teacher character

Be the Bean

by Kendal Privette on May 15, 2012

Coffee Beans 

The North Carolina Teacher of the Year, Tyronna Hooker,  spoke at one of our faculty meetings recently – a shot in the arm as we enter this season of testing. She shared an inspirational story with us, and, although I have to admit that I don’t always pay attention to the heartwarmers, I was…inspired. In the story a woman who is facing adversity boils a carrot in one pot, an egg in another and a coffee bean in another. The carrot gets mushy and the egg hard, but the coffee bean? Changes the water. School isn’t always easy, but we all, teachers and students alike, have a choice in how we respond to challenges.

I thought about the ways in which my students have been the bean this year. Making bracelets to raise money to provide clean water in Africa, welcoming students with special needs to their classroom, writing award-winning speeches, assisting teachers in a grant-writing project to provide a defibrillator for our school, pitching in to help our custodian while another has been on medical leave for four months, and the list goes on.

I want to be the bean everyday for my students – challenging their minds, dispelling myths, breaking up stereotypes and always, always pushing for more.

I want to be the bean everyday for my colleagues – smiling, working as a team player, and helping in any way I can.

I want to be the bean in my community – listening, advocating for students  and speaking positive words about my school.

How about you? In what ways have your students been agents for change this year? In what ways do you want to be the bean?

Kendal teaches 7th grade social studies and blogs at a spacious place

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How to Enjoy Teaching During Testing Season

by Kendal Privette on March 22, 2012

Testing season has opened in North Carolina Public Schools. Over the next eight weeks we will train for a field test, administer the field test, review the field test, train for the state end-of-grade tests, administer the state end-of-grade tests, remediate for re-tests and administer the re-tests.  Sigh. Deep, heavy, ragged sigh. I want to teach. I want to help students explore culture. I want to tap into their creativity. As I reflect on the sheer number of hours we will spend in still, silent, sequestered testing sessions, I am faced with a choice: work myself into a frenzy, fretting over time boxes, answer documents, test booklets and data or focus on why I do what I do.

And why do I roll out of bed at 5:00 every morning, looking forward to unlocking room 712? Because I have the privilege of unlocking more than a door each day. When students return smiles and greet learning experiences with enthusiasm, when they want to save the world and come alongside the classmate with special needs,  I am filled with inexplicable energy (remember the 5:00 wake-up call). I feel like I could do this forever.  Thirteen-year-olds really can display these positive characteristics, and unlocking them is crucial to maintaining joy in this profession. And it starts with me – my smiles, my enthusiasm, my willingness to let them try to save the world, my teaching them to come alongside the ones who need assistance.

There are a plethora of other things that keep me going, too. My colleagues, who are professional, learned, kind-hearted and helpful. The student mini-laptop program. Strong, freshly ground coffee in the workroom. A new(ish), beautiful facility. But number one? Students. And I refuse to let hours of standardized testing rob me of the joy of working with them.

How about you? What keeps you going this late in the year?

 Kendal writes at a spacious place

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A Meaningful Gift for the Imperfect Teacher

by Kendal Privette on December 16, 2011

Writing for this blog has forced me to analyze what I do and why I do it, so today, because I was curious, I asked my students to compile lists of the qualities they appreciate in teachers. They wrote, ranked and shared until they had  assembled forty-five adjectives. It’s a tall order, this list, and one I strive to fill.  Here are a few of my favorites -

patient

creative

loving

kind

fun

active

helpful

optimistic

even-tempered

humorous

world-saving

But there are days. Headache days. Should-have-gone-to-bed-earlier days. Worried-about-family days. Days I make ineffective decisions. Days I am unprepared and self-centered.  Days I expect perfection from 12-year-olds. I admit that on those days I embody few of the qualities my students treasure in a teacher. I had one today, one of those days.  It started with a 9.5-on-the-Privette-scale headache and slid quickly into the pits by noon. Bedraggled is the best adjective to describe me after a twelve hour day.

But thank goodness for tomorrows. And thank goodness for gifts. Oh, it is the Christmas season, and my students will come bearing gifts. Coffee. Mugs. Candles. Chocolate. Nutella. Gift Cards. I am smiling now, thinking of how excited they are to give. But on the top of my wish list tonight? Grace. These students, I know them, and I believe that they will give and give abundantly. They will bestow upon this teacher forgiveness undeserved.  

So I would like to add a forty-sixth adjective to the slate  - blessed.

Kendal blogs at a spacious place 

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When a Teacher is Tired

by Laura Parker on November 17, 2011

Tired CamelWhen your patience with that student and that colleague is spent, when grades are due tomorrow and lessons plans were due yesterday,

when you are tired–

here is where the true grit of teaching rises to the surface.

Because anyone can teach for an afternoon, fresh out of the shoot, full of smiles and candy and a song-and-dance-routine.

But, it’s when mental and emotional exhaustion creep in that your true heart as a teacher is revealed.

And it’s those choices you make to be kind and creative, gracious and patient that sometimes matter the most in the life of a student–

not extraordinary, just consistent–

even, maybe especially, when you’re tired.

“Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.” – Mother Theresa

5 Things to Do When a Teacher is Tired

1. Take a Break, Especially at Home. Put the grades down for an evening. Go out with a friend. Date your husband. Catch up on your TiVo shows. Do something fun or mindless or relaxing or indulgent . . . as long as it is NOT school-related. Give yourself permission to not live-breathe-eat-die education. Really, you have permission.

2. Exercise. The benefits of exercise far outweigh the hassle of making the time to do it. Even just an evening walk will get your endorphins flowing, which will do wonders for your overall energy level, perspective, health, confidence, and ability to fight depression.

3. Make a List. Whether it’s with your class or on your own, make a list of all the things you are grateful for this week. Shifting your perspective from all that you have to do, to all that you already have will speak volumes to your ability to finish the day/week/semester strong.

4. You’re Tireder on an Island, Promise.  When it comes to teaching, don’t be an island– isolated from your collegues who could become valuable friends and assets to your own ability to being a stronger teacher. Pick someone you can trust and be brutally honest about your weariness– it may just be that they need someone to commiserate with, as well.  There’s nothing worse than really struggling and then really believing that everyone else has it all together.

5. Perfectionism Would’ve Made Even Mother Theresa Tired. In order to sustain teaching over the long haul, you will have to learn to let go of the ideal. There will always be a better job you could do, a student you could encourage, more advice you could write on an English paper, more homemade snacks you could make for your elementary sweethearts, but you have a life outside of the classroom. Enjoy it.  And get comfortable with the reality that maybe a B+ is good enough.

*******************

Felt Tired Lately? Anything particular stressing you out these days?

Related Posts: Why Teach? / Weight of a Stressful Day / Importance of a Teacher’s Words

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*Laura is a former middle school teacher and current home educator. She blogs at aLifeOverseas.com .

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Be a Better Teacher {10 Questions to a Happier You}

October 19, 2011
Be a Better Teacher {10 Questions to a Happier You}

Do you Want to Be a Better, Happier Teacher? Do you want to be a more positive person– Someone a little more glass-half-full and a bit less eeyore-sound-alike? Here are ten simple questions to honestly ask yourself, which just may hold the key to greater joy, easier smiles, and louder laughs in the classroom and outside [...]

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Teacher, Your Words Matter

January 20, 2011

A story of a teacher’s words that left my own little one in tears at the end of the day.

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