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Though I have been teaching for nearly ten years now, and have enjoyed my time in the classroom, I know that I will not always be a teacher. As much as I love what I do, every year it becomes more and more difficult to do the job that I feel I was meant to do. And though, there are so many aspects of teaching that have kept me in the classroom this long, I know it is only a matter of time before I decide that I have to move on.
But, if I stay in the classroom, it will be because of how hard my students laugh when we read the Christmas pageant scene in “Bless Me Ultima”.
If I stay in the classroom, it will be because of how often my principal tells me that she appreciates the work I am doing, and how much she trusts me to do a great job.
If I stay in the classroom, it will be because I can catch a colleague’s glance in a meeting, and we both instantly know what the other person is thinking.
If I stay in the classroom, it will be because talking to the school nurse for a few minutes about my day, can feel like a therapy session.
If I stay in the classroom, it will be because of how great it feels to overhear my students saying that they’re glad to be in my class.
If I stay in the classroom, it will be because of the palpable relief I feel when I can see how much a student’s writing has improved.
If I stay in the classroom, it will be because of the way an unexpected joke from a student can make me shriek with laughter, before I have time to compose myself.
If I stay in the classroom, it will be because of how a student can catch me off guard with a hug and a thank you for all of my help.
If I stay in the classroom, it will be because I feel like a rockstar after teaching a great lesson that my students love.
If I stay in the classroom, it will be because I like spotting the little doodles on my students’ work that they have purposely drawn for my enjoyment, and I like to comment on them too.
If I stay in the classroom, it will be because I feel that my students need someone who will work hard to help them succeed.
But, if I ever leave the classroom, it will be because after ten years of teaching, I am still making about the same salary. As my family has grown, it has been harder and harder to make ends meet.
If I ever leave the classroom, it will be because I am expected to focus more and more on standardized tests every year, and that makes me feel like I am cheating my students.
If I ever leave the classroom, it will be because my lesson planning time, my grading time, and all the other time I have to help my students is consistently taken away, and that makes me feel like I’m not doing a good job, and I hate that.
If I ever leave the classroom, it will be because of how hard it is to do my job effectively, when students are not held responsible for their own grades and behavior.
If I ever leave the classroom, it will be because so many things in my house are broken, but we can’t afford to fix anything.
If I ever leave the classroom, it will be because I will stop being viewed as the problem with education.
If I ever leave the classroom, it will be because as teachers, we are not valued, we are not paid, we are often not supported, and we are not allowed to do our jobs to the best of our ability. I love teaching, but as we teachers lose more agency in the classroom, our determination to do what we love is diminished. People need to fight harder to give teachers what they need to stay in the classroom, so that we will stop hearing so many teachers say, “This is why I left the classroom…”
Vivian Maguire is an English Teacher and a parent in El Paso, TX. Follow her on Twitter @Maguireteacher. Like her Facebook page.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
