Mindset & Motivation | Feb 17, 2014
There is still hope for you in this profession: a message for disheartened teachers
By Angela Watson
Founder and Writer
There is still hope for you in this profession: a message for disheartened teachers
By Angela Watson
I know that so many of you are frustrated, tired, and worn down. You’re tired of testing your students to death, of not having support from your administration or parents, and trying to understand curriculum and teacher evaluation systems that seem designed to trap and fail you.
This breaks my heart. My friends, I’m begging you today: please don’t judge the profession or your effectiveness as an educator based on a lousy teaching placement.
Teacher morale is not in the gutter in every school.
There are supportive administrators out there and parents who will have your back.
There are schools where you are allowed to teach and not just test, where kids are allowed to be kids and not just data-processing robots.
There are places out there where you CAN love teaching again.
I’m not saying those schools are easy to find, or that you can saunter in and demand a job. I know this is complicated stuff and I can’t fix a tough job market. I’m simply encouraging you not to give up on a career you once loved because you have a particularly challenging group of students or a misguided, micromanaging superintendent.
Don’t blame yourself or question your abilities as a teacher.
Don’t blame the entire teaching profession and lose faith that this can be one of the most fun and rewarding jobs on the planet.
Sometimes the problem is not YOU. And it’s not teaching, in general. It’s your particular placement.
I know firsthand the power of changing teaching positions. After just three years of teaching PreK, I was certain I was burned out and not meant to be a teacher anymore. Then I moved up four grade levels, and my passion was completely renewed. There was nothing wrong with the teaching placement itself, it just wasn’t right for me anymore. I needed a change.
Later, I relocated and ended up at a school where the working conditions were so depressing, I came home and cried every night. This time, the problem was the school, so I transferred to a nearby district as soon as I could find an opening, and once again, I loved my job. Eventually another principal was assigned to the school and made my life miserable. I suffered for two years before finding another position—and all that enthusiasm for my work came rushing back once again.
The message here is not that you can run from all the problems in education, or that it’s simple to find the right job for you. What I want you to understand is this:
The right school and grade level make all the difference in the world. You can love your work, and you can make a difference. Don’t give up your dream just because you don’t love your placement, or people in positions of power have lost sight of what matters.
Once a month, I’m going to feature an interview with a teacher who still loves his or her job and is excited to go to school each morning. Believe it or not, I’ve got dozens of teachers who are willing to share their stories. Some of them are in their ideal teaching placements, and others have simply learned to adjust and make the best of what they’ve got.
These educators are going to tell us how they keep from getting overwhelmed by their students’ needs and prevent the demands of the school system from weighing on them, their advice for balancing work and their families/personal life, and practices or mindset shifts they recommend that other teachers try in order to increase their sense of motivation, purpose, and enthusiasm.
If you are a teacher who’s found a teaching position you love, please, share your story with us and spread the message that teaching can still be a great job. Tell us in the comments, or email me and I’ll send you the interview questions and feature your story in a future post.
And if you are a discouraged teacher, please, hang in there. Hold onto your vision and keep trying to make it work. There is hope for you in this profession.
Angela Watson
Founder and Writer
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I taught for four years in Texas. Though I love my home state, it was very hard emotionally, mentally, and physically. On average, we had about 28 kids in our 5th grade homerooms. (Though, this fluctuated frequently.) We had a three-way split, so I was seeing almost 90 kids each day for Reading and Writing. With our district and state standards combined, we spent almost 5 weeks testing our students one year- benchmarks, required curriculum tests, state tests, and the like. Combine that with the normal student discipline, lack of support in places it was needed, and required documentation, I had decided at the beginning of my 4th year that I couldn’t take much more of that life. I signed up to teach internationally (at an actual, established international school– not teaching English) and got a job in Seoul, Korea. I fell in love with teaching again. It was exactly what I needed. Not easier in the sense that I don’t have as much work to do. But, my work is meaningful– which makes it better! Though I am going to try something new in the states in the next years, I wouldn’t hesitate to come back and teach internationally.
I am currently teaching in a very tough situation. I am at a Title1 school with a population of over 80% homeless and 90% on free and reduced lunch. I deal with issues that most people don’t deal with… students with extreme behavior disorders, mental disorders, frustration from living in poverty, anger, students with learning disabilities, and almost all of my students are below level. Last year I had a very rude and aggressive administrator. This year, under new administration, I feel like not a lot has been done to help the difficulties in my classroom. I have come home crying almost every night. I am absolutely miserable. It has made me question teaching. I hope that the future holds something out there that is better suited for me. I am trying to spread my wings, but it’s not always easy to find a job. If I don’t find a better job soon, I may end up switching careers and going back to school. It’s nice to see so many people who have found a way to love and/or love their teaching jobs. I, unfortunately, do not right now. I don’t think I’m a bad teacher necessarily, but I do think teaching is not what I thought it would be.
I was just like you. About to leave teaching for good to become an accountant. I changed positions, and now I LOVE my job! I’m definitely willing to share my story, if you’re interested!
My joy is the learning environment in the orchestra class. I love to teach the students. They love to play with passion and are willing to do the hard work even when they are not sure where it is headed. The look in their eyes when the epiphany comes is priceless. I would like the support of my administrators in both schools and I have it, albeit in two totally different forms. I have deep and persistent parental support of the curriculum I teach. I feel fortunate in that.
(This has been an extremely challenging year personally because I have been in treatment for Stage 2A breast cancer. Prognosis is excellent and chemo is now done, and I am on to radiation now. This medical aspect has honed my focus down to WHAT REALLY MATTERS: Students. Planning for my students and keeping to the curriculum that will bring them success and growth. )
I have been teaching for 29 years. I am currently teaching Elementary School Art K-5. I have been at my current school for 14 years.
I still love what I do. I’ve seen so many changes in the business of education, but one thing stays constant…the wonder & awe in a child. When I see children soaking up new experiences, I realize what brought me to teaching & what has kept me in it for so long. I regularly change the projects I create with my kids, not only because the kids change from year to year, but to keep myself interested & challenged. As soon as I’m bored with a project, I revamp or completely change it, making sure I’m still teaching the concepts. I also try to keep learning about teaching, about my students & about new ideas. You have to keep the profession alive for yourself! You can complain about so many things, but, when you enter the classroom & close the door, it’s you & the kids, & that’s all that really matters!