What we NOT gone do
As Teachers,
There are lots of things we need to stop doing, but these 3 we’re going to stop doing IMMEDIATELY!
Teachers it’s time to unite!
A new school year is on the horizon and here are three things we not gone do. If these are things you’ve already stopped doing then your ahead of the game. If not, your time is now!
#1 Working late/ Taking Work home.
This has got to stop. And I mean NOW! Not only are you working for free, to give time to your job that should be reserved for your personal life will take a toll on you and your relationships over time. This also creates an unrealistic expectation of what can be done in a school day, but until we ALL agree to do this it won’t have the desired effect. As long as Ms. Smith continues grading papers and lesson planning every night til 6pm, your principal is going to believe that everyone should have their done as well.
#2 Waiting Until March to discuss retention.
You know when the baseline testing is done at the start of the year which students are going to be in danger of failing. If you teach 4th grade and a student is on a 1st or 2nd grade level, you need to be having a conversation with the parents early in the year. We must stop waiting until the 3rd and 4th quarters to tell them that retention is a possibility. Early (in the school year) intervention is the key and getting parents to buy in and agree to assist. I started doing this last year and when we got to the end of the school year, parents completely understood why their child was being retained. This helps to avoid stress at the end of the year and parents claiming, “I had no idea”.
#3 Holding your pee
I understand that schools are short-staffed and there isn’t always someone available to cover your class but don’t sacrifice your bladder. Take your entire class with you to the front office and go pee. That’s what I did ALL last year. I’d call the office to see if there was anyone to cover my class and if they said no, my entire class and I went to the office. Do it long enough and 1 of two things will happen.
Administration will start making themselves available for restroom breaks.
The front office will become very familiar with your students.
Either way, the teacher shortage will no longer cause us to have weak bladders.
I’m sure there’s more we need to stop doing. So, leave a comment and tell me something we shouldn’t do this year.
