It’s Just a Job
Some time ago, while reading (and lurking) a post on Dan Meyers blog, here, he made a statement about teaching just being a job while on a rant about Freedom Writers. My first reaction was, wait a minute young’un this isn’t just a job! Working at the gas station in high school was just a job, working for Social Services as a typist was just a job, working at the utility company collecting their damn money was JUST A JOB, teaching is NOT just a job!” But then I decided think about it. After all, Dan just doesn’t blog about things that are superficial. So what was he getting at. It took me some time to get the gist of what he was talking about. Finally, on the circuit in the gym, and a sentence from an intermediate level novel I was reading, the light goes on. I finally “get” it. Seems I’m a slow thinker.
While you may be as passionate about teaching as I am, to the point where it nearly took over my life – because I allowed it to – and you may be very good at it and be very concerned about your teaching methods, philosophy, student achievement…teaching is just a job. It does not define who you are. It is only what you do. I no longer say to people, “I am a teacher.” I am not a teacher, I am Cindy. I now say, “I teach” because teaching is just a job. Thanks Dan.
