Being a thoughtful practitioner is an essential trait of an effective educator. Understanding, listening, and valuing students’ voices are all skills good professionals explore and develop.
At the beginning of the school year teachers often share with students the expectations they have. Teachers let the students know exactly what rules, procedures, routines, and the high goals s/he has set. But how often do teachers listen to the students’ expectations of them?
Sometimes it is hard to hear what students think of us as classroom leaders. I believe there is a partnership in any classroom, and that partnership should be respected and valued on both ends. I also believe in student voice, and I think it is only fair that there is a discussion about teacher AND student expectations in the classroom.
A few years ago a friend of mine posted on Facebook an image from her Pintrest. It was an image of questions and students used sticky notes to answer each question. I love back to school activities and sticky notes so this seemed like a perfect activity. continue reading below
I posted the questions, the students had a certain time in which to answer any and/or all the questions they wanted, and then we discussed. I changed some of the questions to include: What can you do to keep your Dear Teacher happy? What are your goal(s) this year? What shouldn’t students do in our classroom? What do you expect Ms. P to do to help you succeed?
It was the last question that garnered responses that surprised me the most; it also received the most responses compared to the other questions. Every time I did this activity that question was answered the most. Students gave really good answers too. Don’t get me wrong, I got obvious things like be fun, no homework, and free A’s, but most responses were surprisingly thoughtful.
I decided to do this activity with the science method students I taught at a local college. I found that my undergrads and 4th grade students both shared pretty much the exact same expectations of me as an educator. Both young and older students wanted the same thing from their teacher.
I’ve collected the data and crunched the numbers. I know what students want…
It’s the last day of school for my lazy, lying wife. She says teachers still have to go to work, but that can’t be right. Teachers only work when the kids are at school. I wish she would come clean and admit she is not really a teacher. School starts around 9:00 and dismisses at 3:45. She leaves the house before seven each morning, and it’s only a fifteen or twenty minute drive to the “school” where she “teaches.” She comes home around six or six-thirty in the evening. Sometimes later. What is she doing with all the extra time? continue reading below
About ten or eleven at night, she comes to bed and pretends to be exhausted. She acts as though teaching 24 kids, some with significant emotional problems, is more challenging than having a real job. Who does she think she’s kidding? If she really is a teacher, how hard can it be to mark second grade homework? Does she have to look up the correct answer to 4 x 5 each time she grades a math assignment?When she gets home, I make sure dinner awaits the slacker. It’s a wonder she doesn’t demand I spoon-feed her. After dinner, she works on “lesson plans” and “grades papers.” The way she describes it, the school district’s grade report system is so convoluted and labyrinthine that it must have been designed by Ernő Rubik. I am not fooled. I believe these “papers” she is working on are actually Racing Forms. I also believe she is a terrible gambler, which explains why we are not rich. I work at a real job, and I don’t go to nearly as many “meetings” as my wife does. Many of her meetings, she says, are focused on discussing test results, new testing procedures, testing tests, test testing, tester testing, and test testing testers. Occasionally, she says, these meeting diverge into other topics such as testing evaluations. Some meetings allegedly occur during school hours when my wife should be “teaching.” These meetings are dreamed up by highly-paid, redundant administrators who have clandestine responsibilities no one can figure out. At the end of these meetings, it is determined that “teachers” at my wife’s school are not spending enough time teaching.Because she’s so lazy, my wife rarely does “school work” on Saturdays, but she always spends part of Sundays pretending to do it. I see through her little act. She doesn’t want to do any real work on Sundays, like taking walks and going on bike rides with her fantastic husband. What a loser. If she likes to play the ponies, she should admit it. I would still love her, more or less. This is too illogical to be true. That’s why I know my wife is lying. My lazy, lying wife can’t get enough of meetings. This is why she is lucky to be a “person of color.” She is often called on to represent the “school staff” on “committees” that need some “diversity.” As a consequence, she stays late at “school” to discuss issues other than “school work” or tasks directly related to “teaching.” If a person has such an easy job, she should not complain about attending lengthy meetings to discuss the latest tester testing results. Last night, my wife came home from school after 10:30 p.m. What? Is she teaching night school now? She should be thankful she does not have a real job. In my job, which is real and has been known to require multiple hours of work on some days, I go into the supply room and load up any time I’m running short of pens and paper. If my company told me to buy my own supplies, I would laugh and tell them to piss off. This is the way it works at a real job. But my wife spends hundreds of dollars each school year buying “supplies.” How many backpacks and calculators does one woman need? She says they are for students who can’t afford them, but really? These students are like her customers. I don’t buy supplies for my customers. That would be silly. What a liar my wife is. This summer, the school district that allegedly employs my lying wife is renovating the school building where she claims to teach. The district has required all the “teachers” to pack up everything in their classrooms and store it for the summer. The school district is providing some storage, as long as the contents can survive a couple of months in a container as hot as a vinyl car seat in Hell’s parking lot. But anything that could become damaged by the heat is the responsibility of the “teachers.” Seriously, what employer would ask its employees to provide their own storage when they renovate work space? I saw a transaction in our bank account for “Storage Facility.” I believe this is the name of a four-year-old gelding that finished out of the money in the seventh race last Thursday at Churchill Downs. Here’s the final proof that that my lazy wife is a big liar: Despite all the so-called hassles she puts up with at her “school,” my wife talks about her students like they are her own children. A week from now, she will lament how much she misses “her kids” during the summer. Even the ones who “take things without permission,” and the ones who “stretch the truth” despite overwhelming evidence otherwise. Okay, perhaps my wife is not a lazy liar. Perhaps she is just crazy.
