What Kind of Teacher Are You?

We all have our days.  Good days. Bad days. Days that sparkle and shine. Days that you would rather forget.  But putting all extremes aside, what kind of teacher are you? To some, building relationships is the primary goal, while others prefer to focus on academics.  Administrators and Politicians have joined forces to make academics a focus, while pushing a relationship agenda. It sounds good, but in essence it is just pushing more responsibilities onto the shoulders of the classroom teacher.

The majority of teachers chose the profession because they love children and love teaching them. Teachers are, by their very nature, nurturing and maternal.  This doesn't mean that we love all the kids that pass through our classes. There are some that try our patience. Every single day. And, there are those that are easy to love. And, there are those that break your heart.  Unfortunately, some of the demands and the extended responsibilities make it difficult for a teacher to have time to build meaningful relationships. We get caught up in the push and shove of testing, meetings, and paperwork. We find ourselves stretched beyond our breaking point. We have no energy left over for forming lasting relationships with every student.

Speaking from experience, there were days that passed in such a blur that I found myself at the end of the day, wondering where the day had gone and moaning over the stack of work left to do. I didn't have time to finish what had to be done so I let my relationships suffer. I just wanted to finish what I had to finish and go home.  Those days robbed me of the joy of teaching. Some years were better than others. Some were pure torture. I just muddled through a day at a time. We've all been there. It is hard to admit that we are human and just can't always come shining through like a hero.

So, what kind of teacher are you? What kind of teacher do you want to be? I wish I had put my stress and sense of responsibility aside more frequently so that I could have spent more time getting to know my kids. When I see them now as adults, I wonder what are their memories of me?  Do they remember the laughter or the stressed out teacher with too much to do and too little time? Do they remember me as someone who cared? Did they even know how much I cared about what they learned, as well as, what they felt?

Academics and relationships are both important. You just need to find a balance between the two. Not easy to do in the current educational environment, but something that you won't regret.


Like my Facebook page, Chocolate 4 Teachers
Follow my Pinterest Page, Chocolate 4 Teachers
Follow my TpT store, Chocolate 4 Teachers

Privacy Policy

This blog does not share personal information with third parties nor do I store any information about your visit to this blog other than to analyze and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies. You can turn off the use of cookies at anytime by changing your specific browser settings. I am not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without my permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and was last updated on June 5, 2015. If you have any questions feel free to contact me directly at kimberlyfrencken@gmail.com