The Role of the Teacher

I have found myself saying the words "Stop complaining at me like I'm your mother" lately in one of my classes.  The comment, said twice, was met with mixed reviews.   First, silence, confusion, and then snickering laughter.  Not sure what any of those reactions meant exactly, but it got me thinking about the role of the teacher and how its often confused by students and adults alike. 

I've heard comments recently observing the amount of respect given to teachers.  And I'm not referring particularly to the general public view of a teacher's job, which is constantly being scrutinized in the media, although I do think its related.  I'm referring to the student-to-teacher interaction.  And also, the teacher-to-student interaction.   Teachers often describe their roles in students lives, and with pride, as being a person of multiple roles, myself included.  However, I'm beginning to question the helpfulness to this approach.  Teachers are already overwhelmed with responsibility, so why are we welcoming the responsibility of ALL THE THINGS in this world along with it.

Let's be honest.  A teacher is not a parent.  A teacher is not a brother, sister, or family member.   A teacher is not a friend.  A teacher is not a counselor.  A teacher is not a medical provider.  A teacher is not a police officer.  A teacher is not an entertainer.  A teacher is not a babysitter.

What is a teacher?  A Learning Facilitator. 

I gave a concert this evening.  There is a class I struggle with ALOT.  I didn't know what to expect from them this evening.  But, by golly, every single last one of them SHOWED UP, PERFORMED WELL, and HANDLED THEMSELVES WITH DIGNITY AND STAGE PRESENCE.  I did not have confidence in either of these things.  Because in my classroom, it is a different story.  Its a particularly immature group of students, and the most challenging group in my career.  And out of all the classes in 9 years of teaching and in two communities, they are the only ones that I had 100% attendance at the concert.  I'm baffled by them.  They are also the group of students that 3 hours earlier I started their final class period/dress rehearsal for the concert by sending 2 students to the office for inciting to fight one another.  I, also, instead of spending my planning period preparing concert details, I was frantically pulling a seat-work assignment out of my butt to fulfill my requirements of the one-and-only attainable daily agenda for them:  keep them busy.  There is very little teaching going on in that class.  Their level of immaturity and lack of respect for peers and adults has, often times, deemed them as Unteachable and Uncoachable.  Reminds me of the quote:  "Uncoachable students turn into unemployable adults" and this reminder upsets me greatly because I'm not fulfilling my role, as the teacher.

But, anyway, the purpose of my writing today was not to complain about my teaching deficiencies.  It was to describe that moment when I realized:  They are HERE, all of them.  They are performing beautiful music.  They are presenting themselves with dignity and maturity.  They.  Are.  Capable.

So the problem is:  the classroom.   I heard another teacher comment recently on how they notice that students don't respect teachers in comparison to other situations.  I won't specify what kind of situation: different school, different city, different country, it doesn't matter.  And I don't think the issue is "respect".  I think respect is a word that is often misunderstood.  Its more - is the teacher being treated AS A TEACHER?

To the student - A teacher is not a parent.  A teacher is not a brother, sister, or family member.   A teacher is not a friend.  A teacher is not a counselor.  A teacher is not a medical provider.  A teacher is not a police officer.  A teacher is not an entertainer.  A teacher is not a babysitter.

What is a teacher?  A Learning Facilitator.

A teacher is in a child's daily life in large and repeated doses for a short amount of time.  Teachers care about their students in a way different than their parents, friends, siblings, counselors, medical providers, police officers, entertainers, and babysitters.  I'm a teacher and I care so much my bones hurt.  Because if they are uncoachable when they leave my classroom, they are considered, at that time, unemployable.

#workyourproperdutytitle

And, oh my goodness, the loving care of a Middle School teacher is a force you can never imagine unless you have actually been one.  Middle School is a time of transition.  A time when they were previously cared for as a child to now being cared for as a young adult.  And every single darn last one of those stinkers reaches that transition from child to young adulthood at a different time.

I'm reminded again of my favorite teacher motivating video of all time, from Taylor Mali, and I think he summarizes the intended role of the teacher perfectly.  I've posted this before, and I am posting it again.  ENJOY!

42 days

In other news....

Losing Touch

I received a heart-breaking phone call this afternoon.  A friend of mine from my 42nd Street days (10 years ago.  wow.) died unexpectedly earlier this week.   We had lost touch in the last 5 years or so, but he was, for a short time, one of my CLOSEST friends and still one of my favorite people EVER.  I am crushed by this news.

Confession time:  I avoid talking on the phone, sometimes like the plague.  Even with my best friends or family members, I will ignore your phone call because #introverting.   Superman is the only phone call that I will always pick up, no matter what.   Dumb, right?  But its the reality of who I am.