So...are you a nurse? Did you know “Physician Assistant” (PA) was ranked the best job in America? Did you know their average base salary is higher than that of software engineers, business developers, and even your run-of-the-mill data scientist? Yet, most people still liken PAs to any ordinary assistant-level employee. 1. “Excuse me, Nurse.” For most, there’s hardly a distinction between a nurse practitioner and a PA, but nurses tend to focus more on “caring,” and PAs emphasize “curing.” Unlike nurses, PAs attended a medical program at medical school to learn their trade and studied under the tutelage of doctors rather than nurses. 2. “Why should I trust your diagnosis?” PAs go through 75% of the rigorous medical training, oftentimes alongside med students…in a medical school, only to graduate earlier and start working ASAP–without the $200,000 in debt. Physician Assistants are qualified to prescribe, diagnose, and treat patients. Needless to say, if you see a PA, you’re in trustworthy hands. 3. “So you’re the physician’s assistant.” It’s “Physician Assistant” not “Physician’s Assistant.” The difference doesn’t seem like much, but most PAs don’t work as a particular physician’s assistant, but rather as a general caregiver with a variety of physicians. Most PAs also tend to have their own specialty–be it orthopedics, urgent care, or dermatology. Continue reading below
4. “You’re still an assistant.” Not really. PAs aren’t a technician or assistant level profession–like their name suggests. It’s impossible to complete the training of a PA and still be considered an “assistant” in the medical field. That’s not the basis of the profession. Most PAs enter programs as competitive as MD programs, and good PAs can often, though without the same training as a physician, diagnose with the best of ‘em. That’s not something an “assistant” does 5. “But you don’t practice medicine.” Yes, PAs do. As mentioned above, PAs studied medicine at a medical school with medical doctors. They can diagnose and treat patients. Needless to say, PAs definitely “practice medicine.” 6. “So what exactly do you do?” The job title doesn’t match the description. It’s as simple as that. PAs are trained like MDs, enjoy more autonomy than nurses, and, unlike nurses, can specialize in a field. Essentially, PAs act much like a physician, but require the physician’s approval before treating the patient. 7. “Why didn’t you just become a physician?” Nobody just “becomes a physician.” That’s not how medical school works. PAs become PAs because, well, that’s what they wanted to do. Maybe the cost, stress, or time required wasn’t worth it to them. Maybe they want to help people but prefer to be behind the scenes than the one in charge. Who knows? Why does anybody choose their profession? 8. “Do you think you’ll go to medical school?” Most wouldn’t ask their nurse if they’ll go to medical school, so why is it okay to ask the PA? Again, they’ve gone through medical training, and maybe that’s enough training for them. Medical school–its price tag, six-year dedication, and almost endless stress–isn’t for everyone, you know? PAs share your love for your profession! Source: http://www.retale.com/blog/never-say-physician-assistant/
There’s a very funny list floating around the interwebz on 10 things teachers wish they could say but can’t. It goes like this:
10 Things Teachers Wish They Could Say
*Since my last report, your child has reached rock bottom and has started to dig. *If this student were any more stupid, he’d have to be watered twice a week. *It is impossible to believe the sperm that created this child beat out 1,000,000 others. *Your son sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them. *The student has a ‘full six-pack’ but lacks the plastic thing to hold it all together. *This child has been working with glue too much. *When your daughter’s IQ reaches 50, she should sell. *The gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn’t coming. *Your child has delusions of adequacy. *The wheel is turning but the hamster is definitely dead.
