Job Insecurity

Well, its over. I'm finished with student teaching and catching up on several blog posts that I've been meaning to write. Keep checking back, there will be more coming.

I may have had somewhat of an epiphany. I think we all can think of teachers we have either worked with or had when we were students that are cynical and pessimistic about the average student's willingness to work hard. I've come up with at least one explanation for why this happens. As I look back, it is safe to say that teaching is a unique job in many ways. One way is that there are very few options for scapegoats when things go awry. There were times when students performed very poorly on tests or quizzes. As I thought about this problem, I realized there are only two explanations: either I didn't teach well, or the students didn't care and work hard. In this way, teaching brings out one's insecurities.

Is there a better way of doing this? Why didn't I think of that response in the moment? Are the students understanding what I am saying? Could I be explaining it differently that would make more sense? How are all the other teachers explaining it? Am I reaching all my students? Should I give more grace to these students or get tough on them?

Many times there is no way of knowing for sure. Many times, you go with your gut and hope for the best. Student teaching affords you a great asset - a gifted, experienced teacher to answer those questions, verify you are doing things correctly, and correct you where you aren't. I won't have that safety net next year.

When grades go down, its either me or them (or maybe a combination). Its incredibly uncomfortable to think its me, but it most likely is. There are things I could have been more clear about. There are topics I could have made more engaging. There are connections to the students' everyday lives I could have made. When students don't learn, that means you failed. No one likes to think they failed. No wonder there are teachers out there with negative views of students. Its a lot easier to think of your students as lazy, unmotivated, uninterested, and immature than it is to think of yourself as ineffective.