This is less of a blog post and more of a list. A list of what teachers do besides teach. WE ARE A LOT MORE THAN JUST TEACHERS! You guys the list is loooooonnnnnng and pretty on point. Ive been thinking about this for a while now......
( I can't decide between numbers, bullets or letters.....so I might do a mixture, you'll be alright)
1.Teacher-Ill start with the obvious. We are in charge of little tiny people's educations! Like if that isn't scary......idk what is....especially since my grammar is sub-par and I use phrases like idk....in conversation.
2.Therapist-our kids come to us and they aren't able to leave their problems at the door. Let me tell you how many days have been ruined because siblings "called me names!" or "dad yelled at me this morning" its our job to try and help them forget the things that are consuming their lives
*Counselor-I consider this and therapist a little different. There are days where we have to deal with things that are way heavier than being called a mean name. We have students who didn't sleep or eat over the weekend because mom didn't come home or there were people at their house all weekend drinking beer and being loud. This is when we sit on the floor, hug it out, cry with them. Whatever they need in that moment, we give it to them.
D)Mother/Father-Some of our little lovelies aren't taught how to treat others with respect and kindness. They are taught to lash out and get even. Not all of them, but this is a common thing we see in my school. There are students who you can just see the good in. They so badly want to be good, do the right thing and make people happy, but they are surrounded with negative reactions to kindness. Thats where teacher-mom and teacher-dad come in. We instill goodness into these kids.
E)Mistake maker- I know this isn't officially a paid position in the world....but it should be (I would be rich). Kids think that if they make a mistake they are bad. They think that when they make a mistake everyone is going to hate them and that they are stupid. WROOOONNNNNG. Making mistakes is how you become smarter!
6.Nurse- Children are prone to scratching things, cutting things, bumping things and bruises.
*Tailor- Its a common thing to see a teeny tiny person walk into school with an oversize shirt, large pants that don't fit or no coat during the winter months. Did you know that a zip tie works as a belt? If you were a teacher i bet you did.....
8. Comedian-We are hilarious. Completely. The best way to a kids heart is through listening and laughing.
I) Creative genius- try teaching a bunch of kids about math and making it FUN! Try to explain a noun with 98% active engagement. Never leave your class under stimulated. Rigorous and exciting lessons are a must.......always.....its super easy.....sense my sarcasm.....(thats a sub-category of this, sarcastic genius)
10. Police officer/bouncer- This has become a new trend in schools. Teachers have to protect themselves and other students from things that put them in danger, be it an outside source or a student in the room. It is a teachers job to protect their kids. I saw this article that said "When did it become my job as a teacher to take a bullet for your kid", I get where they are coming from. And maybe I don't see it like everyone else because I don't have kids or anything. But I honestly think that any teacher in my building would protect their students by any means necessary. It kinda comes with the job. You have to have a heart for kids. If you do, youll want to protect them. That one was longer than I intended.....
Anyways....my point, in a very long and drawn out way is that we are not JUST teachers. We are much more and I am so proud to work with people every day that remind me of that.