Even as a child, I was horrendously scared of talking on the phone.  I have half-remembered memories of my grandfather calling the house, and he would prank me into thinking he was someone else!  Love that guy.  But I think he scarred me from the telephone for life...

Recently, I've spoken to people about how silly it is that I haven't SPOKEN face-to-face or voice-to-voice with them for years, but The Facebook, or The Twitter, or The Instagram, or ___________(fill in the blank with the electronic social media outlet) has given me the illusion that we are in touch.  I know what cute outfit their kid wore today, or that they did a fun run over the weekend, but I haven't spoken to them in....oh.....7 years.  Why is this ok??!?????!

It almost makes me want to log off of Facebook forever.  (almost... )  Go back to the old days to handwriting letters, stamping it, and waiting in anticipation for a return letter.  Running out to the mailbox, hoping!  I miss that feeling!  Being ACTUALLY IN TOUCH.  The illusion continues... you think you don't have time for this or that.  Yet, we spend hours and hours looking at Facebook with that time "we don't have".

Facebook.  I hate you but I love you.

The list filled with the names of my favorite people on this earth... how many of them have I actually conversed with in the last year?  How many of them called me at one time, left me a message just wanting to chat, and I didn't call them back?   The list is super long at the moment, with people sending me well-wishes and gifts, in response to my cancer diagnosis, and then again due to my surviving cancer.  Confession #2:  I never wrote thank you notes for our wedding gifts.  Its not a lack of thankfulness.  Its because of that illusion that I "don't have time".  No time to connect.  No time to be in touch.  No time to sleep.  No time to drink enough water.  No time to do yoga.  No time to take my dogs on a walk.  No time to TAKE CARE OF MYSELF and ENJOY LIFE.  Acceptance.  Gratitude.  Healing.   As anyone who has been reading this blog knows, I have been trying to change many things, and I'm adding this, the effort of keeping in touch, to my agenda.

So my friend dies, unexpectedly, and what would I give to pick up the phone RIGHT *%&$i^#*  NOW, even when I'm #introverting (because:  weekend), and call him just to say hello??

Absolutely.  Crushed.

So, if you receive a phone call from me, or more likely an email, text, Facebook private message, stamped handwritten letter in the mail just to say "Hi, here's what's going on in my life.  How are you doing?" ....or a thank you card for the wedding gift you gave me 3.5 years ago, this is why.

#tears

Blue Snow Day

So, thanks to the Royals EPIC WORLD SERIES WIN, I have the day off from work today.

Nope, you will not find me anywhere near that parade...!
But thanks for giving me the time to do it if I wanted to.

Instead, I am eating delicious t.Loft breakfast, updating my blog, going to 10:00 Hot Hatha yoga (I didn't like it the first time I tried it, so I'm giving it another chance...), watching the parade On The Couch, and somewhere in there watching the 9th - 12th inning that I missed when I put myself to bed.  haha.   That is the end of my plans so far.

I'm enjoying the chance to process all the Royals craziness, and then re-center and get back to real life.  Man!  I was obsessed.  Such fun!  I know I said this last year, I didn't think I was a baseball fan, but I guess I am!  Perhaps influenced by having such a fun home team to watch.

In other news, my Superman and Superfamily threw me a surprise party recently to celebrate the end of my cancer treatments.   I have to say, I was TRULY surprised.  I mean, I KNOW MY HUSBAND.  I knew somethiiiiiiing was up, but I had no idea it was happening.  (although, I did find it weird when he was vacuuming the house just two days after I JUST vacuumed the house. haha...)  I'm so grateful to everyone that came, and was happy to see all of them.

I do feel like life has returned to "normal" for the most part.  However, its a new and improved normal.   I swear to you that the teacher across the hall was sent to me through divine intervention.  She keeps me laughing all day, and encourages me to be active.  She and some of the other ladies at school have been walking and doing Zumba at the end of the work day and I join them whenever possible.  This has helped me stick to #workyourproperdutyday, as well.  Gotta be done by 3:30, so I can go Zumba!

I also bought a fitness tracker!  Its a Jawbone Up2, and I.  LOVE.  IT.

I was tossing between it and the features of the Garmin Vivo fit.  (I never did consider doing a fitbit.) The Garmin had a lot of features that I liked.  The Up2 lacks a console on the band, which I initially really wanted.  I sat on the floor of Best Buy for about an hour just looking at them and thinking.  The Best Buy employees finally realized they should just step over me and keep walking because there were no questions I had for them.  Just needed to think and decide! haha.  But then, noticing the Prop 65 carcinogens warning on the Garmin box is what settled the deal.
California's Proposition 65, also called the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, was enacted in 1986. It is intended to help Californians make informed decisions about protecting themselves from chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.

