Teacher: We’re just asking for a little respect

Anyone who cares about students and teachers:

I originally wrote this in response to hateful comments about our local teachers’ contract. This commentary on teaching in today’s society is in no way intended as a criticism of my local school corporation. The blame for most of these issues lies squarely on the shoulders of tone-deaf elected officials who make education polices with mostly-zero experience in a classroom.

Have you ever planned 25 speeches a week—along with various other activities for six classes/day, five days a week? Don’t forget to vary assignments and teaching strategies to reach several different learning styles. Also, please adjust every assignment, quiz, and test to meet all special education needs. Have you returned those important special education reports? Attended those case conferences?

Have you emailed parents yet? Gotten homework together for all of your absent students? Don’t forget to stay up late to make sure you can return those tests or essays tomorrow and enter those grades in the electronic grade book in a timely fashion. What? Is that difficult? Do you have searing pain in your wrists yet, because you typed 25-page papers to earn a Master’s degree—while also working full time and taking care of a family?

How many meetings and conferences have you been involved with this week that took away precious planning time? Did you cover your colleague’s classes because there is a substitute teacher shortage—often adding a class to your already-full classroom?

Are you going to stay after school and/or show up early to tutor struggling students? Scaffold those lesson plans for high-ability students yet? What’s scaffolding? You better spend your own money to join a professional organization and read up on the latest terminology and methods. Ready to spend some of your own money to attend a conference? Don’t worry those are partially covered sometimes, but not always.

Have you revised your curriculum and attended technology training yet? I know you want to do that for two or three hours after teaching classes all day. Don’t worry. You can do some of this in the summer you have “off.” Please be sure to read all the new materials and plan for a new class you’re taking on next school year during your summer “off.”

Exactly what state standards are you covering today? Are they posted? Are your formative or summative assessments perfectly aligned with those standards? Bell ringers and exit tickets ready for the day? What? You only included two informal assessments in that lesson? Nope. Try again.

Don’t forget to coach a sport or up to three like some teachers trying to support a family. How many camps are you taking your teams to or holding on your summer “off?” Better get on that, since every sport you coach now has to be year-round to be competitive. What? You haven’t planned your off-season conditioning yet? Better be prepared for meetings with parents who think their kid is the next LeBron or Tom Brady.

Sports not your thing? How about an academic team? You need to meet with them on weekends, because students are involved in too many other things during the week.

How many clubs do you sponsor? Are you going to help decorate for prom or homecoming this year? Did you remember to design and order T-shirts for everything you coach or sponsor? Did you have that design approved? No? Then be prepared for someone without a sense of humor to complain.

But wait, open house and parent/teacher conferences are coming up. Are you prepared for that time outside of the contract day—even though in today’s technological world parents can communicate with you 24/7?

How many students this week have you listened to tell or write a heart-wrenching story that you need to report to guidance? Did you notice those students crying in the hallway or your classroom who sometimes have horrible home lives that you can’t even begin to imagine? What? A student was stealthily bullied in your room and you didn’t notice when you were teaching a class of 30? You better step it up!

I almost forgot, have you uploaded absolutely everything to Canvas, so students and parents have access to all you’re doing in your classes daily? Just so you know, most students don’t bother to write assignments down anymore, and it will somehow be your fault if little Georgie forgets his homework.

Don’t forget to plan those field trips — some in the evenings, on weekends, and during summers “off.”

Do you need to go to the doctor for neck pain caused by hours at a computer? Have you met your $12,000 deductible yet? Better just buy some IcyHot and aspirin. No time to go to the doctor anyway.

Have you cried yourself to sleep yet because no matter how much you do it’s not enough? Do you constantly feel like you’re failing as a teacher, parent, or spouse? Don’t worry, that’s normal.

Not glamorous enough for you yet? Need more of a challenge? Teach special education. That way you can spend countless hours on even more paperwork. When was the last time you changed a diaper on a nearly-adult human? Have you ever stopped a student twice your size from harming him or herself or other students? Better get in shape.

Maybe elementary school is more your speed. Exactly how much money is in your account to decorate your classroom? The state of Indiana will give you very little, so start saving those pennies. Do you have extra supplies for students whose parents don’t or can’t send their kids with pencils, etc.? Lunch money for the crying student too upset to hear their account is empty again? What? You can’t figure out how to manage over 20 kindergarten students into a quiet, straight line? Shame, shame, shame. I guess you’ll be headed to a classroom management conference during your summer “off.”

Exhausted yet? Have the flu? Need a day off? Okay, but make sure you make detailed sub plans. Did you try to just hurriedly write those plans on paper or the board when you dragged yourself to school in your pjs at 5:30am to prepare to be gone? You crazy. You also need to post them electronically, because you have no idea if you will have a sub. Your students may need to be shuffled to different rooms throughout the day. If you’re truly dedicated, you’ll make videos for all your classes, so they don’t miss a day of instruction. Think you can just post them electronically? Wrong. WiFi is not always a reliable friend. Enjoy your day off, because a pile will be waiting when you return tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow, because preparing to be gone for more than one day is harder than the stomach flu.

I love teaching and can’t imagine doing anything else, BUT I earn every red cent I’m paid. Continual teacher bashing and disrespect is one of the many reasons both Indiana and other states are facing an unprecedented teacher shortage. Unless you’ve walked in a teacher’s shoes, you have no idea how much we deserve.

Nicole Burkhalter

Latin Teacher

English Teacher

English Team Coach

Interdisciplinary Team Coach

Latin Club Sponsor

Climate Committee Member

PASS Committee Member

Taken Students to Italy During my Summer “Off” going on six times

Former: Spell Bowl Coach, National Honor Society Sponsor, and GCTA President — I’ve cut back due to an autoimmune disease probably caused by not taking care of myself during 24 years of teaching

Again, I don’t want pity. I LOVE my job and students, but a bit a respect would be great!