I'm A Fraud and It's Okay
My first year as a teacher I felt
like a fraud. I had a regular paycheck and got to practice theatre on an
everyday basis, so I didn't let that feeling keep me up at night. But, I knew
that I wasn't one of these teachers that goes into education because I loved
school as a kid. I enjoyed parts, like the socializing and the
extra-curriculars. I even enjoyed class when I was lucky enough to have a
really engaging teacher in a subject for which I was particularly interested.
You may read my grammar and recognize that English is probably not one of those
subjects. Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Writing about my day? Loved
it. Reading Wuthering Heights? Stab me with a fork. Math was also not one of my favorite subjects, although I wasn't horrible at it. As an adult I find science fascinating but it turns out that science is only about blowing things up and
dissecting stuff a small fraction of the time. The rest of the time it is math!
Here's my point. I was an okay student. Even in classes I loved, like World History, I only did as well as someone would do who would hardly ever study or do homework. Most of my teacher colleagues were straight A, honor students that knew they wanted to mold young minds. I wanted to do theatre and I didn't want to starve to do it. This is what they usually call a bad reason to go into teaching. But, I did anyway.
Those first few years of teaching were some of the toughest of my life. My first day as a teacher I asked my students to tell the class what had enticed them to take theatre. One kid's face is burned into my memory as he resentfully told me that he didn't care about this class and they made him take it.
Okay. Welcome to class! It's going to be a great year!
I spent the next 3-5 years slowly realizing that my job was not just about theatre. In order to succeed in my job I would have to become an educator. Educators don't just care about their particular subject matter, they care about the students. They engage in and study how to impact kids' lives.
Educators also drink margarita's at happy hour. This is where the real work is done. This is where you get together with other educators and talk about kids and principals and systems and wonder if there is another way. This is the context which Seth first brought to me the idea of starting a podcast that would explore education and the ideas that will help us be better teachers, principals, mentors, janitors, or whatever. All with the side jokes and looseness that may keep the stuff-shirts at bay. (Stuff-shirts still welcome.)
My hope is that our conversations will be real, safe, free of absolutes, and constantly open to all-comers who, in good-faith, want to see the education profession do a better job of reaching and motivating kids who might come to you and say, "they made me take this."
Well, you know what, kid? They made me do it this way, too. But, there's probably a better way and we're going to be over here trying to figure it out on your behalf. Or, at least having a few laughs at your expense along the way.
Here's my point. I was an okay student. Even in classes I loved, like World History, I only did as well as someone would do who would hardly ever study or do homework. Most of my teacher colleagues were straight A, honor students that knew they wanted to mold young minds. I wanted to do theatre and I didn't want to starve to do it. This is what they usually call a bad reason to go into teaching. But, I did anyway.
Those first few years of teaching were some of the toughest of my life. My first day as a teacher I asked my students to tell the class what had enticed them to take theatre. One kid's face is burned into my memory as he resentfully told me that he didn't care about this class and they made him take it.
Okay. Welcome to class! It's going to be a great year!
I spent the next 3-5 years slowly realizing that my job was not just about theatre. In order to succeed in my job I would have to become an educator. Educators don't just care about their particular subject matter, they care about the students. They engage in and study how to impact kids' lives.
Educators also drink margarita's at happy hour. This is where the real work is done. This is where you get together with other educators and talk about kids and principals and systems and wonder if there is another way. This is the context which Seth first brought to me the idea of starting a podcast that would explore education and the ideas that will help us be better teachers, principals, mentors, janitors, or whatever. All with the side jokes and looseness that may keep the stuff-shirts at bay. (Stuff-shirts still welcome.)
My hope is that our conversations will be real, safe, free of absolutes, and constantly open to all-comers who, in good-faith, want to see the education profession do a better job of reaching and motivating kids who might come to you and say, "they made me take this."
Well, you know what, kid? They made me do it this way, too. But, there's probably a better way and we're going to be over here trying to figure it out on your behalf. Or, at least having a few laughs at your expense along the way.
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