Another teaching season is coming to an end, which means that in two weeks I will be starting my hiking adventure. Lately, I've been thinking about this past school year, which in many ways has been by far my most challenging year in my albeit brief teaching career (finishing year 6). I'm not sure if it's reassuring or alarming, but my feelings and frustrations towards the current reality of teaching in 2013 have been echoed on numerous occasions - be it in the media (
see the Montreal Gazette, Feb 4, 2013), via blogs, and through personal discussions with friends and colleagues. The statistics are alarming; more and more teachers - contract and tenured - are choosing to leave the profession because the demands are simply unrealistic and the resources (i.e., human, material and financial) needed to do our jobs are limited or simply not available. Now I know that every job/career has it set of challenges and advantages. I even know that some of you are thinking to yourselves what are teachers complaining about they seem to have "
days off" every month, they get Christmas vacation, Spring break and "
two months off" in the summer.... I'm not going to argue that the holiday and professional development time (we work on student inservice days) is nice, but as I continually say, no one would be able to teach, and students certainly wouldn't learn a thing, if we didn't have these much needed breaks. With that said, let me share with you my 2 biggest
teaching challenges that have frustrated me in this past season.
There never seems to be enough time in a day. There's not enough time to go through my entire curriculum in a way that is fast enough for my strongest students or at a comfortable pace for my students who need a few more supports. I don't know how many times I have opened my class early, stayed at lunch, during one of my prep-periods or after school this year to work with students. What I do know is that at the end of a week (and the school year), I am absolutely exhausted.
There doesn't seem to be enough time to have real heart-to-heart discussions with my students that need to talk about certain life issues - friends, drugs, alcohol, relationships, bullying, family issues, self-confidence, texting, sex, sexuality, and health issues. Our teens need guidance and support from a caring adult, but for whatever reason, they aren't necessarily getting this support at home. Our youth are facing adult problems, but lack the knowledge and maturity to face these challenges on their own. And yet, many times this is what's happening, they are being left to deal with these issues alone. Teens need parents to place limits in their lives and to talk to about some of these things, and when parents aren't there, they need someone to talk to. My heart breaks for these students and I would like to be there to support them - and I try - but the time constraints always makes these discussions feel rushed. Teens more then ever are hyper-exposed to so much information (via internet, media, their Smart phones) and yet many are not equipped to use this information safely. I wish that these tough conversations would take place more often at home, and if not that we had more time (and resources) to better equipe students at school.
There doesn't seem to be enough time to support or to be supported by my colleagues, who are likely feeling many of the same issues and frustrations as I am; meaning that we are both left to deal with our frustrations on our own. Time is a precious commodity at school; consequently, I don't always take (make) the time to just sit a talk with my colleagues without feeling guilty. The worse part is that when I do take the time to visit, I typically feel more energized and feel that I have gained time....it's quite paradoxical if you think about it!
Most of all, there never seems to be enough time to disconnect from the job - that is until the summer - if I don't want to fall too far behind, I often need to prep or correct in the evening and at least one day on the weekend. There's even been times when my stress level is high that I have caught myself teaching my next day's lesson in my sleep. The school year often feels like a race that follows an unattainable/unhealthy pace...
2. Feeling like a Personal Punching Bag or a "Bouche trou"
I've lost track of the number of times I have either been: disrespected (student/parent), insulted (student/parent), had my professional judgment questioned (student/parent), felt like a baby-sitter just thrown into a situation (without much supports) and expected to do whatever it takes to entertain, or rather keep control of a group of students. Somewhere along the lines teachers have become the scapegoat for any and all learning difficulties or subpar academic achievement experienced by a student. The days where parents expect students to take responsibility for their behaviour/achievement are becoming more and more scarce; especially as it seems much more simpler to point the finger (choose which one) at the teacher and state: "Why didn't you do your job!" Teaching some days feels like a war-zone or like a never-ending marathon race. After a while, fighting this battle or running this race, can become quite exhausting; which is why when we as teachers do make it to the end of the year, we often feel a sense of great accomplishment! Our years of teaching experience should be worn like badges of honour, as a reminder of the year that was, but also as a reminder to others that despite the never ending challenges, we made it! As I look at my school, I can easily identify a number of teachers worthy of badges of honour - for their years of experience (some nearing 20 years), course load, challenging groups, and for their endless dedication. But as the conditions become more and more challenging, I wonder how many more teachers will actually stay in the profession to earn 20+ badges of honour? Or, even retire as a teacher?
As already mentioned, every year the number of new teachers (typically on contract) and experienced teachers (typically tenured) choosing to leave the profession is growing (
nearing 40%). The
Montreal Gazette raised a good point this past spring that has stuck with me all year. They said that if this statistic was present in any other profession (i.e., medecine), the provincial government would have no other choice but to make serious changes to adress the issue. And yet, nothing has changed...if anything the situation is deteriorating. It's as if teachers are replaceable, if one leaves or burns-out, they will simply be replaced by the next eager candidate - in
bon québecois, we're a gang of
"bouche trous!" It's disheartening to think about the years of studying and effort that was put into to becoming a proficient and professional teacher; only to realize that all of that doesn't really matter....if there's a hole
some teacher will fill it. And if, during the course of the year a hole is created - for whatever reason - there will be
another teacher to fill it. The problem of why teachers are either leaving or burning-out never actually gets adressed, we simply do what has always been done...put another band-aid on the wound.
I'm starting to wonder just how many band-aids are holding together our education system? Now, I don't just want to be another person criticizing the current state of our education system. I love my profession and I value my students. I don't have answers - but I know we can do better! I'm not ready to become yet another teacher that walks away from this great profession - but I do think things must change, and I would be open to discussing this with school board and MELS officials. I also think that while I'm away, I will seriously be questioning what my contribution to this profession will look like in the future....like I said something has to change!!!
Buen Camino!
