Ego says:
You should be more than a teacher by now. You've been a teacher for 18 years. You should get your Administration Certificate or your doctorate. You should become a Curriculum Director. You should be the instructional coach. You should have an office somewhere instead of doing bus duty in the rain. More, more, more. Not enough, not enough, not enough. Love says: You were born to be a teacher and you are living your purpose. No other position allows you the most direct opportunity to inspire students. You can continue growing while staying in the classroom. There is still so much more to learn about teaching. It's not about your title, it's about your actions. You are making a difference for the children you teach. You are enough. You are enough. You are always enough.
8 Comments
12/10/2019 02:49:34 am
I hear ya .. I have the same conversation in my head, and questions asked of me, and I am happy in the classroom. But the internal questions still happen ...
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12/10/2019 03:12:09 am
Great structure to this slice. I do understand those circling questions!
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Erika Victor
12/10/2019 04:47:09 am
People have finally stopped asking me what I am going to do next. I have never wanted to be anything other than a classroom teacher. It used to stress me when I got the question from a principal, "Where do you see yourself in five or ten years?" My answer was always "in a classroom." Is that lazy of me? Is not "moving up" taking the easy way out? I will say I have never felt teaching is easy (or even easier). We need inspired teachers like you to stay in the classroom!
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ADRIENNE GILLESPIE
12/10/2019 05:56:41 am
My brother was a principal and my twin sister an assistant superintendent of a school district. I always joke that I am the underachiever, but I am very happy where I am. Listen to that voice of love.
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12/10/2019 05:20:08 pm
I love love love this piece. I've had a few of these thoughts too along the way and always come back to I'm not ready to leave the classroom - I think a half and half position would be the best, maybe.
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I'd love to Vox with you about this. I feel I could feel the loving side of this conversation since your impact there is enormous. I couldn't name a single coach's name or consultant's name from my childhood. But my teachers? I can tell you every single name -- from the Kindergarten science teacher to my high school elective teachers -- and how they made me feel. Being a teacher is HUGE. Don't let your ego tell you differently.
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sally donnelly
12/11/2019 03:01:49 am
I am so glad I read thispoem. It is a tug-a-war in my brain constantly. Maybe forever we ponder What to be when we grow up...for now a classroom teacher works...but I, too, have a stanza 1 of other ideas. It is comforting to know I am not alone.
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12/12/2019 03:39:13 am
I think all teachers go through this circle of thought. After nine total years of teaching and eleven running special education meetings, I was lucky to find my true niche in the library. Though now I worry about retirement benefits, and sometimes think of working outside education for practical reasons...
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AuthorKathleen Neagle Sokolowski Archives
February 2024
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