I could ask that of a lot of people in education–are you proud? There would be a few more words added to each of the questions, like “Are you proud of the weeds growing wild in all the planters? or, “Are you proud of all the mistakes found on your board for students to look at every day?” I could go on being petty and mean, but that’s not productive.
We got an email yesterday that claimed the WASC committee had North High ticking off the right boxes. Random kids were asked questions on whether they had a person to go at school if there was a problem, and I believe every kid does, as did they. They were asked if the school was safe, and they said yes, which is very much true until a fight breaks out here and there. But the weird question asked–and maybe it was the way the email was written–was whether students were proud of their teachers. Huh? Proud of me?
We went to WASC meetings before they came and were apprised of what they were looking for. There was talk about data, and how we look at it. There was what we wanted students to learn and what we did when they didn’t learn it. But nowhere did we consider that students should be proud of us. And, once again, maybe that’s just the language and doesn’t mean what I’m inferring, but caring if kids are proud of me never enters my mind.
Sure, I want students to respect me, listen to me, try when doing their work–heck, just DO their work–read a book, have an opinion, give evidence to that opinion, be a good citizen, etc. Okay, yeah, I want students to be proud of me for writing every day of school, but not many of them are privy to my posts. If I catch a kick-ass fish that tests my tackle and strength, I not only want them to be proud, but a little jealous as well. If I took in a former student because she needed a place to stay and didn’t charge that former student any money so she could save up for college in the Fall, they are allowed to be proud of that.
But I teach. It’s my job. Really? Should we hear, “Good job, Mr. Stover. Very proud of the way you put that lesson together”? That’s not going to happen. I don’t even get Thank-you letters for reading personal statements or writing recommendations.
I’m proud of myself for writing every day. But teaching is my job, which I take pride in. Maybe that was the question in the first place–Do your teachers take pride in their jobs? If that was the case . . . never mind.