Nothing pathetic about it.

This evening, I was walking at Lake Patsy Park with Emily, a friend who recently started her first year as a fourth grade teacher. We were chatting casually about her classroom—she sharing with me all the joys and pains of her first-year experience. Suddenly, beside the pond near the path we saw a young boy pull a rather large fish from the water. Everyone walking around the pond noticed his fine catch. The others stared, but they said nothing. Almost instantly, however, Emily and I broke into applause. It wasn’t planned or coordinated, but it was spontaneous. We began peppering him with questions like “Do you know how to take it off the hook?” “What kind of fish is that?” “Is that the biggest one you’ve ever caught?” He grinned and answered our questions with “Yes Ma’am.” “It’s a bass.” and “Maybe.”

We continued walking and then looked at each other and started laughing. “Only teachers would start applauding,” said Emily.

“We are so pathetic.” I responded.

It was only a joke, but I knew that we weren’t really pathetic. We were just naturally delighted at the accomplishment.

That’s a teacher’s job: to be naturally delighted at the accomplishments of children. Teachers encourage, praise, question, and revel in the happiness of the little ones they share their days with. This is the joy of teaching. Nothing pathetic about it.

Professional Development

“Scared but prepared”: that was my motto in the fall of 1997 as I embarked on my first year of teaching. I was going to have 27 third graders of my own and felt confident that I could handle the challenge. My teacher preparation program had given me the theoretical knowledge I needed as well as valuable classroom experience. I knew what I believed about education and was ready to put my beliefs into action. With the support of two mentor teachers, I began the school year and came out the other end alive and well.

Four years later I found myself with a choice to make. I was given the opportunity to complete my master’s and doctoral degrees while teaching and supervising student teachers at the university. I could go back to school to improve my own teaching while helping a new group of beginning teachers as they embarked on their first year: “scared but prepared.” I had to choose between a job I loved at a school that had meant so much to my professional development and the opportunity to grow as a professional while helping others just starting out. I chose the latter and am a better teacher for it.

When I started my graduate program, I was ready to learn all about new teaching strategies, management techniques, and materials that would help me become a better teacher. I did learn about these things, but what I really learned to do was to rethink my philosophy and redefine who I was as a teacher. Delving back into theory in my graduate courses cemented my philosophy of education and gave me some assurance that what I believed could translate into appropriate practices. I was at times surprised by the lack of consistency I displayed as a teacher. My practices did not always reflect my philosophical beliefs about teaching and learning. I began to realize that the stress and time constraints on teachers lead us to implement practices that do not mesh with our beliefs. We may give weekly spelling tests using the words from our district mandated spelling texts when in our hearts we know spelling words are more meaningful when taken from the students’ writing and reading. These mistakes are not symptomatic of irredeemably ineffective teachers, but are symptomatic of teachers overwhelmed by daily responsibilities. Such an over extension of duties leaves little time for these teachers to reflect on their practices, and to employ theoretically based models into their instructional decisions.

Teachers need time to reflect and collaborate. Most teachers have little if any planning time throughout the day. Districts allocate a few days throughout the year for professional development but end up mandating what the teachers will do on these days. Much of the time, professional development is dedicated to curriculum renewal instead of teacher renewal. What a shame when what teachers really need and want is a reawakening; the time to reflect, read, and interact with other teachers.

As a doctoral student starting my dissertation work, a university instructor with a 15 hour course load, and a faculty member with MTC, I feel the need for a reawakening. I can only imagine what our MTC first years are feeling. Are they getting the time they need to reflect, read, and interact with other teachers? I doubt it. I have read about the frustrations of these first years and the tremendous strain they are feeling. What can I do to help?