The Myth of Super Teacher!

There was a time in my life when I thought I wasn’t a good teacher, and I would never be good enough. I was taught that if you thought you were good then it meant you were bad. Now, of course, I don’t feel that way. In fact, I can look back on my Waldorf years and see that I was a good teacher because I was trying and caring. I was invested in the job: mind, body and soul - and, yes, it took a toll.

I feel the idea of being “good enough” is something that we teachers have to struggle with on an constant basis. The reason why we are struggling with being “good enough” is because teachers are often seen as NOT being “good enough”. In other words, when there is a problem, regardless of origin, teachers are expected to “fix it” and if we are unable to, then we are considered part of the problem.

I’ll be the one to take full responsibility for my actions and like most of my peers, I know we are the first ones to think about how we can make any situation we come across - work. We are also the ones who will most likely be hard on ourselves for not figuring out a student or curriculum dilemma. Most teachers are damn hard workers, so I resent it when we are seen as “not good enough”.

Enter: The Myth of the Super Teacher. When I watched Roxanna Elden’s humorous speech, I was excited that she really nabbed what I feel to be an important issue facing teachers today. But I wanted to elaborate on this idea because her speech was mostly targeted to new teachers.

To watch, go here: http://vimeo.com/43565010

Teaching and learning is a relationship. We seem to forget this when we hammer teachers with clever ideas on how to make students behave. Relationship advice, as we know, varies greatly, depends on the situation and the other person. If a student refuses to cooperate or learn, then what are we supposed to do? Students have to be willing to learn and engage. I get frustrated when teachers are asked to do MORE when the students can get away with doing LESS.

What’s worst is we look like bad teachers because we are seen as “unable to handle it”. We’re not good enough. This was how I was perceived at Trembling Trees. And it's crushing to give it your all and be told you're not doing enough or your best.

Obviously, most students can be worked with, but what I want to break is, this myth that the teacher is “not doing enough” (aka automatically at fault) and can work mind-blowing miracles on a student-by-class basis.

I mean, Arne Duncan, the US Secretary of Education, has announced his brilliant new plan to put “good” teachers into low-performing schools! Here is the myth of the super teacher in pressure-cooker action. He’s kidding, right? Instead of looking at the reasons behind why certain schools are "low-performing" (aka low-income), he's assuming SUPER teacher can swoop on in and save the day.

Teachers need support. The expectation that we can always be better (this is really put on us), use our free time to do more work (which we already do) and give, give, give (we do, we do, we do) has got to stop. These days our most experienced teachers have 1-2 years when 20 years ago it was about 15 years. This is not a good sign. Enter the great exodus of teachers in these United States.

We can be superheroes because, frankly, that is why many of us got into the profession. We wanted to do good. We wanted to help students. We are already naturally martyrs and saints. Stop telling us “the skies the limit,” because most of us are already reaching as high as we can and with meager pay. The teaching profession is in a dysfunctional relationship with society and society keeps saying, “You’re not good enough.” I resent teachers being the scapegoat for society’s ills.

There is a great economical divide not only in the US, but throughout the world. In other words, we have big problems we need to solve. The issue of education is extremely related to haves and have nots. It’s time to think about how we can raise each other up rather than putting one another down. I think we will find it more effective for the education of our children, and our human kind.

Comments

  1. My self esteem was hammered my first year of teaching. I taught in a turn-around, low performing school and the principal had something to prove. Every teacher was supposed to be a Super Teacher and devote every minute to the school. We were observed often and critiqued on every tiny detail. If you are familiar with Doug Lemov's "Teach like a Champion", imagine being expected to do EVERY behavior technique in that book, and being criticized if you didn't. It took two years after I left that school to find that, not only was I not a bad teacher (or lazy, as some of my coworkers called me, because teaching kindergarten didn't come easy to me when I'd prepared to teach high school) but I was actually a GOOD teacher. TWICE I was offered a job at the city's top performing Montessori and I am well liked and well scored at the school in which I currently teach.
    I tell new teachers to be wary of the unrealistic expectations that school leaders and parents can have on you. The kids are the ones that matter and they actually have better perspective than anyone. They truly know just how much the teachers really do for them.

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  2. Ahhh, self-esteem. What's that? You bring up a good point. We forget how devastating "the myth of super teacher" is to the teachers' sense of worth.

    It's beyond frustrating and I'm very sorry to hear about your challenges. Thanks for finding me.

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  3. I am glad you spoke about this Lani...as you know this is a big problem here in Hawaii..Bring in "super teachers" and you will get a wooping 3000 bonus...I am in a very picky profession as well...(Dental Hygiene)yet have found that I learn from every comment that has been made..that I have an opportunity..to go inside..FIND MYSELF AND COME OUT WITH A SMILE..NO MORE NEED TO FIX "IT" ..lOVE YOU GIRL..THANKS FOR POSTING THIS!! HEART TO HEART ROBYN opps hit the caps button..guess I am not so "perfect" either!

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  4. Thanks Robyn. Yes, I am well aware of the problems Hawaii teachers are facing. I found a good fb group called "Hawaii teachers work the rules" and it's a nice way to keep tabs on my home state from the ground level.

    Since I also did my graduate work there, I became aware of some of the issues, too. Unfortunately, not a lot has changed. *Sigh*

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