My "Cushy" Job

I have seen children learn to tie their shoe as a junior in high school, and have it literally bring tears to my eyes. I have seen a child, who only had 3 people in the whole world believe in them, turn around and become an AMAZING kid. I have had students arrested, suspended, etc. when I suspect they have been using drugs, become violent, bring a weapon, make a drug deal or sexually assault another student. I have had the extreme of both sides. I have had computers thrown at me, students bite me, to having a student come up and give me the biggest hug in the world, and say, "Thanks for never giving up on me." I have seen kids come from situations in life, I can't even imagine, and come to school because they feel safe and can get a meal. I have had notes from parents telling me without me or another teacher, they never would have thought their child would be here. I have seen the spectrum of many students and have learned not to judge a single one of them, some of my kids have come from such dark places, I can't even imagine their life. But when they need to talk, you bet your ass I am there to listen without consequence or judgment, no matter who that child is.

Having said that, I am SO tired of hearing I have a "Cushy" job, teachers have it easy, it must be pretty nice to have all the time off, etc., etc. All of my teacher friends know EXACTLY what I am talking about. But for those of you who don't let me tell you what a teacher does, all within his/her "school" day.

First off, it is my job to make sure I walk into my building chipper and ready to face any of the 700+ kiddoes our school holds. When I walk through those doors, no matter what is going on in my own life, I don't get to have a bad day. I need to be able to offer a shoulder to cry on, a firm voice to get someone motivated, or interfere when there is a fight.

It is my job to answer the phone and listen to what a parent is telling me. I receive MANY phone calls a day, just to have a parent tell me something new in a students life, a problem, or an idea on how their child can improve. These phone calls can entail asking what a child's grades are, complain about a fork being taken by another student at lunch, or listening to a mother cry over her mother dying in the hospital.

I am supposed to check every students grades, several times a week. I then have to either have them go gather what they are missing or go gather it myself; to then be on top of them like flies on poop to make sure they get the damn assignment done. Seems so easy, right? NOT IN JUNIOR HIGH.

I schedule lunch appointments that children have earned, either lunch detention for getting in trouble or lunch with the Assistant Superintendent for a child having all B's or higher. It is my job to go down and monitor students during lunch if there have been problems to make sure they are not being picked on or trying to pick on someone else. I also have to make sure my kids have money in their account, so they can GET to eat lunch.

Sound easy yet?

In the world we live in today, a lot of my parents are divorced. So, I get to deal with two sides of every story, very often. I have to verify that both parents have access to their child. Once that is done, if they do, it is my job to make sure they are equally aware of how their child is doing, what meetings/events are coming up, and have been asked to try to get information on the other parent! Which, I have never done! If one parent is NOT allowed to see a child, it is my job to make sure everyone in the building is aware of the situation, have phone numbers on speed dial, and not be afraid to call 911 if one of them walks into my classroom.

It is my job to make sure my students feel safe. If they don't it is my job to reassure them that they are, even if I may not believe it. It is my job to see they work on social skills, and at least have one friend so nobody has to eat lunch alone, unless they want to.

I give up my lunch and my "prep" period to make sure my kids are taking the correct test, have a scribe, have a reader, starting a class on task, being appropriate, not showing disruption, etc. Then, if they DO, it is my job to remove them from that class and come up with an alternative to make sure they complete the work appropriately.

Get's easier, right? NOPE!

I then have the opportunity to teach six classes, five of them being different subjects. I have to plan for the day, prepare a lesson, gather the materials, etc. to make sure I am ready. I then have to come up with different ways to teach them, in case a student doesn't understand one way. I then correct and grade each paper, to then record as my data.

I have multiple meetings weekly to make sure the faculty is being supported. The department is on the same page. The district is receiving the information required. And the state is getting the paperwork completed to know the accurate number of students I am serving. I meet with parents, police officers, doctors, counselors, administration, and district officials more often then I EVER imagined I would.

Do not get me wrong, most days, I really like my job. I love every student of mine and I am okay with working. I enjoy the socializing of my job, and this year my administration is fabulous. I do have a great job. I just think people need to recognize that teaching is not a "cushy" job. If it were easy, everyone would be a teacher, right? We have the time off, because we need it. We need to rejuvenate so our students learn. We need to have a break to forget about some of the events we have had to deal with and/or see. We go on a vacation so we can bring us back to the reason why we started teaching in the first place. We need the break, so our future generations know there are people out there who believe in them. As a teacher, we are teaching the next generation of any occupation, and trust me, there is nothing "cushy" about that.