To the Gentleman Talking About “Lazy Teachers”, This Is What I Really Wanted to Say to You
Dear Gentleman I overheard talking about “those lazy teachers”,
I sat still while you talked to those around you about “lazy teachers”. I bit my tongue as the room swam before my eyes. I actually experienced seeing red when I heard you follow it up with the old gem, “It must be nice to only work 9 months out of the year”. Good Grief, how is this conversation still happening?
I was tempted to turn and talk to you, but I didn’t trust myself to speak. Here is what I wanted to say but I knew I couldn’t get it out without sounding like a crazy person, which I now think maybe I am.
It’s time for once and for all to address the idea that teachers are lazy. I want to suggest that perhaps the word you are looking for kind sir isn’t lazy, but rather CRAZY. You were so close.
.
Because clearly teachers are crazy to…
…come into work weeks before they are actually being paid. You see, teachers are only paid to work 9 months out of the year, that’s right no summer pay unless you opt to stretch your checks out. So that lot full of teachers working in August? They are working for free. They must be nuts.
….get a second job so that they can keep teaching. The reality of teacher pay means many glance at their paychecks and, unless there is a spouse with an awesome income, try and find whatever part time gig they can outside of the school day so they can still teach. Many teachers moonlight as waitresses, shop workers, tutors, in-home salespeople. But they do it so they can do what they love. They. Are. Crazy
….to take phone calls and emails from parents at home at night. If kids (or parents) don’t understand the homework or are having family issues or parents simply only have the night time to make contact teachers are committed to being there, even if it is not convenient. Kids and families have unpredictable needs and in order to do their work teachers must be there whenever they are needed. They are the nuts checking their email at 10:00pm before they go to bed so they can touch base with little Johnny’s mom in order to give him the best day they can in the morning.
…to try and meet the needs of 30+ kids a day with work with diverse backgrounds and home situations. To strive to find what makes a kid tick, to try and engage their learners, to show their students they matter in the world, to help each and every child find their place when no two are alike. They must be insane if they think they can pull this off. But they walk in each day and they try because they never know which kid will be the one that needs them the most.
…to feel like so many things are more important than money. The smile of a child that finally gets it. A student that finds solace in the classroom when their world at home is falling apart. A heart wrenching speech given by the superintendent reminding everyone of why they do what we do that calls them to action. A letter from a parent thanking them for helping their child grow. They must be off their rockers to say these things are worth more than cash.
Clearly, the word lazy does not fit teachers at all. I’ve seen those people pushing desks around a classroom setting up shop, taking extra classes at night so they can best teach their students, working through lunch to tutor a child. That is so not lazy. But crazy? It really just works. And here’s the thing. It is actually the crazy people that can make a difference in this world. They live outside the box. They attempt the impossible. Yup, they might be crazy, but this is what helps them make some serious magic. Here’s proof.
A magic maker can take a $100.00 classroom budget and make it into a year of learning for 30 kids.
A magic maker can give her heart to a group of students knowing that she only gets to keep them for a year; year in and year out.
A magic maker can take a child who cannot read and turn him into a reader.
A magic maker can come up with a way to make math actually seem fun.
A magic maker can take a random group of children and make them into a family.
A magic maker can take the ordinary and help students see the extraordinary.
A magic maker can love and learn and laugh in the midst of a world that thinks their CRAZY is actually LAZY. A world that doesn’t seem to want to take the time to learn the difference.
But don’t worry, despite what the world says, the teachers have got this. Their eyes are on a prize you just don’t understand sir, it’s this: Each and every kid matters. This is the heart of what keeps them going, even when the world tells them they as teachers don’t matter. Teachers have seen the truth in the eyes and souls of their students. And they are CRAZY about their kids. So they will continue to work for a better world for you, despite you getting that one little word wrong. You’re welcome my friend.
I love this! I’m forwarding it to all my kids teachers. 🙂
Thanks so much! They need to hear it!
I am going to have to play devil’s advocate for a moment here, but you will understand in a minute. I do not agree with the lazy comment. But! Not ALL teachers have the gift that you have Amy. Wow, can you please move to the DC Everest district? Most teachers are so deserving of praise and I don’t know how they do it. There are a few not so awesome teachers. But that is any job. There are not so great nurses, police officers, bus drivers, waitstaff, etc. I only say that to say this: you are extraordinary. You are a born teacher. Never let anyone make you feel less than. That man you overheard? Uneducated. Misinformed. Judgemental but hopefully the exception moving forward, not the norm. Love you!
I hear you Molly! Thanks sister!
Love it ladies!
Thanks Sara!!!
Amy, you nailed it! I am going to forward your exposition to all my teacher friends, and former colleagues! This needs to be published!
Thank you so much!!!
God bless you for speaking out! I only pray that the people who really need to ‘hear’ this are somehow guided to your post!
That is the hope right my friend! If even one person stops to think about things differently that would be amazing!
I teach prospective teachers – am going to share this with them! Right now, they are being made to feel ashamed of their career choice by a culture that doesn’t value it….
Thank you! They are getting ready to do the important work and they are extra brave for entering the profession now. We need them more than ever!!
I was thrilled to have a three day weekend so that I can have an extra day to work in my classroom……without pay. Yes, I am CRAZY. I adore MY kids. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. I work tirelessly for them. Once mine, always mine. It just hurts to work so hard and do such important work with little to no respect. Thank you for this.
This gives me goosebumps…this is exactly what I want the world to know abut teachers!! Thank you for all you do!! Once mone, always mine. EXACTLY!!
Thanks for this. I would never be a teacher if we didn’t have chunks of time off–I would absolutely find another job. The American teacher’s day is far too stressful to sustain over long periods of time. The planning and grading portion of my job cannot be done during the time we have student contact. After the students leave for the day, sometimes I just stare and my planning/grading work and cry. I’m exhausted but have miles to go before 8 a.m. the next day.
Exactly! And I think you are right, those breaks do sustain us. Thank you so much for reading and for changing lives everyday!!
Thank you so much for writing this in a positive way! I have frequently “vented” (to put it nicely) about this common misconception about teachers. The tone of this is not bitter or negative, but funny and engaging. I need to remember that the next time I hear some BS about how my job is such a piece of cake!
Great writing!
Thank you so much! It is hard to find the “nice words” sometimes, but we’ll kill those nay-sayers with kindness and our awesome example my friend! Thanks for reading and for the awesome work that you do!!