I have been in the classroom all last week and will be a couple days this week too. Yes, I have actually been TEACHING! I haven't seen many of my colleagues for a couple months which brings about the question, "So how does it feel to be back teaching?" I have been thinking about that basic question..."How does it feel?" Teaching is comfortable for me, it is fun, it is challenging, it is frustrating, but most of all it is what I love. Many TOY's "go on" to become administrators which may be the natural next step, but it won't be for me. Being in the classroom is where I belong. I understand why teachers leave the classroom - more money, more influence on policy, more power. I wish the teachers could have those things without leaving. Kansas is working on a teacher leadership license to help with some of the issues, which is exciting.
Walden University has offered all State Teachers of The Year a free doctorate if we apply within 12 months. WOW! Many of my STOY friends are taking advantage of the offer and have already started the program. It is valued at over $40,000 so it is pretty tempting. Many are planning on getting their doctorate to go teach at universities or go into administration where they can influence change more effectively. I admire them - it takes a real commitment to get a doctorate degree. I only wish we could be as powerful as teachers. BUT - I wonder if administrators laugh as much as teachers do? Like today, one of my students got me with a joke that made me belly laugh hard. ...you know, the kind where you bend over and quit making any noise because you are laughing. I have repeated the joke to about every person I met today. On the way home, I laughed just thinking about it again. Teachers laugh a lot - we laugh at ourselves and with our students. I think that should be part of our evaluation - how many times an hour do you laugh? Happy people make good teachers. Laughter releases serotonin and dopamine which helps retain information...so laugh - laugh a lot!
(Wondering what was so funny? I can't tell you as it will ruin the joke if we meet and I get the opportunity to make YOU laugh!)
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As a retiree, I love nothing more than spending a day in the classroom. Fortunately, I have music teacher friends who will let me hang out and "help" in their classrooms, so I can see little flute players with sparkly barrettes and stick-dropping drummers. Heaven!
While I, too, would be hard-pressed to turn down $40,000 worth of graduate credits, getting an advanced degree as a means of leaving the classroom, the point of greatest leverage in student learning (not to mention belly laughs) doesn't totally make sense. I would not want to be an administrator--different skill set, different problems. And it's a myth that good classroom teachers automatically become good administrators. Some do--but others get caught up in straddling two worlds.
I'm partway through a PhD in Ed Policy, and am constantly being asked by my cohort (most of whom have zero or 1-2 years experience in an actual school) why I'm not in Teacher Education, where I belong. The assumption is that teachers teach teachers, while others control their work. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.
Good post, Cindy.
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