Here’s another list of what some teachers would say in their written reports on your children if you could somehow get them to be truly, truly honest. It isn’t funny really, so don’t laugh. continue reading below
* I have nothing to say about Peter because I don’t really notice him in my classroom. Sorry. * Sandy or Candy? I can never remember which one is which. Is she the one who sits in the back or the one in the front? They both got more or less the same mark any way. Here it is: *Stevie did badly in ‘Gears and Nuts’. But frankly, so did everyone. I don’t think I taught this section too well. *Debbie did badly in her exam. It was badly set, I’m afraid, so I get why. *Ricky’s mark suffered because we team-marked his exam and the section the other Lock Picking teacher marked didn’t allow for divergent answers. *David didn’t do too well in Ribbons and Bows this semester mainly because he doesn’t like me. I don’t really like him either, so there’s that. *I think this is more or less what Kevin’s marks should be. Frankly, I couldn’t find all of his work so I guessed. Oops. *Lawrence can be quite pleased with the 68% he attained for Lego Building this year. Frankly, though, we over-assessed so he never had the time to develop and grow. *David is in the class I always see at the end of the day. I am tired and grumpy and so are they. This probably explains his less than stellar performance. Better luck with the timetable next year. *Betty seemed bored with my PowerPoint presentations this term and her marks are a reflection of my antiquated methods. I really don’t care enough to change what I do though. Too bad. *This is Wesley’s mark. It probably means as little to him as it does to me. Frankly, I was so busy this semester, I did not have time to make note of his strengths and weaknesses. Hope this mark is good enough for you. It will have to be. * I love Andrew. He does everything I ask. He doesn’t disrupt or ask uncomfortable questions. * I really don’t like Zack. This mark is a reflection of that. I call it petty revenge. * I get a secret thrill when Timmy compliments me on my hair or a new dress I am wearing. I am thus giving him 10% extra. (Blush!) *I haven’t paid attention to Adam at all this term because I think he is just weird. Here’s his mark. Such as it is. * Ivan’s handwriting is so bad that I didn’t bother to read half of it. I looked for key words. SDH rift rus 62%. *I enjoyed marking most of Emily’s work this year because it was either blank or incomplete. This makes things go so much more quickly. She failed, which is sad, but she saved me a good few hours. * Roger had a few emotional setbacks this term. They don’t really pay me enough to care, though. And academics is academics. He failed. * Wendy did not do all of the copious homework I gave the class because I was afraid that my classroom teaching was insufficient. This made me angry and I docked marks. Because I can.
Educate yourself before you end up in the timeout chair. We teachers are known for our nurturing, caring spirit, but if you feel yourself falling head over heels, you better be prepared. Here's what you need to know before falling in love with a teacher. 1. We hate making miniscule decisions after teaching all day. The average teacher makes 1,500 educational decisions a day. That's about four every minute for a six-hour day of instruction. When we get home, the last thing we want to do is make even more decisions. We don't care what's for dinner or what movie we watch; just feed us and don't talk. 2. We know when to turn our filters on and off. Our job is based around kids. That means we're always functioning at a G-rated level. This is much easier said than done, but come after hours, there's nothing more relaxing than downing a few cocktails and rattling off some inappropriate words. It reminds us that we're adults and helps keep us sane.continue reading below
3. We have a hard time leaving our teaching hat in the classroom. We have this public service duty running through our veins. When we see children misbehaving at the grocery store, in the mall, or wherever they're not technically our responsibility, we will still give them "the look." We may even get on our little soapbox and talk about being nice and making good choices. And we have no problems saying this with their parents right there. 4. We can't help but treat you like a child, especially if you act like one. We deal with kids all day long. We consistently remind them to keep their hands to themselves, play nice with others, follow directions, and everything else under the sun. If your behavior mildly reflects that of a seven-year-old, you will be treated as a child. Don't take it personally. Or do, and grow up. We should only have to ask you once to pick up your socks off the floor. 5. We're consistently carrying around lots and lots of bags. Teachers lug so many things to and from school each day, it's a wonder we're not professional body builders. Besides our main bag with yesterday's graded papers and our laptop, we're also carrying our purse, lunch bag, most recent purchase from Target, and a crate of supplies for tomorrow's science experiment. Don't judge, just offer help. 6. We spend a crazy amount of hours grading papers. Breaks during the school day are often few and far between. And once students dismiss for the day, we're busy preparing lessons for the next round. That means we spend plenty of nights grading papers. Feel free to grab a colored marker and help. This will get you major bonus points. 