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June 10, 2008

Published: June 2, 2008

Stepping Out of the Classroom

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I once had an administrator who told me that educators are the worst for wishing their lives away. “Only two weeks until spring break!” is an example of a hallway conversation that occurs in every school building across America just as the weather turns warm.

The current teacher-to-teacher rhetoric in my school is “Seven days left!” Seven days until those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. Of course, teachers will tell you that their summers are anything but “lazy” with all of our professional development and planning involved (not to mention second jobs or summer school teaching). Many teachers are in school buildings well before the new school year begins, arranging furniture, decorating classrooms, and creating instructional bulletin boards.

As part of a partnership, teachermagazine.org publishes this regular column by members of the Teacher Leaders Network, a professional community of accomplished educators dedicated to sharing ideas and expanding the influence of teachers.

Still, I’m hearing these words everywhere, and teachers are full of that difficult-to-contain joy that is usually exhibited by their students. I, however, am experiencing different feelings: the seven days I have remaining will be my last as a classroom teacher, at least for a year.

I was recently named North Carolina’s Teacher of the Year, and next school year I will be serving as a teacher ambassador across the state. I’ll be making presentations, serving on committees, and working with the State Board of Education. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to meet and work with educators in an area that covers 52,669 square miles, from Mount Mitchell to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. But while I am elated by this honor, I am equally sad to leave my students.

A Teacher's Voice

Bill Ferriter, a member of the Teacher Leaders Network, and a former regional teacher of the year himself, has written with concern about the idea of teacher leaders leaving the classroom to pursue other adventures in education. He’s asked about the “shelf life” of a teacher: how long do we continue to have credibility after we pack up our classrooms and step out of our schools? And I add to that—will anyone really believe that I know what I’m talking about once I’m able to eat lunch for longer than 15 minutes without hearing “He took my milk!” and “She’s in my seat!” between bites? And what about the idea that teachers who leave are able to actually use the bathroom whenever they want? (I can’t testify to this, but I’ve heard it’s true.)

Personally, I believe there is a real need for those who are leaders in their schools, those who really understand what it’s like to stand in front of 30 wiggly bodies and make a difference, to accept other roles in our profession and speak for teachers’ interests. We’ve all sat through seminars and workshops led by those who have never had to keep the simmering pot from exploding on December 22nd—as well as those who try to tell us how to teach when their only experience involves the fact that they attended school for many years. When I go to those types of meetings, I long to hear a teacher’s voice; I want to feel a teacher’s passion as it threads its way through the discussion. Other teachers’ stories have always helped shape my own teaching.

I recently sat through a presentation where a former insurance salesman turned textbook salesman tried to share the reasons that his book would be good for my students. I wanted to tell him that he doesn’t know my students. He doesn’t know that Joe hates to read and if there’s not a story about skateboarding, he’s not going to open the shiny new book.

52,669 square miles of Joes

Speaking of Joe, now there’s a reason that it’s hard for me to leave. Who’ll be there when he says, “I need help” before he even looks at the work? Who’ll be there to see him dance the “Joe-Joe Jig” whenever he hears music? Who’ll be there to talk to him about his parents’ separation? Yes, it will be difficult to pack up my room.

But I have to believe that there are 52,669 square miles of Joes. And maybe one thing I say to a teacher will make a difference in another Joe’s instruction and in the way he’s treated when he struggles. I think when it comes to shelf life, the heart is one thing that never has an expiration date. So I’m going to leave part of mine right there in the school building while I embark on the most exciting year of my life. I owe it to Joe to make a difference.

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