Put Teachers First

It is not a coincidence that I am posting this on the eve of the new school year.

I've been waiting to write this for a long while. I've posted about it on three different occasions on my IG stories over the past three years and I decided that it was more than worthy of a permanent blog post.

When I first read this quote several years ago, it resonated deeply with me. Not because I'm a CEO or own a company or have employees or customers of any kind, but because I felt an immediate parallel message for the world of teaching.

Students do not come first.

Teachers come first.

If you take care of your teachers, they will take care of the students.

This really isn't a revolutionary idea as far as I'm concerned. It's just common sense.

If you know a teacher, I don't have to convince you that regardless of the circumstances they face, they always take care of their students. They love them, encourage them, support them, comfort them, inspire them, and yes, educate them.

They are likely underpaid.

They are absolutely undervalued.

They are typically disrespected.

And yet they always take care of their students.

Right now, teachers are spending too much of their own money getting ready for this year's students. Classroom decorations, books, furniture, rugs, organizational tools, artwork, lighting, supplies...the list goes on and on. This happens every single year; I only have a small office and I know how much of my own money I've already spent this summer. I can only imagine what classroom teachers with 25+ students have spent, although having been a classroom teacher for so many years, I know first hand that it's far from an insignificant sum. They do this for their students, to create happy, vibrant, exciting, inviting, and engaging learning spaces.

Teachers are often blamed for things they have no control over. Directives come down from above and our job is to implement new initiatives. Teachers' professional judgments are constantly questioned. We are required to attend professional development, take classes, and attend trainings because requirements for the job change on the regular. We worry about our students, not just when they're in our class, but for long after the school year has ended.

Teaching is a mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausting profession.

In spite of the odds being stacked against us at every turn, we show up for our students and give them our best every single day because they are the reason we are in this profession. Teachers always take care of their students.

So is it really too much to ask to put teachers first?

To value their time?

To value their knowledge?

To value their expertise?

To trust their professional judgment?

To give them a seat at the table where decisions that directly impact students are being made?

I don't think so.

In fact, it's long overdue.

You want to recruit and retain the most passionate and dedicated teachers for the students in your zip code, your county, your state, your country?

Try putting them first.

Here's to a great year with the best people I know...my fellow teachers!

Happy Tails to you!