Apparently I’m what’s known as a teacher leader. I’m not sure this is a welcome label. I enjoy leading a classroom of children -most of the time- but other adults? Other adults are not my thing, and yet I’m at the point in my career where I’m expected to be sage and share my wisdom with the masses. So I do it. I have a blog. I present at conferences. I create resources to help others (and myself) improve classroom practice. I give speeches (more on that in a later post…) I do all of this because after a while in the classroom it starts to feel like there’s something more, but you’re missing it.
For a while I thought about changing careers, leaving the classroom etcetera, but that was more about work conditions than the job itself. I was searching, but then I figured out my problem, and I found my voice.
A “fellow” AAFTP Fellow, Glen Gilderman and I had a long talk about this at our first Fellowship convening together, and he has built his leadership -his next level- around it. We called it The Teacher Plateau at the time…that space in your career where the learning curve levels out, the battle becomes less uphill and teachers fall off the horse and into administration. He’s looking for and advocating a way to avoid that trap, and it is leading FROM the classroom.
So now I do that, and I’m “busy” all the time. I have deadlines and projects to finish AND grades to calculate and lessons to plan EVERY day. But it’s okay (though I think my family would sometimes disagree) because it fills that void. Is this void unique to teachers or is it some kind of mid-career crisis that happens in every profession? I don’t know, and I hope I don’t have to find out, because that’s the thing…-unlike all of the corporate drones turned “educator” out here- I can’t think of another place I’d rather be than in the classroom.
So now, I’m on the “Teacher Voice” bandwagon, and I’m not a big fan of bandwagons, so more on that later too, but I’m glad the bandwagon is here, because even I when ask you not to make me, I LOVE to use my Teacher Voice.
Today begins my journey as a teacher/blogger. It was supposed to begin last Tuesday. And the Tuesday before that, and the previous Tuesday. In fact, it was supposed to begin way back in 2014 when I came up with a long list of topics I wanted to discuss with other teachers on my -then embryonic- teacher site. I thought I’d have the time to match my ambitions. I thought I’d figure out how to publish op-eds and with those garner followers so I’d have people to discuss it all with…I thought wrong. I’ve had no time, but I’ve got to make some.