Pep Talk

What Teachers Make, or
Objection Overruled, or
If things don't work out, you can always go to law school

By Taylor Mali
www.taylormali.com

He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn
from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about
teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.

I decide to bite my tongue instead of his
and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests
that it's also true what they say about lawyers.

Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.

"I mean, you¹re a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"

And I wish he hadn't done that
(asked me to be honest)
because, you see, I have a policy
about honesty and ass-kicking:
if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won't I let you get a drink of water?
Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.

I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven't called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.

I make parents see their children for who they are
and what they can be.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely
beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this (the finger).

Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?

New Year's Resolution: Just Breathe

Sometime soon I will upload photos of my new classroom, which is huge: 32'x27', with a well-stocked supply room that runs the length of one of the 32' walls. I'm feeling pretty spoiled. We'll see how long that lasts.

To counter that feeling, I spent 4 hours in a scheduling meeting today. This is where we specialists decide which teacher has what special on which day at what time. It's just as much of a pain in the tookas as you might think.

I currently have 22 40-minute classes and 5 30-minute ones for a total of about 600 students, but I spend one morning a week at another school, and I don't know anything about how many class periods or students I will have there. I'm figuring on 4 classes of about 25 for a ballpark, so another 100 kids. I don't know if that's in a classroom or on the cart or what. Planning to call the principal tomorrow.

Fortunately, I got along just fine with the other specialists, especially the music teacher (this is terrific because his classroom is next to mine). I met a bunch of the regular teachers too, and I may even remember a few of them by the time they start bringing me kids in 10 days. That is yet to be seen.

I only spent 7 hours at school today, but that's because they kicked us all out at 4pm. Will spend a few hours there on Tuesday, then have New Teacher Orientation on Weds, Thurs & Fri. I'll have time to work on my room those 3 afternoons, but I'm nowhere near done, and there's no way in hell my classroom will be as ready as I want it to be for the 28th. I just have to breathe and remember that it doesn't need to be perfect.

New Job!

After searching for a full-time teaching job since spring of 2004, I have finally been offered a position. Honestly, I've never been employed full-time, permanently. Ever. I've always had part-time jobs in school, and when I wasn't in school I usually cobbled together 2 jobs: one which paid decently, and one that was art-related. I've had a few full-time summer jobs, or subbing positions, but nothing that lasted for more than a couple of months. It's a little scary.

I'm also scared to death because the last job I was offered was retracted a few days later. And I got replaced at my first substitute teaching job. And leaving my last job was worse than anything before. I have not yet signed my contract, and I live in fear that they'll change their minds and offer the job to someone else. Silly, I know, but still I fear it. Or that I'll be terrible and they'll fire me. Or I'll be so unhappy in a few months that I'll wonder why I ever chose a career in teaching. Or some other horrible fate akin to the misery I've experienced in the last 3+ years.

In part, I'm nervous because the job seems too good to be true. Aside from a fairly long commute, it's a dream job for me. The building itself is terrific, with artistic touches to the architecture that won it a national award when it was built 12 years ago. For example, the stairway in the main lobby has a railing made of what looks like 2" diameter rebar, sculpted into dramatic curves and swirls and painted bright, primary colors. The principal (who is the founding principal of the school) is very proud of her school. She says that she really focuses on "whole child" education, equally emphasizing the arts with the core subjects and seems to actually follow through on this breakthrough notion! One of her motivating factors is that her father was a concert pianist. They have had an "artist in residence" every year. The artwork created by each artist in conjunction with the students is on prominent display in the main lobby of the building. The principal pointed out and described each one as she showed me around the building. The artwork was terrific.

The district is equally lovely. I interviewed with the assistant superintendent, who had Dr. Seuss sprinkled in with her books on curriculum and discipline in her office library, and a framed, matted Maurice Sendak print hanging on the wall. She told me it was her second copy, the original was hanging on her classroom wall for years, only to be annexed by her daughter when she went off to college. The school department offices were covered in framed, matted student artwork, and the assistant superintendent told me that the superintendent himself is married to an art teacher. The pay is even decent. Certainly better than I've ever been paid before.

I honestly think the job is a terrific fit for me. I'll be teaching K-5, which is a welcome change from the jaded urban teens I've been bullied by for the past 3 years. I spent a couple of weeks in July working with the K-5 range in a nearby town, and I loved every minute of it. So I'm excited. Really. I just won't be able to really relax until I've signed a contract. And started working. And have worked past the 90-day "we can fire you for any reason" clause. And make it through the school year. And get re-hired for the next year...