Being a Teacher vs Working as a Teacher: How do you reconcile the two parts?
You’ve probably heard teachers say things like:
“I LOVE the students, but I hate working at this school.”
“My admin and team are amazing, but I don’t feel supported enough.”
“My students are awful this year and I can’t wait until I get a new batch of kids.”
As a career path, most people think of teaching as one, simple framework: teaching students.
But in reality, there are two sides: teaching students and working as a teacher.
What people don’t realize is that the disjointedness between the two can make it hard to reconcile them together.
What do I mean by this?
For starters, teaching students covers aspects such as: encouraging creative development and leadership, providing direct emotional support or stability, and learning about their different personalities or learning styles.
While working as a teacher covers aspects such as: lesson planning, staff meetings, district meetings, mandatory trainings, workplace interactions, parent-teacher conferences, etc.
A teacher may really enjoy the aspects of shaping the next generation or providing another layer of support for their growth, and also hate their direct work environment as a whole.
The concept of teaching may stay the same from building to building or district to district, but the way its executed could vary drastically.
You hear this all the time when you’re working in Education.
“Definitely steer clear of that district. The pay is awful, they’re super short staffed, and you end up with classes of 40 kids!”
“Oh you’re working at THAT school? Wow, must be nice to be with all of the ritzy kids.”
“Wait, you took a job there?! Oh, I’ll be praying for you.”
Reconciliation is defined as, “the action of making one view or belief compatible with another.”
If you follow any teachers on Instagram or LinkedIn, you’ll notice that it’s very difficult for some people to make the workload compatible with their experience with students. It sometimes feels like you’re working two separate jobs that live under the same title.
This is what’s causing so many teachers to leave the profession, but people don’t get it.
Here’s an example.
When I worked in restaurants, the flow of the menu was not only dictated by the style of the establishment itself, but also by the clientele.
I remember working in a restaurant located in a wealthy Dallas neighborhood, directly across the street from Southern Methodist University.
I’m talking mansions upon mansions, with student tuition costing upwards of $60,000/year.
Now, you would assume that the patrons would delight in an upscale menu that makes them feel so much better than thou - and they did, but with a strange caveat.
They didn’t want the pan-roasted quail breast poached in fig balsamic reduction and served with a garlic herbed pomme puree and butternut squash foam.
They didn’t want honey panna cotta with strawberry compote and goat cheese ice cream.
No.
They wanted a $25 burger with arugula, goat cheese, and tomato confit.
They wanted a $15 chocolate chip cookie sundae, served with a $50 glass of port wine.
I. Was. Utterly Confused.
These people spend HUNDREDS and I mean HUNDREDS on a four-course tasting menu at the restaurant up the street, but when they dine here, they want it to be like their neighborhood Chili’s?!
What?!?!?!?!???!?!
“NO FANCY STUFF!” they’d say.
I was frustrated.
Now, I previously worked at that tasting menu restaurant up the street, and the level of creativity allowed was so refreshing.
Cooking is fun and all, but the best aspect is opening up a world of possibilities through experimentation with flavors.
I left said restaurant for a better work-life balance, but I didn’t expect the shell-shock of needing to diminish my creativity because John von Mackavoy III just wants a brownie drizzled in caramel sauce.
How could I continue to grow when the clientele’s desires left me limited?
Anyone with a business knows the struggle between what you want to do, and what other people want you to do - especially when those people are the ones paying.
You feel as though a part of you gets ripped away every time you change your framework to suit the desires of someone else, but, wasn’t that person interested in your product because of the uniqueness you gave it? Why do they want it to change?
When you have to constantly put on a facade, it takes a toll on you.
In the same way, teachers have two separate parts to play within the school system as a whole.
The caring, engaging teacher who is:
Obsessed with making a difference.
Energetic and ready to greet their students with a smile.
Willing to do whatever it takes to help the students succeed.
And
The overworked, non-opinionated staff member who is:
Too afraid to ask questions in a meeting.
Too afraid to ask for support when struggling.
Made to feel as though they complain too much or don’t do enough outside of work.
Someone recently said to me, “It’s awesome to have you around because you’re not very teacher-y. You’re willing to ask questions when the rest of us would just keep quiet and complain later.”
It was a weird compliment, because I honestly think asking questions should be normal.
How do I find out the answer if I don't ask?
And listen, I get it. When you’re playing a part, you simply do as you're told.
But it's hard to grow that way.
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