Teaching is a labor of love: it is time consuming, emotionally consuming, and poorly paid. But I love it. I am lucky because I get along well with teenagers. My own children have always said, “Mom, the reason you get along so well in class is because your sense of humor was arrested at the age of 18.” That may be a stretch but there is some truth to it. I really enjoy teenagers and I laugh at their jokes. So why do I like teaching teenagers so much—- the group that most people avoid? I like them, because teenagers are the most creative, non-conventional age group around. They don’t like to follow the rules, they question everything that is spoken or written, and they invent new ways to behave. These behaviors give their parents, their teachers, and the community a major headache Of course, they have to follow some rules or there is chaos, but in their non-conformity is innovation. Think about all the tech inventions in the past thirty years: the Internet, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo just to name a few. Think about the ages of the inventors: in their teens and twenties. I find my students and their ideas fascinating. I learn from my students. Now that probably sounds corny to many of you, but it is true. If adults would just listen more, they would learn quite a bit. That is what I have discovered from 25 years of teaching. However, I can understand why so many people leave the profession after only three years. There is little administrative support, large class sizes, and lots of complaining from parents, students, and the community. Also teachers are often asked to act like policemen in the classroom enforcing irrational school rules cooked up by frustrated administrators. In today’s world it is even harder to be a teacher than it was before because everyone is watching. The No Child Left Behind laws have created more problems for teachers and schools. The National Education Association asked Congress to reject the draft language for the new No Child Left Behind law NEA Rejects No Child Left Behind. We as a nation should reexamine what we are asking teachers and administrators to do in the classroom. Teachers need more support. Check with your local schools and school boards to see what you can do to help.
