Tonight, I was reading a blog post featured in The Washington Post by Ellie Herman. The title, Why So Many Teachers Feel Bad so Much of the Time, caught my eye. It explores the phenomena of self-doubt among teachers. Why is it so prevalent? Why do we feel bad?
Why Self-Doubt is Prevalent Among Teachers
All of this creates self-doubt in teachers. We’re constantly told how important our job is–and how inadequate we are at doing it.
Why We Feel Bad and How to Make It Better
The expectations on us are high, and we’re under the microscope. We’re entrusted with our students’ learning, but we are not entrusted with creating the policy that impacts that learning. Instead, we’re viewed as incompetent at best, political fodder at worst.
It’s no wonder that doubt pervades a teacher’s professional life.
Teachers are never just teachers. We’re actors, counselors, secretaries, social workers, managers, sales people….The list goes on. How can anyone be an expert in each area?
The truth is, we can’t. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, which is why teachers’ collaborating with other teachers to create policy for the area in which we’ve been trained–many of us with several degrees and years of experience–is the only answer for actual improvements in education.
This will restore the public faith in teaching as a profession–and our faith in ourselves as professionals.
Sorry to wax political, but as we are undergoing the third major overhaul of teacher evaluations in my 12 year career, and I’m feeling “bad” about it, it seemed relevant.
Of course, as any teacher who’s been at it long enough understands, at the end of the day, we can go into our classrooms, shut out the noise, and teach. And underneath the cacophony, that’s our primary business.
What makes you feel “bad” about teaching? What is the solution? Leave a comment below to let me know.
- Read more about: Teacher Self Care
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