Countdown to the End: Day 26

Every Wednesday we get out early to meet with our professional learning community (PLC). We are quite the hodge podge group with PE, Health, Family Consumer Science, Industrial Tech, Business, and Agriculture. I look forward to these meetings because it’s time set aside for us to gossip, vent, and problem solve. Of course, our administrator gives us an agenda to discuss, and I take notes and minutes over the discussions for proof of productivity. Today our discussion started with someone asking me if I would take back my resignation now that our superintendent resigned. I said, “Ummmm, No.” This triggered the discussion about helping other kids as well as our own. They love teaching and coaching, and their point was that sacrificing time at home is worth it. I agree completely that if you love what you do you shouldn’t stop, especially if you are doing it for the kids. However, I was the only female/mom in this conversation. My other female colleagues were absent today. I have so much guilt when I’m away from my sons, and my husband has to be Mr. Mom yet again. He does such a great job at it too. I’m not sure that dads have the same guilt or feelings of remorse that moms do. Maybe they do, but I admire coaches and teachers that can have both. They can be there for their own kids and yet have such a great impact on other people’s kids. I can’t give 110% to each area of my life, and that is too frustrating for me.

Vermicomposting or worm farming,
2000 red wigglers is something I loved. 

Hydronponically grown lettuce,
something I loved doing. 

I feel that I’m not teaching the best that I could if I don’t love what I do. If teachers don’t love teaching anymore they aren’t teaching really well, but they won’t move on because they have too much time invested in a certain school. Schools won't pay for over 7 years of experience, so to moving schools after 7 years doesn’t happen often. Teachers don’t want to give up on their state retirement, so they keep teaching counting down the years until retirement. Unless a teacher does something morally and ethically wrong they aren’t going to be fired. Even if a school district chooses to forego someone’s teaching contract, they give that teacher a chance to resign. This is a nice courtesy; however, that teacher can move onto another school and make the same bad mistake again with another district. Teachers are very well protected, but they need to be with the public ready to burn them at the stake if they do anything out of character for a beloved teacher. I wouldn’t say anything bad about the school district to members of the community for that reason. The community and public crucify teachers and school districts enough without me contributing. The public won’t do anything to help the school’s problems or the teacher’s problems, but they have no problem sending their children to that school district to have us raise their children. This is why the PLC groups are needed, so we can vent and feel comfortable to express our problems to our colleagues without taking it outside the school to the community. Sometimes we don’t always come up with a solution, but it keeps us moving forward. Today I had a lot more respect for the members of my PLC and I envied them for their love of teaching and coaching. I just wish I had that same feeling. I’m making the right choice.

I know I'm making the right choice because I know that I won’t be a good teacher if I don’t love it. I used to love the adventure, but slowly over the last year that has sunk like the Titanic.