Its a precautionary warning and probably NOT a big deal.  However, I just spent considerable time and effort getting rid of cancer, so I'm not going to knowingly invite it back into my life!!!  No sir!!  The Up2 it is, and I couldn't be happier with it.  Its been doing its job.  Getting me off the couch and more active.  :)  Its super fun and satisfying to look in the app and see how much I've slept, how many steps I've taken today, enter in my yoga sessions and other workouts, and entering the food I eat.  It counts the calories and tells me the nutrient make-ups on them. (I'm not concerned with calories, but I LOVE that it tells me the nutrient information.)  It has a "smart coach" that tells me different tips on healthy choices and challenges me to do better.  Its perfect.  And the band is super cute, and I picked my favorite color.  It doesn't look like a fitness tracker.  It looks like a trendy bracelet.  Which was not what I originally wanted, but it turns out I love it.

Well, that's all for today.  No deep thoughts or revelations.  Just catching up, now that my Royals Fever has almost passed.  There's some great lessons to be learned from this season and last season (#resiliency), but I'll ponder on those a different day!  A day that wasn't an unexpected gift of a day off! :D  Much better than an actual snow day.  Its 70+ degrees outside!!!!

Forgot to show you my new hair color!!

Did NOT intend for it to be so red.  I was looking for dark brown, with copper overtones.  haHA!  Oh well.  Its going to grow out super fast.  Like my hairstylist said, "Its growing like a weed!!"

And she showed me how to use "hair paste" to tame the frizz and give it texture.   Oooooo.   Aaaaaaaah.  Another hair product to add to my cabinet.... :P

Survivorship, Day 1

I took my first Tamoxifen today.  Only 1,824 days (5 years) left!  hahaaaaaaaaa.   ha.

I was nervous about how it would make me feel.  I felt a little queasy and fuzzy headed for a little bit - however, it could've been because I went too long before eating some breakfast.  And after some coffee, my fuzzy headedness went away.  Don't know if it was related.  But, regardless, I welcome it with open arms, for it will ensure that I live many many years of awesome life.  My oncologist said the benefit of Tamoxifen is as great, if not greater, than chemotherapy.  Another weapon in my arsenal.

Yesterday was celebration of the end of radiation.  I consider this day:  Survivorship, Day 1.   And I'm dressing the part.  I bought some new workout clothes yesterday, to get me ready and excited for my more active lifestyle.  Nothing like new outfits to get you ready!  So I'm wearing new sweatpants today, not because I actually did anything active, but because:  Saturday.  ha.  But, hey, its a start.  I'm doing  Zumba after-school on Monday.  And I bought some new tennis shoes today.  I've known my last pair of tennis shoes longer than I've known my husband!  Yep.

In other news, the Royals won the American League Championship last night!   Woke up to all kinds of fun shares on the Facebook.

My favorites:

#boysinblue   #worldseriesbound2015   #takethecrown   #believe  #blueoctoberisthebest

DONE! but "treatment" to be continued...

Finished my last radiation today!

And the view is great from up here!!!  I get to celebrate with a day off from work tomorrow!!  Well, you didn't ask, but I'll tell you:   I'm getting my hair did, and then I'll do some yoga, and then I'll take a nap, and then I'll read a book, and then I'll......... do some other really fun stuff I haven't decided yet!  :) :) :)  (and I'll watch the royals game somewhere in there too!)

DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE!!!

I rang the bell.  It was really loud, oops!

Good quote, next to the bell. "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. -Jeremiah 29:11"

Superman had flowers delivered to my treatment, because he is stuck at parent-teacher conferences tonight.  He is always the hit of the doctor's office!!! :)  Whatta guy! <3

And the technicians made me a "graduation certificate".  :)

Through the process of this radiation regimen, I've proven to myself that I CAN #workmyproperdutyday.  Six weeks of radiation everyday, and I didn't miss a single one.  Heck!  I wasn't even late for one (anybody who knows me realizes this is nothing short of a miracle!)  I'm fully capable of dropping my work and leaving.  Pick up where I left off tomorrow, after I've gone home and participated in gratitude, acceptance, and healing.  Do the good work on another day.  (There are still SOME things that I continue to do at home, bad teacher, bad, but its kept to a minimum...)

So I've decided to continue my "treatment".  Put down all the stressful things at 3:30 and leave.  My treatment options include:  Go do Zumba. Go walk my dog.  Go to the gym.  Do yoga.  Still thinking of that personal trainer thing.  And looking into fitbit type devices.  

One of my co-workers showed me hers today, and, yep, its pretty darn cool.  It'll motivate me to keep moving!

I committed myself to treatment of some sort for the last 8 months.  I can certainly continue my "treatment" forever.  Check.

Cheers to continued "Treatment"!