tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426429136525985774.post8787843419341900468..comments2024-02-24T01:17:50.695-08:00Comments on Don't Forget South Central: To Be, or Not To Be a Liferavalonsenseihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14122620526060358056noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426429136525985774.post-57883210858044057142016-03-23T13:13:50.045-07:002016-03-23T13:13:50.045-07:00Your look back through the years as you have learn...Your look back through the years as you have learned to manage students and classrooms feels so very real to any of us who have been through the exact same experience. What school reformers miss, or simply choose not to recognize, is that it takes many years for teachers to find their best selves -- and that "superhuman" is not only a silly but fully unrealistic expectation (Most especially when we hold it for ourselves! :) )ciedie aechhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00443601825150518035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426429136525985774.post-3280746860208926292016-03-23T12:40:02.103-07:002016-03-23T12:40:02.103-07:00Oh, if only your words could be heard by the publi...Oh, if only your words could be heard by the public -- they hear "teacher jails" and imagine only abusive, lazy employees. I know exactly how it feels to work hard, to love kids, to go the extra mile -- and then be sold to the public as nothing more than a "bad" teacher. I was pushed out of my beloved teaching assignment and felt so hurt, and so "unheard" that I sat down and wrote a book about my experiences. I can only hope that, like you, more teachers will find the writing bug. THANKS!ciedie aechhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00443601825150518035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426429136525985774.post-43243303129847817032015-12-29T13:44:30.601-08:002015-12-29T13:44:30.601-08:00Loved your honesty in this post. Next year is year...Loved your honesty in this post. Next year is year 20 for me. I still feel like my heart is in it. There have been times that was tested, and a grade level switch did the trick. I don't know what it will take for you, but a mentor of mine once told me that life was too short to be unhappy at my job. She was right. There is still a home in education for you...maybe even in that same school...but the only person who will bring your happy back is you. The system is so broken, and we can't expect answers there...so for this...you have to make changes for you. Don't let this take you out of the game. Flip the scrip and make a different ending. The third act may very well be your best yet!! Good luck! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15183404769372178177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4426429136525985774.post-23196064891801684152015-12-29T13:25:21.623-08:002015-12-29T13:25:21.623-08:00I guess, when I read this, it reminds me of conver...I guess, when I read this, it reminds me of conversations we had over the summer, and ultimately, reminds me how much work we need to do to ensure all of our students can learn. Too much of our policy leans heavily on the people in the classroom without much accountability for the folks who make and execute policy. I am a big believer that we can do things without dehumanizing students. I too grew up in that era when you can make kids walk in the rain, put their hands on freezing walls, and all the other silly punishments adults had for kids who either misbehaved or were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.<br /><br />Suffice it to say, we can't do this job without adequate support and the right structures to assure our children are learning. Even in my career, I have yelled at students, I've done a smidgen of swearing (though not in recent times), and I have done the tight hold on a student's shoulder when they weren't listening. I'm not always proud of my actions, and I rather own up to my lower, more human moments.<br /><br />We as educators are asked to be superhuman at a time when our times have stripped us of our humanity.<br /><br />I do have more to say on a personal note, but I am with you and you know you can always speak your heart to me and the homies. Stay up. Jose Vilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04670749542289741569noreply@blogger.com