I never get tired of watching new teachers teach. This time, it was an elementary teacher.

In a word: Humbling. 

There was an article last month on NPR that told new teacher that it's ok to cry in the car. Truth. Whatever the reason you feel emotionally full, unburden yourself. Let it out. Tears are a pressure valve. When were about to pop, letting a few out can be a good thing. What the article doesn't do is to encourage ALL teachers, regardless of experience, to let our some of that pressure.

Teaching is hard, kids are frustrating, adults are bad people, and you are being expected to do way more than is reasonable. Now that all of that is out of the way, let's talk about how to cry.

Don't cry in front of the kids.

There was a teacher my first year, a 10+ year veteran, who could be heard loudly weeping and yelling at kids depending on the time of day. Not only did it make the kids behave worse, but it disturbed and terrorized the nearby teachers as well. If you need to excuse yourself because you let a child get under your skin so far that you are about to cry in class, do it. Take the write up. Better that than crippling yourself for the rest of the year. No, it doesn't look good, but i'd argue the kids seeing the tears is worse. Kids can be like piranha. Once they smell blood in the water, you're done.

Let it out regularly

It doesn't have to be tears, but relieve that stress somehow before it gets to the point where crying is mandatory and involuntary. If you let it build up you're going to explode on a student that probably is doing something on a much lower level than you are percieving it to be.

Reset every day
Don't let yesterday determine today. You start fresh and let the students, admins, and everyone else start fresh too. There is only one student I've ever had that I actually don't like, but sometimes I let all that negative emotions stack up and bleed into my relationships with other students. At the peak of my feud with this one students, she told me she didn't like me. I told her I didn't like her either. I'm serious. I still don't like this kid. How crazy is that? I wouldn't have said that if I hadn't taken her constant defiance and under performance personally. I should have let her start over, instead, I decided early that she was terrible, and honestly, I still feel that way. I was in a year long emotional feud with a 15 year old girl. Who's fault is that? Mine of course. So dumb. 

Regardless of the reason, if you need to cry, do it. Find someone you care about and let it out. You'll feel better and you'll be better.

Related Articles:
New Teachers are allowed to cry - NPR
DISD Teacher Tears Joy
DISD Teacher Tears Overwhelmed
DISD Teacher Tears Hopelessness
DISD Teacher Tears Frustration

I talk a good deal about how important veteran teachers have been to me in my formation as an educator. Teachers that have been around for the long haul are essential to a successful and functional school. Period. Full stop. 

What do veteran teachers need to do to continue having the impact they've had over the past 2, 3, 4 decades? Continue to get better. Don't stagnate. What does that mean? Master technology. 

The concern that districts are trying to phase out older teachers is not as much of a myth as some people make it out to be. By the same token, it's not as much of a nefarious plot either. It's much more subtle than that. The shift to more technology on many campuses, intentional or not, is a soft push that changes the makeup of a campus. Can't keep up with the times? You get left behind. Refuse to comply with campus requirements? OK, bye! This is the wrong way to use technology.

It doesn't make sense to spent an absurd amount of money on technology when several of your staff members have barely mastered email. This isn't being dramatic or speaking in hyperbole. It's a reality that we have teachers that are barely able to use the internet. Despite that some DISD campuses are spending so much money on technology that is trading off with the ability to buy basic supplies for faculty.

I hate this. It hurts teachers and ultimately the students when it isn't done thoughtfully, purposefully, or compassionately. Teachers that have been making a difference for longer than I've been alive are finding themselves on the outside of education because the way people want classes to be taught is changing. I want veteran teachers, especially those who have helped me so much, to be "unleavable." What have I done about it? Trained them one on one to use the technology begin implemented by DISD. Off days, planning periods, and other times they've needed it, I've personally helped veterans learn to use their technology. What did they do in return? Helped me become a better classroom manager, group work facilitator, faster grader, and so many more things that I can't name them all here. We all have something to offer. We're all in this together. So use us as your best resource. Younger teachers are happy to help you just like you help us.

Maybe a little less ceremony and more effective PD would change this. In the mean time, we got you veterans.

Related Articles:
End of Year Reflection - Veteran DISD Teachers
End of Year Reflection - Novice DISD Teacher
Watch a Master Dallas ISD Teacher
Churn of DISD Teachers
DISD PD Reflection Week
TFA helps develop all DISD teachers

The best thing to do is be humble and acknowledge it. Whether you got your undergraduate degree in education, just finished your student teaching, got your masters, or are being alternatively certified, you have no idea. Nothing wrong with that. You're never as good at something the first time as you are the 100th time.

Even if you've taught before. DISD is a different place. If you come in cocky, DISD will help you understand that you are not the king or queen of all teachers. Meet your kids. Learn from your coworkers. Ask for help when you need it, not when it's already become an emergency.

If you need to relax after the first day, don't worry. We released a new Dallas education podcast over the weekend (as usual) with special guest, Trustee Joyce Foreman, stopping by. Subscribe on iTunes or follow on Soundcloud so you never miss it!

Related articles:
Welcome Back DISD Students and Teachers
Confused? Watch a Master Dallas ISD Teacher
Things New DISD Teachers need
Things New DISD Teachers don't need
End of Year Reflection - Veteran DISD Teachers
End of Year Reflection - Novice DISD Teacher

Recently, both on twitter and in person, I've had the pleasure of talking with a few teachers that just concluded their first year in the classroom. Some were tired, some were sickly, some were jaded, and some were hopeful. What did they all have in common? They all thought something was missing. "Support" is the buzzword they all clung to. Some wish they had more time to observe other teachers, some wished they had been observed more, and some just with their administrators would have responded to their requests for help with discipline.

I'm glad we have new teachers coming in to the classroom, especially with so many leaving for various reasons. Why didn't they feel supported. The administrators were all too busy at may of their schools. This is my problems with the changes in DISD and Dallas Education: We are trying to please adults more than educate kids. I was and still am a supporter of finding new and better ways to educate students. What I have seen that endeavor become on the ground, in our schools and classrooms, is compliance for compliance sake. 

Here is what I mean:
"Is your LO and DOL up? Ok, check!" - Wrong
"Do your kids know what your LO is and why it is important? According to your DOL, was your lesson effective? How will that change your approach with your students tomorrow?" - Right

To me there is a big difference between those two scenarios, but scenario 1, the compliance scenario, is what the "DISD education Reforms" have become. Maybe that is because the administrators we are hiring don't have the skills or training to effectively implement the reforms. Maybe it's because they are to busy to properly conduct their jobs. Either way, it's created a poor environment for students and new teachers alike.