Many misconceptions about the teaching profession exist: that we only work from 8-3, that only those who can’t do teach, that either elementary or high school teachers work harder than the other, that all teachers are big dorks that loved school. I don’t subscribe to many of these occupational myths, probably because I am a teacher and have the inside story. Let me clear up a few of these untruths before I hit on the main point of this post.
1) Teaching is an 8-3 job.
I arrive at school at 7:15 in the morning and I leave at 4:00. I get a 1/2 hour for lunch. I grade and prepare for my classes for at least an hour each night and usually 5 to 6 hours on the weekends. Part of this is because I am a new teacher, but part of this is because I strive to be a good teacher. I care about my job, I care about my students, and I like to be prepared. The 8-4 workday is the fattest lie of them all.
2) Those who can’t do, teach.
There may be some truth to the “those who can’t do teach”, but I believe that there are many of us out there who teach because we care. We want to make an impact on the world. If we couldn’t do it, we couldn’t teach it, trust me.
3) One level of teacher works harder than another.
There is a secret war fought between the elementary and high school teachers about who has the harder job. Elementary school teachers will tell you that they have to teach ALL the subjects and are stuck with the same kids ALL day, so there job is harder. High school teachers will point out that they have to figure out 8 different sets of kids and deal with different discipline hassles all day. They will also claim that their subject matter is more complex and that the kids don’t care like they did when they were in elementary school. Guess what? Both are right! Being a teacher is a tough job, period. And, I get the added bonus of teaching a “special” as some people like to refer to it. This translates a couple of different ways: either my job is easier because it’s not a real subject, or my job is easier because the kids are excited to be there. Wrong! Art is absolutely a real subject that requires problem-solving and knowledge and ability. The kids DON’T want to be there because they’re highschoolers and they don’t want to be in any class. There is nothing “special” about art, except that it is a rocking subject! (Pause here, while I climb down off my soap box.)
4) All teachers were big dorks that loved school.
This one is somewhat true, at least in my case. I was a big dork that loved school. Not all the time, mind you, but more than most. I love the Fall, I love buying school supplies. I like making schedules and learning things. But I can’t speak for all teachers. I know some that hated school and were troublemakers. They’ve gone into the profession to help kids that were like them in school. Point is? Myth busted!
Now, there are some definite perks in my profession; I’ll admit that even in the midst of my agony-filled first year. There is, of course, the grand prize, summer vacation. Although I have the sneaking suspicion that I will spend a decent chunk of mine revamping my lessons and trying to improve my materials for the following year. There is also that really good feeling you get when you actually reach one of your students. Whether this is on an academic level, or just in the sense that they realize you aren’t the enemy. Plus, I am guaranteed all the major holidays off, and usually a few days more.
So far, I’ve only encountered a few small advantages of my job. Christmas break was really the biggest whammy I’ve experienced. It was nice that I was automatically granted two weeks off. I didn’t have to request the time off in May, or wait behind a long line of co-workers for my shot at getting the holiday off. I’ve also had a couple of run-ins with the warm fuzzy feeling I described above in regards to the kids. To be honest though, these were really the highlights of my first semester. It was a bleak couple of months professionally.
Since I’ve returned from Christmas break though, a couple of awesome things have happened:
1) My classes are better.
I don’t know what’s happened. Some of my students were rearranged into a different hour. I swapped several kids with other teachers and got new students. In general, my class sizes shrunk. So far (and it’s only been a week, so I could be speaking waaaaaaay too soon) things are looking up in terms of discipline problems and classroom management.
2) Warm cookies.
My classroom is directly across the hall from the family and consumer sciences room. This was not the free food extravaganza that I imagined it to be when I discovered my room’s location. However, last week, the Catering I classes were making chocolate chip cookies. There are three Catering classes, and I got 3 fresh from the oven cookies. There isn’t much that is going to make a work day better than that.
3) SNOW DAYS!!!
These are like winning a small-scale lottery. Several days last semester found me hunched tensely over my steering wheel as I fought through bad weather conditions to arrive at school frazzled and already spent from my commute. But today, I woke up and drearily trudged to the bathroom only to hear Dylan announce that it had snowed overnight. Although I wasn’t very optimistic, there hadn’t been a snow day yet, Dylan got online to check for school cancellations (A side note here: Dylan is a fabulous husband that gets up in the morning with me, packs my lunch, mixes my breakfast cocktail of choco-milk and medicine, fluffs anything I ask him to in the dryer, and gathers all my belongings for me. He deserves an award for this, but usually just gets to feed the cats after I depart). Lo and behold! School was cancelled for the day due to severe weather conditions! It is my first SNOW DAY! It is by far one of the best perks of being a teacher: a small, unexpected reprieve from the daily grind that is paid. I am still basking in the glow from my stolen day of freedom, although I have stopped bellowing “Woohoo!” every few minutes and spontaneously busting into happy dances. For now.