What Teachers Do

I’ve had some very bad teachers in my life, and I’ve had some that worked well with some students but clashed with others.  I’ve made no secret of the teachers I don’t think should have that job.

Today I’m not talking about them.

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My mother and mother-in-law were teachers.  Two of my sisters are retired educators.  Two of my daughters-in-law and two of my sons are currently teaching.  I was almost a teacher and work in the classroom at my current job.  So, my experience has taught me a lot about the teaching profession.

But being related to me is not what makes someone a good teacher.  So, what does?

Well, first, what does a teacher do?

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A teacher has to teach.  Sounds pretty obvious but there is more to it than just opening heads and pouring knowledge in.  If only it were that easy.

A teacher has to be patient.  She may have a room full of very smart people, or some who are quite challenged.  But that class will never all be on the same level.   Never, never, never.  A teacher has to teach them all.

A teacher has to know how to keep the smart kid engaged and interested.  A teacher has to educate the average kids without losing them.  A teacher also has to instill in the kids who don’t pick things up as fast the belief that they have to try, and the knowledge that the teacher will do everything in his power to help.  A teacher has to implant in all of them the idea that, if they try, really try, they will succeed.

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A teacher has to know how to encourage every kid.  She has to know which kids can be inspired to work harder by a gentle chiding.  She has to know which kids can laugh at a more pointed remark and work harder.  She has to know which kids respond best ONLY to supportive comments, and react to anything else as if they have been stung, because they have been hurt, and they just might give up.

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A teacher has to touch each and every kid every day.  He has to remember that his smile may well be the only smile some children get that day.  He has to remember that his voice may be the only positive words they hear this week.  He has to remember that he may be the only positive influence on that child’s life at that point in time.

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A teacher has to pay attention to every kid every day.  Are those bumps and bruises just the normal ones for an active kid, or is that youngster being bullied on the playground, on the bus, at home?  Is he really just an uncoordinated kid or is someone abusing him?

Why is that girl so much quieter than she used to be?  Did her mother just die?  Did her father just go to jail?  Did someone molest her? 

Why is that kid wearing rumpled clothes?  Did he stay up all night playing video games?  Is his family poor so he has to wear each article over and over?  Why are his clothes dirty?  Did he play a rough game of football on the playground or is his mom too drunk to wash them?

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A teacher must leave their own feelings at the door every day when they go to work…but NEVER their hearts.  These kids don’t know your grandmother passed away.  They don’t know that you and your wife had a fight this morning.  They don’t know that you are taking classes at night and not getting enough sleep.  They don’t know that you have a sick baby you had to care for all night.

But they do know when they show you the millionth picture they’ve drawn, that, instead of commenting nicely, you snapped at them to go sit down.  They do know that, instead of encouraging them to keep trying, you made them feel stupid.  They do know that you didn’t look at them, or smile at them, or ask them why they were sad.  They do know that you were not the only person to make them feel unwanted or unloved, just the most recent one.

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Yes, a teacher has to teach, but that is just a small part of what they do.  They are teachers, friends, role models, confidants, defenders, doctors, mental health workers, dietitians, and police officers.

And they have to do it all for much less pay than they deserve.

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A bad teacher doesn’t deserve to bear the name, but a good one deserves that and so much more.

Thank you to all the good teachers out there.  We owe you so much.

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