Now, I’m not going to argue the fact that there are some bad teachers out there. Heck, I’d even support you if you claimed that the system is practically designed to produce bad teachers (or at least suck their will to live), but in spite of that, I think we have to admit that the majority of teachers out there are good at their craft, dedicated to their work and spend most of their efforts on helping our children to learn.
This is a good thing.
So next time you get the chance, why not take a moment to say thank you? I suspect it will make their day!
Discussion (23) ¬
I fully appreciate (most of) the teachers in my life – the ones that taught me, and the ones teaching my (older) daughter. My mother, too, as she has been teaching for about 35 years.
But not for some gregarious, feel-good, “let’s be nice because we should” reasons; I taught for a couple of years, when I got burned out from app development. Except for the random sub positions I accepted, my students were of the “Adult Ed” variety – ages 16 (the minimum to enter the program) to mid-fifties (my oldest student, who got her HS diploma just weeks before her oldest grandchild).
Their previous schools ranged from the most hardened, dangerous urban Detroit schools, to benign high schools of suburbia, left behind years prior due to “family issues”. The students themselves varied from “I’m doing this because my parole officer says I have to.”, to “Yeah, I’ve got two kids. Yeah, I’m 17. So what? I still want to graduate!”, to “I was the only [white/hispanic/asian/minority] kid in that school, and my [parents/aunt/grandma] didn’t want me to get [shot/stabbed/into drugs].”, and, of course, “I [dropped out/was kicked out] of my old school, this is my last chance, and I really need that diploma.”
Needless to say, the students’ attitudes and work ethics ranged far and wide. Most wanted to graduated, and most of THEM actually did the work to get there. The rest – the ones that didn’t care, and/or were being forced to attend class – were the REAL troublemakers. As my job was to teach as much as I could to as many as possible, kicking out the problem students became a daily task. Many days ended where the primary thought on my mind was “Why are they even here? Why am *I* here?”
But then the end of the semester would come, with final grades and (for those with the credits) graduation. And each semester, two or three of my students would seek me out, and thank *me* for teaching them what I could. And THAT made it all worth it. Knowing how it made me feel, I now go out of my way to show appreciation for other teachers I meet, and vote to increase education spending (particularly teacher salaries) whenever I get the chance.
After a couple of school-years, I decided that having a steady paycheck and being able to feed my family was rather important, and as good as the wage was (approx. $25/hr), it still didn’t pay full-time (and not at all in the summer). So I let the school admin know, and came back to I.T.
(A couple of months into the new semester, I had to drop something off for my mother, who is still teaching at the school. … and got mobbed by students who wanted me to come back! It was a good feeling….)
Thanks for your comments. This particular strip has certainly struck a few chords (at least on the LJ mirror) and garnered a lot of response (public and private).
It’s great to hear that you had such an effect on those students. Of course, a steady paycheck is a beautiful thing as well. Lord knows I appreciate mine!
Well said. Very well said. As a future teacher myself…. yeah. I can think of about fifty people who should see this.
Thank you for posting this, it is incredibly true. My wife is a 5th grade teacher and rarely gets a chance to do anything for herself between grading papers and tests, scoring useless assessments, dealing with parent phone calls, and going to staff meetings. She works probably 80 hours a week and gets paid less than a manager at McDonalds.
Thanks for your comments. I’m glad to see so many appreciate this particular strip. When you do become a teacher and you’re ready to pull out your last remaining hair, remember that there are actually people out there who appreciate the job you do!
Dave
Jason,
Can I assume she at least loves her job? Because I was once a manager at McDonald’s, and I don’t think I’d take on teaching at that salary!
In any case, this strip came about from a comment a teacher friend of mine made about being stuck grading papers all night. I just wanted to say as a parent that we see and appreciate all that you do. Happily she does love her job and her school district.
Thanks for the comments and best to you and your wife. Fifth grade is an… interesting… year for a teacher….
Dave
I was reminded of that poem by Taylor Mali called “What do Teachers Make” (there are a few recitals of it on YouTube)
Wow. Thanks for pointing out that poem (http://www.taylormali.com/index.cfm?webid=13). We should all be so lucky to have such a teacher.
Dave
Dave,
Thanks for the post. I am a teacher and this certainly rings true. It isn’t about the pay, but the need for us to realize that without the good teachers the future looks pretty gloomy.
Bob,
Thanks for your thoughts. It’s good to hear from teachers out there that care!
Dave
As a future teach in the great (backwards) state of Oklahoma, I really like this strip. I have one semester left, then I will be a teacher. This comic seems so true from what I have heard from mentor teachers and faculty at my college.
If one student comes up to me and tells me I have touched their lives for the better, it will be well worth the little pay and overload of work.
Feels good to be appreciated!
Glad I could help!
Dave
I thought that comic was hysterical. I once thought teaching was glamorous, but having been a teacher now for several years, I find that it’s exactly as you’ve explained.
After spending 15 hours at school yesterday, between duty in the morning before school, staying after to grade papers, and then for a dance last night, this comic rings true.
There are kids that care, and I know I do make a difference, but there are those *days* that I wonder why I am teaching.
I have found that I have fewer of the *get bent* attitudes if I treat the kids with respect. I also laugh at myself, and admit I make mistakes, which eases a lot of tension in the room. I love teaching, I just don’t like grading. lol
This is so true! As a 10 year teacher, I can really relate to this strip. As an FYI though, equipment is spelled incorrectly, unless you wanted it to be that way! Sorry, it’s a hard habit to break!
Lisa,
Wow…I only spend 15 hours in the lab when we have a really rare sample that I don’t want to lose. The “get bent” was a bit of an exaggeration, but I thought my class was on the rebellious side, but the attitudes I see from students these days…well, my hat is off to you! Thanks for writing.
Dave
Teacher 4Life,
I’m afraid I must ask you to look again. Clearly the word equipment is spelled correctly!! Then again, I may just have access to the original file and be able to make adjustments…
Seriously though, if you hang around this comic long enough, you’ll be able to tell which days my proofreader (my beloved wife) was not available. (I don’t even want to mention the bonsai debacle of the bebop babies strip). In any case, I do have a group of readers that will generally point out these errors, but this made it by everyone. Thanks for noticing and thanks for reading!
Dave
you mentioned an lj feed. . .care to share?
Hey Melissa,
I thought I’d mentioned before, but my LJ name is n9uxu. Fair warning though, it’s not just a mirror of the comic, but a mirror of my regular blogspace (theadamsclan.com) as well, so it’s a comic feed plus the usual life blatherings you find on any other livejournal page. This is either a plus or minus for you.
Dave
I have the utmost respect for teachers, and would have loved to become one myself… I’m just not man enough. 😛
It ain’t easy…