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07 January 2005: Just Next Door (1 of 3)
I remember in my teacher education classes, the instructors making comments referring to teaching as a lonely profession. I know that in the standards for teaching established by my state, that isolation is seen as a hindrance to good teaching. Today, more than ever, I am feeling that isolation. It’s a feeling lurks around the corner every now and then. A really rough day with the kids, a brick wall in my process, an under-qualified, overconfident administrator—these are the kinds of things that I often need to process at the end of a school day. And sadly, I find that my friends and family are less and less able to offer the empathy or advice that I need. My mom, bless her, is always willing to listen and console, but often unable to truly understand. My friends who have been with me longer than my teaching credential seem to be better at understanding, but are still unable to really empathize. Often the only people who can truly offer support when my job gets hard are my colleagues at school.
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