Growing Teachers

The snow days made me think about how so much of my life as a mom and educator is focused on helping and watching people grow. It has also been focused on a rumor circulating my school that for the fourth year in a row, the faculty will not be receiving raises. I don't know why this rumor bothers me so much, but I know it isn't about the money. As I have said before, I didn't get into education to get rich.


For awhile I thought it might be tied to the feeling of being "unvalued." I am certain that if faculty feel unappreciated at a school, the school is in trouble. You must protect the sense of purpose and service teachers bring to their jobs. But the truth is that I do feel like my work matters, and to be doubly honest, I just don't care as much. Ever since Will, my life has shifted. I now work to live, not live to work.


I think it was a comment my friend Kat made at dinner on Saturday night that hit the nail on the head. She said that it is human nature to want to keep growing, to feel as if you are always learning and developing and advancing. I couldn't agree more. I think my frustration lies in the fact that I am in a profession dedicated to helping people advance and grow--and yet my colleagues and I are starting to feel stuck. As someone said the other day in our meeting, we love our school but we don't like everything about it.


My heart and head agree that right now is probably not the ideal time for to me to think about professional advancement. I am spending less time than ever on my lessons; why should I be given even more responsibility--and would I even want it if the opportunities were there? I am more than okay with where I am professionally right now, but that doesn't mean I don't want to keep growing. A good teacher must be a lifelong student.


All this said, I feel like I find inspiration every time I turn around. Reading blogs, watching videos on TedTV, reading books for fun (which I am finally doing again! Hallelujah! I am reading Jonathan Franzen's Freedom right now), going to church, listening to podcasts, and paying attention to the cool things my family and friends are doing nurtures this little soul of mine. I love living life looking for inspiration.