Real Talk
Every single night, one can find countless teachers pinning classroom activities onto their Pinterest boards, grading papers, or just mapping out plans for the next school day.
Each morning, teachers are spotted flying through the aisles of the local dollar store grabbing that last-minute thing for that day’s project, or a few extra notebooks for the students who never brought theirs.
Each school day, teachers are spending their “breaks” carefully picking out books in the library, or in a parent-teacher conference. When we truly take a look at the things teachers are doing EVERY DAY that they don’t receive credit for, it’s absolutely mind-blowing. Here are ten tasks teachers complete that they are rarely recognized for:
1. Helping both inside and outside of school.
It doesn’t matter whether they are at the grocery store, at a sporting event, or pumping gas. They inevitably talk to parents and students outside of school. Jordan’s mom will spot them in the produce section, and take it as the perfect opportunity to ask about her son’s lower-than-usual grades. Teaching is a job you can never really escape.
2. Planning and grading “off the clock”.
They plan far more than their planning period allows them to. There is truly a never-ending list of ideas running through their minds, always evolving and growing even when they don’t realize they’re doing it.
3. Counseling and guiding on top of teaching.
Each day, they’re faced with both large and small issues that they weren’t adequately prepared for through college courses and teacher handbooks. Some days, they’ll counsel a boy who lost their snack money on the bus; other days, they’ll counsel a girl who’s having trouble making friends.
4. Modeling behavior and setting the example.
This one could be described as part of the job description, but it’s far more than that. They take pride in being a person their students look up to, or even aspire to be like. They spend every moment of every day knowing that students are watching them, and they always make sure to give them a positive influence.
5. Creating and innovating new ways to reach and engage each and every student.
More than creating lesson plans, they are quick to create whatever materials they need. They are resourceful when it comes to getting what they need, and they are not afraid to use their imagination. Students love when the materials used in class are homemade, and they love it when they’re included in the creation process. Teachers are hands down some of the most creative people.
6. Helping far more than just the students.
They help other teachers who are in need, no matter whether it means spending their own precious time to alleviate their burden. They help their students in every way possible; sometimes that means a helping hand at their locker, and sometimes that means slipping them some food to take home right before they get on the bus.
7. Trouble-shooting technology.
SO MUCH TECHNOLOGY. It isn’t their area of expertise. They don’t have a degree in computer engineering. They don’t always understand it all, yet they have to learn to coexist with it. Unreliable WiFi, computer software hiccups, and smartboard malfunctions are just a few of the many technology-related issues they face far too often—always conveniently right in the middle of a lesson.
8. Keeping the chaos somehow organized.
Before they can do anything, they must have a system. This system doesn’t come easy, though; it takes time, effort, and patience to keep their classrooms, their students’ efforts, and their own thoughts organized among the chaos of the school day.
9. Doing the “little things” that have big impacts on their kids’ lives.
They compliment one student on her nice coat as she enters the classroom, and they offer to tie another’s shoes. They look for the lost ruler and they listen to the song they wrote. They do the little things throughout the day that, to their students, truly add up.
10. Speaking life into their students.
Along with teaching, they motivate and encourage. They speak positive affirmations; they are often the voice saying, “you can do this”.
Teachers don’t take any little thing lightly, regardless of whether it will be noticed, or not. They’ll do it anyway—because they’re teachers, and it’s less about what it costs them, and more about the lives they change.
