Appreciation Requires Perspective

Considering the abundance of Teacher Appreciation reading material available this week, I feared that writing about the topic might be redundant.  Upon further reflection I realized that if I were to write such a post, I would start with a pondering about something I've not seen in any Teacher Appreciation musings yet, something that lends itself perfectly to the topic.  This 'something' is so ubiquitous, that with this post I hope to leave my readers with an easy visual reminder to appreciate teachers.  Have I sufficiently gained your attention?  Here it is…Wait for it...

Windshield Wipers…

                                       …Work with me here…

As my son and I began the return trip from a college music audition it was raining.  In fact, it had been raining all morning on our way to the school as well, and so the windshield wipers had been working non-stop all day. We came upon a line of traffic and it wasn't until this moment that I noticed the rain had stopped but the windshield wipers still moved; left and right, left and right, left and right.  I proceeded to switch them off, wondering for how long they had continued their efforts right in front of me.  I began to consider how often I neglect to notice that which is occurring right before my eyes, simply because it has been happening for so long that I have lost perspective.  I was considering that which I take for granted.  My mind went all over, but then fell to education, and how much I consider displaying my gratitude to my co-workers, but not always as much to the teachers of my personal children.  And I wondered why?

One word that kept creeping into my thoughts was "perspective".  Where my co-workers are concerned in the Middle School in which I teach, I know what they are doing each day and so I realize that I must let them know they are appreciated.  Giving little gifts of hand sanitizer, replenishing the tea bag bin in the teacher's room, supplying nice smelling lotions on my desk for all to use; little ways to show them I get it, I understand, and I am here to appreciate them.  So why don't I consistently do the same for the teachers of my children?  There are about 32 of them all together!  The fact is, and I am not proud to admit it, I take for granted that they are there working with my children.  I don't see their day to day and in order to fully appreciate teachers, that day-to-day is the very perspective I need to gain. Even within the confines of a school district, there are jobs that vary tremendously.  I really don't quite know all that goes into being an intermediate grade or high school teacher.  Compare in your mind the pre-school and high school teacher.  Now imagine having them switch positions for a day...what do you see?  These positions are under the umbrella of teacher, yet they may as well be different professions on different planets.  We think we know the depth of the word "teacher", and we try to say we appreciate the "teacher", yet perhaps it is too difficult to truly appreciate that which we do not experience, either firsthand or through the stories of others.  And so, for deeper appreciation to occur, we as educators need to share our story and we need to challenge ourselves to get to know the other stories unfolding around us. 

I am a Middle School teacher.  However, each summer when I apply to work our extended school year program, I request to work with children in grades K-2.   While I knew there would be many challenges in working with the very different ages, I began doing so as a way to experience something different from my school-year teens.  As time went on, the change became a way for me to become aware of the challenges faced by my colleagues in elementary school.  This was truly a perspective I could gain in few other ways.  This experience nourishes an appreciation for what teachers of younger children do all year.

Perhaps the differences of teaching positions in education are best illustrated with quotes and stories from the field.  Share yours!  If not here or on Twitter or Facebook, then at least with those with whom you spend your days. Here are a couple of mine to illustrate the point.  Last summer, I needed to request of a first grade student, “Please don’t lick the water fountain”, while just a couple weeks ago I heard our Middle School Vice Principal call to a student, “Take that do-rag off.”  These simple words might help someone appreciate the teachers who are working in each of these environments on a daily basis.  Of course, there are some lines such as, “Keep your hands to yourself.”, that might just as easily be demanded of a pre-schooler who is trying to learn to not hit as of high-schoolers testing the boundaries of acceptable public displays of affection in school.  Regardless, it is important to gain perspective and understand what teachers are doing on a daily basis in order to fully appreciate those in the field.  Only when we are willing to share the tapestry of teaching, all those little intricate details that we take for granted without noticing, can we expect others to be aware enough to be able to appreciate us for all we do for children and one another. 

 As teachers we run the risk of being the windshield wipers; so important, absolutely necessary, serving a purpose that can be served no other way, yet forgotten in the "on" position, working tirelessly hour after hour.  Let’s change this!  Let’s share our stories and help others become aware of our day-to-day existence.  Not for a raise and not for the praise, but just for the sake of being appreciated for all we are doing for children and for the world!  There is a little boy out there who just might refrain from licking the bottom of the water fountain as he grows up, and that is pretty important!