What the World Thinks about Teachers…

So let’s just say I’m a policy maker – a member of a state legislature, for example, who decides what my salary is, who seemingly moves the pieces of my professional life around like a chess game. And let’s say that, even as a legislator, I follow a few teachers on social media. What do we want the world to know about us?

Do we want them to think that we work only nine months…all the while counting down the days to spring break and then summer? Do we want them to think that the only reason we teach is because we have our summers off?

We know that’s not true. Teachers work hard…even in the summer – planning lessons, organizing classrooms, attending professional development meetings – most of the time without pay. We know that teachers deserve amazing vacations, and we should all feel comfortable posting those pictures on social media for our family and friends to see.

But I would like to respectfully ask you to be careful about your captions. Back in the winter I saw post after post by teacher friends begging, fingers and toes crossed, for snow days and school closures. I cringed, thinking the message to the unknowing public may be that teachers don’t want to work. At the end of the school year, I saw too many school day “countdowns”…well…to count.

Now that it’s summer, I’m seeing posts like this:

Summer Is The Reason I Teach

Is that really the message we want the public (and policy makers) to receive? Do I know you love teaching? Do I know you’ve worked hard for a break? Yes. But do we want to give those who don’t understand what it’s like on the front lines in a school any reason to lower their respect for our profession?

I loved it back in the winter when I saw a few posts like this: “We CAN’T be out today. There’s a chorus concert!!!” and “No more snow! I miss my students!!!” Consider sharing pictures of the unpaid work you’re doing in your schools this summer. And consider refraining from posts like this:

We will never receive the respect we deserve unless we demand it. We can start by marketing ourselves as the professionals we are. Then hopefully we can dispel the myths out there about how “easy” our jobs are. It is up to us to set the tone and to impact what the world out there thinks about teachers.