I've been giving a lot of thought to what it means to be a great teacher along with all of the challenges that are associated with that. The reality is that being a teacher requires a significant amount of time, commitment, dedication, and passion to name a few. At Patton teachers selflessly give of themselves on a daily basis for the betterment of their students, because in a lot of ways at the heart of teaching lies sacrificial giving. A teacher's job isn't over after the kids leave, and in some ways it is a 24 hour a day job. The time and effort that goes into planning lessons for multiple content areas in addition to differentiating for individual student needs is staggering. Teachers are often at school early, leave late, and work into the evenings. Teachers want to be responsive and informative to their students' parents, and spend time crafting websites, blogs, tweets, and emails to keep families abreast of what is going on. Much of this labor comes at the sacrifice of time with family or loved ones. Life/work balance is often a struggle for teachers because of their commitment.
In any career or endeavor we take on as individuals, most, if not all of us have a desire to know that we are doing well, as it is simple human nature. I know that I have areas where I can improve in terms expressing gratitude and appreciation for the hard work I observe others doing. A question that I recently started asking myself is, "What if I was just as quick to compliment as I am to criticize?" I pose the same question to those reading this. I want to be the type of person who recognizes AND acknowledges the good things that are happening around me. Will you join me?
* For any Patton families reading this and are wondering how you might go about recognizing the great things that are happening at Patton, consider filling out this form or dropping a note to your child's teacher. When I hear great stories from parents, I try to share them with the classroom teachers. While I know they enjoy hearing the stories from me, it would be even more powerful if they came from you.
Thanks for reading.
Eric
In any career or endeavor we take on as individuals, most, if not all of us have a desire to know that we are doing well, as it is simple human nature. I know that I have areas where I can improve in terms expressing gratitude and appreciation for the hard work I observe others doing. A question that I recently started asking myself is, "What if I was just as quick to compliment as I am to criticize?" I pose the same question to those reading this. I want to be the type of person who recognizes AND acknowledges the good things that are happening around me. Will you join me?
* For any Patton families reading this and are wondering how you might go about recognizing the great things that are happening at Patton, consider filling out this form or dropping a note to your child's teacher. When I hear great stories from parents, I try to share them with the classroom teachers. While I know they enjoy hearing the stories from me, it would be even more powerful if they came from you.
Thanks for reading.
Eric