I received a really neat Christmas gift this year: a fabric keychain embroidered with the words "Children Are My Priority". I wear it everyday. It has really made me think about how, as a teacher, I need to make every child my priority, including my own 2 children. As a mom, I sometimes wonder, "How can I successfully balance classroom life and home life?" It is not easy, but I must continue to strive for balance.
Regardless of the type of family we have, all elementary school teachers serve as "substitute" parents during the school day when someone else's child is in our care. We wipe noses, tie shoes and open milk cartons. We peel bananas, wipe tears, and put a band-aid where there sometimes is no scrape. We check temperatures and send students to the office when they are ill.
Yesterday, one of my A students in Grade 6, came running up to me, sobbing. He is not prone to doing that. He said he felt quite ill from a migraine and had to use the office phone to call home. I sent him quickly, without doubting his story. He left and his mother later told me that he threw up. I felt true compassion for him and wished his mother well. I was glad that I was able to care for him quickly and in turn, to get him to the school office and eventually to his home with his mom, where he belonged.
I was really surprised that a 6th grade boy was crying. I don't know why I thought it unusual...it's okay for boys to cry, right? Older boys, too? I just thought that as kids get older they cease to become kids somewhere along the line, on their way into adulthood. I was wrong: at that moment he was still very much a child who needed his mother's care.
Thinking of this young child made me remember my daughter's recent fever. She had to be rushed home to be with her father and me. She has since recovered, but I found myself wishing that I had as much time with my own kids as I do with other people's children. I am looking forward to the day that my own children, once school age, will be with me here at school and I will be able to tend to them as well.
Sometimes I believe that I was put in my classroom not only to teach, but to care for children while their parents are away from them. I believe that all children can be my priority, at different times, as circumstances dictate.
I feel that all teachers have a calling to love all of their students equally and to treat them as they would treat their own child(ren): with the greatest care and love. As teachers (and/or parents) children MUST be our top priority: we need to first show them that we care. Then comes the teaching and of course, beyond that, the learning will follow.
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3 comments:
You make an excellent point. school age children spend just as much time at school as they do at home, not counting the hours they sleep. I spent some time subbing at a K-8 school in Bay City. It was pretty clear to me early on that the quality of life for these kids was better at school than at home. My degree is in secondary education, so it was an adjustment subbing in the elementary grades. One thing that struck me was the number of kids that would run up to me and want a hug. I felt awkward about it. It's not like my high schoolers are looking for hugs on a regular basis. I watch how the teacher responded to the these kids who clearly needed some love. I could not believe the number of teachers that pushed kids away or told them to go away. My philosophy was that if a kid asked for a hug they needed some love and attention. So long as they initiated it I would give them a hug. I figured it was the least I could do. Many of them did not get hugs at home. You're right, as teachers we are their substitute parents.
I often find myself thinking about the balance, too. It's so tough. My expectations are much higher for my step-son. I often find myself getting frustrated with him, and he's only doing as much as he's capable of. I am much milder with the kids at school. It is really tough. I, too, must continue to strive for balance.
I don't do any of the things that you do in class....the middle and high school kids would probably push me away.
The only time that the boys cry is if they are sent to their room for an extended period of time. They are usually so emotionally distraught that all of feelings and confusion are expressed as tears. Some of their tears are passionate, while others are that of "feel sorry for me". I'm not trying to sound cold, but many of their emotions are capable of manipulating even the most loving of parents/teachers.
I have always displayed my care for the students. It's nice when they ask me if I can talk "man-to-man/one-on-one". I know that we have a trusting relationship that both of us value.
Keep up the good work Stephanie!
This is so true!!! I teach high school and even with high school, it might not be a runny nose or opening a milk carton but we have to deal with a lot of other situations. I have had a students tell me she was pregnant and didn't know how to tell her parents, students who are fighting with their parents and are looking for guidance and so on. I have one student who was getting tested for ADD and ADHD and such. He had to have a teacher fill out some paperwork and he brought it to me. When he handed me the paperwork he said "the doctor told me to give this to a teacher that cares and would be honest and you are the only one in this school that does both." I almost was in tears, because this is a mocho football player that I never thought would say something like that to me.
After that day I remembered that I am not only hear just to get my curriculum across I am here as guidance for those students. That is why I went into teaching!!!
Now that I am a mother of a baby boy I would only hope he has teachers that feel the same way about education as I do. I am a mother of 1 at home (well two if you count my husband) and a mother of 100 at school!
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