, (write blogs), etc. You must be a teacher when there are kids in your room (THE WHOLE TIME).
10. Think about each student in the room as your own child. If another adult spoke to your child the way you just spoke to that one in your classroom, what would you say?? If you can't say, "it's ok, they shoulda spoke to him/her that way" you better check yourself, not the child.
11. Put your damn cell phone away!!!!! You are at work. You don't want kids to text, call, etc in your room, but YOU are going to do it??!! Ridiculous. Remember that it is best to model behaviors you expect, not mandate them. (we all hate the government for their mandates right??)
There might be more for me to add to this another time, but this is just what put me over the edge today. Teachers are the first to complain about kids who don't do _______________, but yet they don't either. I saw a video recently about a women who taught segregation by dividing her classes between blue and brown eyed kids. The blue eyed people were "lesser" citizens. This blue eyed woman was really angry because the facilitator was not using her name, but this very woman did not put her name on the assignment she had turned in. The facilitator said this to her, "Why should I use your name if you don't think it is important enough to write it on your paper?" and I thought...this is brilliant. How can I use this with my students? Clearly, I'm not capable of dividing my 99% African American classroom by brown and blue eyes, but how can I help kids see that if they value it, so will I?
I'll post the link for this video so you can watch it. It was super cool. I can't imagine getting away with it in the 21st century, we'd lose our jobs for sure.
If you want kids to have work ethic...you have to have it too. What's that redneck guy's name? Get 'er done.....
from the trenches....out
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