Another Teacher No Longer in the Classroom
One month. That's how long I've been out of the classroom. I filled out my 30-day survey at my new job last week and am still blown away by how quickly time has flown. Twice this week, I have questioned whether I made the right decision. My team and my students are on my heart and in my mind. Yet I see the happiness on my own daughter's face when we play Mario Party in the evenings or I'm able to cook dinner and not just warm up something from the freezer.
One week. That's how long it's been since I received a text message from my new boss asking me if I had heard about teachers being shot with pellet guns for training. I don't know any professions other than law enforcement or military branches that are shot at for job training - and even then, they have protective gear on. Who thought this was a good decision? Who felt it was imperative to show teachers what it is like to be shot execution-style, to support their professional development in case there is an active shooter? Administrators? Law enforcement agents?
There seems to be a trend in public education these days. The focus doesn't seem to be on students or teachers. It seems the focus is on administration and politicians making business decisions. Not people decisions. The irony? Our business IS people.
As I continue in my new endeavors as an instructional designer, I've enjoyed, not only MY time learning and growing, but realizing that I am still teaching - helping others to learn and grow, as well. I am still sharing. I am still making sure that my decisions are people decisions. Not once have I worried about being shot by a pellet gun for a training exercise. Not once have I had to come home and spend hours on someone else's goals, someone else's needs, or someone else's expectations to feel successful and that I'm making a difference.
If we continue to watch the trends in education, I fear that we're going to have a lot of people continue to make business decisions, not people decisions. Although I'm not in the classroom, my heart and hopes still are. More of us will start to share our time and talent outside of the classroom. More of us will realize that we can still teach - as well as learn and grow ourselves - without the foreboding cloud of business decisions.
