tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684316.post8803167187149401267..comments2024-02-18T10:34:56.951-05:00Comments on Middle School, day by day from a teacher's point of view: cossondrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11132453976247479697noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684316.post-47222503717581903432010-10-29T11:08:27.223-05:002010-10-29T11:08:27.223-05:00Hey Cossondra -- just getting back to this. We'...Hey Cossondra -- just getting back to this. We've been friends and colleagues for a long time, in case anyone wonders whether this is a friendly debate. It is! The piece by Elena was tagged as a "Teaching Secrets" article... those are aimed at novices. In fact, you've written several! But it's true that it's not made clear beyond the tag. That aside, I've been intrigued by the responses from so many teachers along the lines of "it may be ok to take a mental health day but let's not talk about it in public." And also that while it may be true that teachers, at least in some high needs situations, are being driven to career abandonment or early retirement by high-stakes stress, it's unbecoming to whine. Teachers certainly understand the teaching life far better than I do, but every teacher has not walked a mile in every other teacher's shoes. <br /><br />Anyhow, it stirred up some useful conversation, and perhaps a few overwhelmed newbies read Elena's article in secret and felt a fever coming on.john in nchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14022767810398093754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684316.post-67552561503031538352010-10-16T06:14:29.262-05:002010-10-16T06:14:29.262-05:00Thanks for the comments John. No where in the arti...Thanks for the comments John. No where in the article does it say it is aimed at new/novice teachers. Regardless, I don't disagree in the theory that teachers deserve a day off. My point was that when we whine about our jobs,the general public continues to view us as non-professionals. I too wish an 8 hour day would complete my tasks. However, when I became a teacher, I knew it was not an 8-3 job. I knew that despite what the contract said, I was not an hourly employee and would have to work 'overtime' to get my job done. <br /><br />I grew up with a father who worked in management at a factory. He was a salaried employee. I don't ever recall him going to work and leaving at the 'contractual' times. I do remember many middle of the night emergency phone calls, countless late night cold dinners, and even more weekends where he was called in to work. <br /><br />Maybe it is not fair that teachers have to work so much to get the job done. But many other professions do the same. <br /><br />With all the teacher and public education bashing in the news lately, the last thing we need for our image is someone saying by the second month of school, we are already burned out for the year.<br /><br />I admire Elena and the work she does. I agree with many of her points made. I just am not sure this was the best approach to airing those grievances.cossondrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06720044849447817480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684316.post-82433262339475436392010-10-15T19:54:28.461-05:002010-10-15T19:54:28.461-05:00To be fair, the Teacher Magazine article by Elena ...To be fair, the Teacher Magazine article by Elena Aguilar was aimed at new and novice teachers who can be expected to be esp. overwhelmed in the early months of their first year. Elena coaches new teachers as part of her job in the Oakland CA school system, where the needs of kids are very high indeed. Her article also makes the case that frazzled teachers often don't have the energy to work to improve what she describes (in her system) as the "absurd" conditions under which they work. A day of rest is only one of her suggestions for re-energizing.john in nchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14022767810398093754noreply@blogger.com