I Want To Change the World! (A soapbox post)

When I first started teaching, I thought it was super important to reward kids for everything they did.  I was fresh out of Grad School and was a certified teacher and school counselor.  It was my goal to change the world and I was going to do that by combating apathy in today's youth and instilling passion, problem solving, and change!  I quickly realized that I was being ridiculous.  (Not because of my goals--my goals are still the same!!)   It was ridiculous because of the notion that my students needed a prize or reward for everything they did.  Part of the reason, in my opinion, that the educational system is falling apart is because entitlement has somehow worked its way into our kiddos' brains. My theory on this is simple: today's parents are a product of a "have-not" era.  They started agreeing to give their children EVERYTHING they never had. In today's world, this is easy.  We're "advancing" at faster rates than ever before. The most popular products used on a daily basis weren't even fathomable 5 years ago. (On a positive note, this is probably what prevented our nation from a true economic depression!)

All of these societal changes trickle down to today's kiddos. They're growing up in a tough time. I was chatting with one of my fabulous colleagues the other day and we were discussing the lack of patience in our students. If you think about it, my 3rd graders have spent more than half of their life in a downward spiraling economy.  Parents are unemployed, broke, and stressed to the max.  We all know the power of modeling and little patience is what is being modeled.

I reflect on the world often and I'm constantly trying to rationalize where we are, where we're going, and what I can do along the way. Although a life burden, my conscientiousness helps me to start changing the world in my classroom.  What do today's kids need?  They need a true adult role model--someone friendly, polite, respectful, a problem-solver, independent thinker, and deliverer of life-long lessons. They need to see passion, energy, pizazz, and the ability to dream. They need someone to idolize, love, and go to in times of need. They need to be challenged and to learn to work hard.

The educational world is changing quickly too.  Everyone I know in my school is stressed.  We're worried about our jobs, new standards, our new teacher evaluation system, our students, our budgets and lack of supplies, testing, our emotional well-being, and whether or not we'll get parental/public support ever again. Our patience is short too but we need it now more than ever before.  I am so passionate about what I do, but I'm so often saddened by the situation of today's teachers.  The veteran teachers in my school comment on how teaching used to be fun.  Yes--past tense. I often feel as if my timing was horrible.  I'm lucky to even have my job, so I'm often discouraged that I won't be changing the world anytime soon.  I'm just trying to hold on for the small chance that someday I can. In the meantime, as I spend endless hours doing the basics, I can only hope that one day, I will earn a voice to combat the larger picture and the support from those around me to do so.

As a reminder to myself and my fellow teachers--don't lose sight of why you teach. The world will come back around.  I do truly believe that when our current students become parents, they'll get the same wake up call that I did my first year as a teacher--It's not what's in your hand that makes you feel good, it's what's in your heart.