Every teacher does it. We start counting down the days until the school year is out and we can run from the building to enjoy a couple of weeks of free time in the summer. "Schools Out For Summer" plays in our heads and the movies even tease us about how we are pushing kids out the doors on the last day.
Walking down the hall we share a head nod and in the last month we don't get "Hi" or "Good Morning". We get the daily count. "17 days" It is a reflection of how we feel as teachers and how excited we are to spend some time resting.
Put on the brakes! What message are we sending to our audience? We strive to be treated as professionals and we publicly celebrate the time we are allowed off. For the non-teaching American this must be hard to swallow. It is almost insulting. We are talking about how worn out we are, how rough the year is and we celebrate by counting it down? Are we telling our students we want to get rid of them? No. Are we sending the message that we want to get rid of them? Yes.
Remove the arguments that teaching professionals have about working over the summer. This isn't about how hard teachers work. This is about our attitude towards the summer. We can't wait for it to begin but yet we still have students we have spent the year building relationships with. Some of them may look to a teacher as a major influence and guiding force. Their home life may be such that you are the adult they look to for emotional needs. Suddenly you start counting down the days and getting excited to get away from them?
Parents hear this message. They work all year around with only two weeks off. What message does that send when we see and hear the complaints, excitement and emotions about how we want to get away from their children. Did I really just trust you to guide my student for a year? You can't wait to get away from them. Who are you that my junior was that much of a struggle.
My point is this. Think very hard about the message you convey to your audience. If you want to be treated as a professional, be paid as a professional, and be respected as a professional then begin by keeping the messages about the end of the year to yourself. Don't celebrate it on social media. When asked just mention that you will take a few weeks doing (fill in the blank). Then mention how you are already planning for the next year.
Reassure students that you will follow their exploits through the next school year. Get excited about missing them and not being able to wait until next year. Grit your teeth, suck it up and let that one child know that you will be there for them if they need help the next year. (Yeah, I get it that you are ready to throw that one child out the door but suck it up buttercup.) Above all carry the pride and respect you have built through out the year on into the summer. Don't throw it away by bragging about the cool things you are doing with your two months off. You are tearing down the whole profession when that message is heard.
I will be taking a couple of weeks with the family and then working on summer boot camps, iTechNation, and a new curriculum plan for my school. I will be busy! See you at the pool on Fridays. You bring the drinks, I have the suntan lotion.
Walking down the hall we share a head nod and in the last month we don't get "Hi" or "Good Morning". We get the daily count. "17 days" It is a reflection of how we feel as teachers and how excited we are to spend some time resting.
Put on the brakes! What message are we sending to our audience? We strive to be treated as professionals and we publicly celebrate the time we are allowed off. For the non-teaching American this must be hard to swallow. It is almost insulting. We are talking about how worn out we are, how rough the year is and we celebrate by counting it down? Are we telling our students we want to get rid of them? No. Are we sending the message that we want to get rid of them? Yes.
Remove the arguments that teaching professionals have about working over the summer. This isn't about how hard teachers work. This is about our attitude towards the summer. We can't wait for it to begin but yet we still have students we have spent the year building relationships with. Some of them may look to a teacher as a major influence and guiding force. Their home life may be such that you are the adult they look to for emotional needs. Suddenly you start counting down the days and getting excited to get away from them?
Parents hear this message. They work all year around with only two weeks off. What message does that send when we see and hear the complaints, excitement and emotions about how we want to get away from their children. Did I really just trust you to guide my student for a year? You can't wait to get away from them. Who are you that my junior was that much of a struggle.
My point is this. Think very hard about the message you convey to your audience. If you want to be treated as a professional, be paid as a professional, and be respected as a professional then begin by keeping the messages about the end of the year to yourself. Don't celebrate it on social media. When asked just mention that you will take a few weeks doing (fill in the blank). Then mention how you are already planning for the next year.
Reassure students that you will follow their exploits through the next school year. Get excited about missing them and not being able to wait until next year. Grit your teeth, suck it up and let that one child know that you will be there for them if they need help the next year. (Yeah, I get it that you are ready to throw that one child out the door but suck it up buttercup.) Above all carry the pride and respect you have built through out the year on into the summer. Don't throw it away by bragging about the cool things you are doing with your two months off. You are tearing down the whole profession when that message is heard.
I will be taking a couple of weeks with the family and then working on summer boot camps, iTechNation, and a new curriculum plan for my school. I will be busy! See you at the pool on Fridays. You bring the drinks, I have the suntan lotion.