I had planned a different post for today.
I had caught E monitoring her reading
and as an early literacy teacher
my heart sang with joy!
But that's not what I want to start off with.
I have something I HAVE TO say...
As I was scrolling down the different Instagram posts tonight
one meme caught my eye.
Yet another Bernie Mitten meme,
usually they are light-hearted and
they don't seem to bother Bernie much.
But this one pissed me off,
so much so that I had to comment.
I generally don't engage in threads
where I could be attacked-verbally for my opinion,
but this was important.
I just wanted to state a different point of view.
In the meme,
the newer teachers were moving and dancing,
while the veteran (Bernie-I'm just assuming he represents us veterans)
was sitting still.
I didn't create the meme,
so I am not certain what the message was,
but to me,
the message was that the veteran teacher was either bored or uninterested.
The comparison to the newer teacher was obvious.
They were more exciting, energetic, attractive, and maybe more involved?
So here lies my problem...
why are we pitting teachers against each other?
I would like to think we all entered the profession because we wanted to make a difference in the lives of students.
I'd be the first to admit that not all teachers are great.
Some should not be teaching.
But I would like to think they are the exception,
and not the rule.
Just because we are "more experienced" doesn't make us less willing to adapt and learn.
Just because we are "newer" and more familiar with new ways of instruction doesn't make us experts in how to relate to children and families.
No.
We are ALL TEACHERS.
Why divide us rather than unite us?
It's not racism,
but it is discrimination.
There's no place for that in education,
especially not now.
As an older,
(I've reach the top of the seniority list at two schools now, so I am old),
I was offended.
Not just for me,
but for the other veteran teachers
I collaborate, network, and teach with.
They are the first to volunteer to serve,
go the extra mile for a child struggling,
write grants for field trips and materials,
advocate for students that need services,
and sign up for classes on their weekends and vacation breaks
just to learn how to reach more students, gain more knowledge,
and be better at what they do.
They don't sit around.
They can dance and strut too.
I'll just end my venting with quotes from a newer, gifted teacher I know,
who's not so new now.
We were at the Education Nation's Teacher Town Hall a decade ago.
Someone on the panel started to bring up bad teachers
and wanted to pit public school educators vs their charter school counterparts,
veteran teachers vs. newer teachers.
Mr. Jairo De La Torre stood up and said:
“You show me a teacher who perhaps isn’t up to standard, I’ll show you a teacher who’s not being supported. I’ll show you a teacher who doesn’t have the funding they need. I’ll show you a teacher who doesn’t have the resources they need. I’ll show you a community that’s in need.”
Sometimes,
it's not about age or experience.
Let's support one another.
We can all be great.
*I would like acknowledge that the meme appears to have been deleted from the site I originally saw it.
Hopefully we can focus on what unites us as teachers. #funnyteachermemesRok
I have to end where I began,
talking about things that make my heart sing.
After 34 years of teaching,
I still feel everyday in the classroom is a gift.
Today my gifts were...
the sounds of children playing with playdough,
the number 5 shown in different ways,
N's voice requesting what she wants me to bring her,
and E monitoring her reading!
NOTE: Her dad gently guided her. In person, I would have let her struggle to figure it out on her own, and she would have. Not a big deal. I am just so grateful they show up and I have amazing families that support their learning. It's a Win-Win!
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