The Teacher Diaries

  Year 13 teacher here. It’s safe to say that I am officially part of the seasoned crew. With the years of experience comes one of two things: higher or lower expectations. That’s because older teachers tend to be stuck in their ways or highly experienced with a wealth of teaching strategies for every type of learner. I’m a mix of the two. Because of my experience, I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to be a model teacher. When I’m feeling overwhelmed, I try to pretend that I’m not and I have everything under control. With that said, no matter how many years of experience and how comfortable you are in your tenure, you have to be observed. No one is exempt. Well, that time for me was about two weeks ago. In the past, even as recently as last year, I would always plan a spectacular lesson to present. Even if it meant veering from my lesson plans. It would include activities that showed that the students had learned a lot about a topic and would be very hands on and creative...

Just when I felt like I was at my wit's end, a sign of hope crossed my path nudging me to push forward. By now it is no secret that there is a lot to be desired in the role of a teacher in today’s society. I have mentioned in several posts how displeased I am with the policies, expectations, unrealistic demands, and challenging student behavior. It is a lot to deal with and has proven to even be anxiety inducing. I have, on numerous occasions, seriously entertained the idea of leaving the profession, but the fear of not finding the best footing in a different field has made me a bit apprehensive.  I know education. I know how to teach. I am a teacher. I have been for over ten years. Even though I have been feeling stuck lately, this is what I know and I’m pretty good at it.  So what caused this change in attitude toward switching careers? A perusal of the contract book. While checking on a totally different topic, I took a look at the salary guide and realized that I am a l...

Is it ever too late to change careers? According to Sarah of   Life Comma Etc.  the answer is no. In her blog, she details all of the reasons why teachers should seriously consider changing careers even after dedicating several years to the profession. She explains how unrealistic expectations are placed on teachers and the amount of teacher accountability that has been tied to everything from test scores to student attendance. She highlights how the stress of the job impacts the health of teachers. More and more teachers suffer from anxiety and depression which leads to other illnesses. She provides the contrast of how in other careers you eventually master the things that you struggle with, but as educators we are presented with a new group of unpredictable students each year who bring their own set of challenges. Finally, she explains that teachers have marketable skills that can transfer to other careers. I enjoyed reading every word that was written and saw my...

It is extremely rare that you find a teacher who has perfect attendance. There are so many unpredictable events in life and we work in a profession that understands that and provides both sick and personal days that accrue each year. But because we are teachers, we are expected to be perfect and ignore the things that occur in life that may prevent us from performing our best in the classroom. Even though these days are provided for us, we aren’t expected to actually use them. This guide is for the teacher who is hesitant to use those days. Here are the steps for taking a day off from work. 1. Gauge your mood.  Are you tired, hungover, anxious, depressed, stressed, sick, backed up on paper work, PMSing, had a bad break up, stubbed your big toe, have a pimple, ran out of contacts, having a bad hair day, or just detached? If you are experiencing anything that may negatively impact your performance in the classroom or distract you, it is likely that you may need to take a day. ...