7. We often talk in acronyms. We spend so much of our day wrapped up in educators' lingo that we forget it sounds completely foreign to everyone else. From the PARCC meeting discussing NCLB and CCSS, to the BOE meeting talking about PD for ELL and SLP educators, we just forget that you have no idea what it all means. Heck, even we can't remember what all those letters stand for. Just smile and nod when we tell you about our day. 8. We spend a lot of our own money on our students. We don't typically plan on spending hundreds of dollars a year on our students, it just happens. Those coloring supplies and boxes of tissues are essential for the classroom. And that sale at the local book store was too good to pass up. And of course, when we take a trip anywhere, a souvenir is needed to show the students. And ... well, you get the picture. 9. Our hands will forever be covered in marker. If our hands aren't sporting some sort of color at the end of the school day, it means that we were either stuck in meetings or didn't get to do all the teaching that we wanted to cover. It's like our war paint. And yes, we're very aware of it. 10. We earn our summers off and don't like when you tease us about it. If you truly love your teacher, then you already understand how hard of a job educating the future of our world is. True, we only “work” for 10 months out of the year, but when we work, we WORK. We consistently have our craft on our mind. We put in additional hours outside of our standard work day. We use weekends to prep and prepare upcoming lessons. We even use our time off, (AKA summer break) to take courses to make ourselves even more stellar in the classroom. So if you decide to make a snarky comment about how nice it must be to have summers off, be prepared to be in timeout for a long time.
Being a teacher can be both rewarding and challenging. Some kids are more difficult to get through to than others, but even the worst behaved students, for the most part, are manageable. But parents? Parents are a whole other story. 1. That I was responsible for the childhood obesity epidemic. With the 20 minutes of homework I gave three times a week. To high school honors freshmen. 2. A parent once claimed that her daughter kept losing her school jumper because I was selling them. continue reading bellow...
3. That the reason their son was making inappropriate, sexual comments towards me was because I was "enticing him with flirtatious private meetings". They were referring to the times I had to keep him back after class to lecture him on his behaviour. 4. I had a student tell her parents that I was picking on her because I tossed her a piece of candy and she didn't catch it, so it hit her forehead. The parents came in and called me racist for picking on their daughter because she's Mexican. I looked at them and said, "Are... Are you serious? Is this some sort of a joke?" The mom proceeded to say, "Absolutely not. I can tell you're racist by looking right at you." I responded, "I don't know if you noticed, but I'm Mexican." 5. "She doesn't have to be smart, she has to be pretty. She will find a rich man, marry him and never use chemistry again." 6. Parent of a high school freshman: "My son is struggling so much. Can you send home a copy of the test ahead of time so he can prepare?" 7. One of my 5th graders had been flashing gang signs, drawing gang symbols, and bragging about dealing hard drugs. I showed his mom one of his many drawing of gang symbols. She was pissed. She asked me if she could see the drawing and a pencil. Upon giving these to her, she began editing. She said, "that f*cker didn't even draw it right." 8. During my work-experience at a kindergarden, one of the mothers said I was a pedophile, because what other reason would there be for a male to work at a kindergarden? 9. This year, I was asked if I work in special education because I couldn't get a job teaching "regular kids." 10. From the mom of a high school freshman: Can you [the teacher who has 130 students every day] make sure he puts his homework in his homework folder every day? I want him to be better organized, but I just don't have the time. I have 5 kids! Content Writer : Sara Peters Know a teacher who would appreciate this? Share!
1. Because they teach content AND wipe your child's noses at the same time. 2. Because they spend hours outside of the classroom designing lessons and correcting your child's work. 3. Because they stand in harm's way to keep your child safe and alive in your absence, and sometimes die doing so.continue reading below
4. Because they wipe your child's tears almost as much as you do. 5. Because when you were in too much of a hurry to get breakfast or snack, they made sure your child ate.continue reading below ... 6. Because they put up with parent bullies as much as child bullies. 7. Because they form a tight professional community to make sure creeps and perverts are quickly weeded out of the teaching profession. 8. Because administrators often develop amnesia when they leave the classroom and forget that classroom teachers are on the front line. 9. Because most teachers are degreed, highly-educated, and have a lot of experience. 10. Because we pay for what we value, and if we value education, we should value educators
