Teaching is hard.
It’s never been harder. Which is saying something.
Because teaching’s always been hard.
A couple years ago, I was talking with a friend of mine who’s a financial advisor. He was telling me that his day had been incredibly draining.
“What was it that made it so tiring?” I asked.
“I had to meet with four clients today,” he replied. “Do you know how hard it is to engage with someone for an hour four times in a day?”
He knew I was a teacher.
It still didn’t click.
My job was to engage with 25-30 “clients.”
Five or six times a day.
Every day.
On top of it, my “clients” didn’t necessarily want to be there.
“Yeah,” I responded. “I think I might know how hard that is.”
I let it drop.
According to various studies, education has one of the highest attrition rates of any profession.
The reasons are many, but generally boil down to the following:
- Bad leadership
- Difficult parents
- Difficult students
- State testing and demands (usually from politicians)
- It’s just really, really hard
I’ve seen great teachers go out of their way for a student, bending over backwards and breaking their backs to help a kid out. Then make a call home and hear nothing but criticism.
I’ve seen teachers with the best of intentions admonished for not transforming the lives of every student.
Heck, you know it’s serious when Jon Stewart has to come to the defense of your profession.
Yet, despite all this, for the teachers who survive those first few years, they’ll tell you it’s all worth it.
Because when you get that nod of understanding or note of appreciation, it beats any reward in nearly any other profession.
Years ago, I started saving all these notes. I keep them in a box. And when things get incredibly difficult, I break it open and reminisce about better times.
At times, it’s the only thing that’s kept me sane.
And in the same way, I realized that I could write kindness into the lives of other educators.
I fail at this more often than not. But on the rare occasion I have my stuff together, I’ll write a note to a colleague, highlighting what I see in them and how they’ve made the school better.
It costs me nothing.
Just a box of stationary I purchased from Amazon for $18.
But my hope is that, when things get tough (or maybe they already are), that teacher will look to the words I write and remember why this job is worth it.
Take moment today. Write a letter or two. Encourage a colleague.
It might be the only thing that keeps them going in this profession.