But you get summers off…

As I’m sitting in a meeting today “learning” how to use my new iPad (which I’m still not convinced will be useful in my classroom), I can’t help but remember all the fun Friday “meetings” we had back in Arizona at this Irish sports pub called O’Shey’s.  I’m reminded of one particular day when I met up with one of our regular waitresses in the restroom.  After weeks of coming in for drinks and snacks, she had apparently caught on to the fact that we were teachers. (I wonder if it was our spirit day clothing that gave her a clue…or perhaps the constant discussion of work and students.)  She asked me where we all taught, and after I shared that we worked at the local high school, she got this big goofy grin on her face and informed me that she was attending school to become a teacher.  The next sentence out of her mouth made me want to give her bleached blonde hair a giant, nasty swirly.  “I want to be a teacher so that I always have my summers off”.  Idiot.

The thing about teaching is, there really are the people out there who go into it because they like the schedule–whether because they think it will be nice to get out of work when their kids do, or so they never work on major holidays:  whatever.  Let me share a little secret with you:  teachers don’t really have their summers “off”.  It’s the people who believe these stupid phrases that make me feel strongly that psychological testing, public belittlement, and all other sorts of tests should be required of a person before they are allowed to acquire a teaching certificate.  Please, save me the trouble of fixing the damage one inadequate teacher can cause during the course of a year.

So what does the average teacher’s summer look like?  Some of us teach college, some of us attend college, some run coaching camps, some take on second jobs.  Okay, okay, so we do have about 8 weeks off (depending on the district) in order to do what we choose, but honestly, that 8 weeks does not come close to making up for all the extra time that we spend outside of work hours planning, grading, and attending functions.  Oh, and let’s not forget that you have to be constantly “on”.  Imagine trying to go to Target to pick up a few things and running into your boss.  Now realize that for every teacher, running into your students’ parents is like running into your boss.  You have to be polite, politically correct, and let’s hope it’s not laundry day.  Not only do you need to behave and dress appropriately, but you are also expected to have many things memorized.  Student grades, seating charts, upcoming lessons, dates and times, oh, and millions of other details that you learn about that student and their family throughout the year.  It’s no wonder that I seem to have developed ADD during the last few years.  It’s all these facts that are buzzing around my brain in case I run into a parent or student.  And let’s not even talk about that awkward moment when a parent comes up to you and says “Hi Miss T., how are you” and all you really want to reply is “I’m great.  Who the hell are you?”.

So for anyone out there who is planning on becoming a teacher for their summers off, here are a few fun facts for you.  In Michigan, teachers are expected to pay more of their benefits every year.  A bill is attempting to be passed that allows for retired teachers to lose benefits that they have already done the work to earn.  Last year, the few times I teared up were not because someone was mean to me but instead because they were nice.  Curse at me, roll your eyes, or ignore me–no big deal.  Tell me that I am a great teacher who is having a positive affect on my students and is important–serious waterworks.  Guess which of the two I hear more often.

Why do I do it?  I love my students: every single one.  I care that they can read and successfully comprehend what they are reading and then can use that material to follow directions, form opinions, or understand a larger idea.  But that’s just me.  If you aren’t willing to have a low paying job with high stakes; if you aren’t willing to put up with attitude and condescension from parents, students, and administration; if you aren’t willing to work long past paying hours and be “on” whenever you have to be, I have one suggestion.  Work during summers.

My new four-letter word…AIMS

I have a new four-letter word…well acronym to be more correct:  AIMS.  AIMS stands for Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards.  It is not only the AZ state test, but success on this test is mandatory for graduation.  I use this new profanity probably 800 times a day (this is without exaggeration, sadly).  I warn my students how important it is to take this test seriously.  I yell at them about how limited their options will be if they do not pass this test.  I remind them how every single thing that I am teaching them relates back to this test.  And then I go home and have nightmares about preparing my students to take this test.

I wish I could remove AIMS from my vocabulary, but in reality EVERY student I teach (minus a few random kids and the foreign exchange students) has to take this test.  In Arizona, sophomores take the test, and if they do not pass, they will continue to attempt it twice a year until graduation…except that they don’t graduate without a passing score, so there are actually students in Arizona who have all the credits necessary to graduate but continue to come back to school twice a year to attempt to pass.  Many, instead, end up giving up.  There are some ways around passing, but not many.

I have 15 days of instruction left before my students take their AIMS test.  In reality, I know that if my students don’t pass, it does not directly relate back to my teaching ability, or at least not only my ability (after all, they’ve only been my students for about 6 months but they’ve been students for 10+ years); I also know that when they ask the English teachers to share the scores with their students I will have a hard time not tearing up with the juniors and seniors who I teach who do not pass (some for the 5th time).  I’ve already gone through that feeling in the fall, and it’s not something I ever want to feel again.  I want them all to succeed.  More, I want them to want to succeed.  So I’m working my butt off, using that four-letter word more often than I like to admit, and stressing more than most of my students are over the test.

In the next few weeks, I’m sure I will not be the most pleasant person to be around.  I hate that I’m “teaching to the test” and that I’m putting so much pressure on my students.  I hate that the state of Arizona puts me in this situation, and that it seems like so many of my students are unprepared for this high-stakes test.  This is not who I am as a teacher, and this is not a position I’ve ever been in before.  But what is truly my other option?  Pretend like the test doesn’t exist?  I’m not willing to affect my students’ future by not taking this seriously and doing everything I can to prepare them.  Instead, I teach my lessons every day with that stupid test in mind, praying that the pieces of information I share will come in use at the end of the month.

I can’t wait until March when this is all over…at least until the scores come in…