In the past few days I've had several conversations about political engagement and teacher frustration. It's not news that teachers are unhappy and it's justified. Teachers have power in numbers, but those numbers are missing, publicly anyway.
There's a difference between being unhappy while simultaneously working to fix it and just polluting every environment you pass though with your unhappiness. We all know those people who are permanently miserable. The ones who have something negative to say no matter what. Usually its something small. Example:
"How are you?"
"You know what? I'm having a pretty good day so far."
" *Scoff* Yeah, well check in with me tomorrow. Then we'll see."
What? What is that supposed to mean? That's a real conversation I had recently. It stuck with me, but I didn't take it personal. Other times these conversations get even more aggressive sometimes. Why? Because often times people direct their negativity toward all the places except where it needs to go.
There are reasons people are unhappy. Plenty of legitimate, valid, rational reasons to be angry in the classroom; unfortunately, the majority of teachers that feel this way bury it deep down inside until it rots them from within. It doesn't happen right away, but over a decade of feeling like nobody cares what you have to say, like you have no control over you life/classroom, and like nobody respects you takes its toll. It's not the teacher's fault, but it's also not the fault of the coworkers, students, and random bystanders who get the brunt of it either.
I've had the "I used to be like you...you'll see. Stay in this long enough and you'll be just like me" conversation more times than anyone should. People are more likely to take to the internet anonymously and spew hate than openly challenge and communicate with the board, their principal, or the superintendent. That's why the structures that make teachers miserable stay the way they are or get worse. Yes, there are people with money that have ideas about how things should work and influence all of us, but they are allowed to do what they want, whether you agree or not, because of widespread silence and disengagement. Yes, there's a culture of fear in DISD. There's threat of retaliation. Whether or not it's real, which many will say it is, the feeling that it's a reality is what makes it real.
Instead of taking our frustrations out on people unrelated to the issues we have, it's better to confront our common concerns together. Obviously time is finite and teachers are busy, but it only takes a second to send an email. Take as long as you need to draft it, but send it. Make a fake email and name if you need to. People do it all the time.
There's a difference between being unhappy while simultaneously working to fix it and just polluting every environment you pass though with your unhappiness. We all know those people who are permanently miserable. The ones who have something negative to say no matter what. Usually its something small. Example:
"How are you?"
"You know what? I'm having a pretty good day so far."
" *Scoff* Yeah, well check in with me tomorrow. Then we'll see."
What? What is that supposed to mean? That's a real conversation I had recently. It stuck with me, but I didn't take it personal. Other times these conversations get even more aggressive sometimes. Why? Because often times people direct their negativity toward all the places except where it needs to go.
There are reasons people are unhappy. Plenty of legitimate, valid, rational reasons to be angry in the classroom; unfortunately, the majority of teachers that feel this way bury it deep down inside until it rots them from within. It doesn't happen right away, but over a decade of feeling like nobody cares what you have to say, like you have no control over you life/classroom, and like nobody respects you takes its toll. It's not the teacher's fault, but it's also not the fault of the coworkers, students, and random bystanders who get the brunt of it either.
I've had the "I used to be like you...you'll see. Stay in this long enough and you'll be just like me" conversation more times than anyone should. People are more likely to take to the internet anonymously and spew hate than openly challenge and communicate with the board, their principal, or the superintendent. That's why the structures that make teachers miserable stay the way they are or get worse. Yes, there are people with money that have ideas about how things should work and influence all of us, but they are allowed to do what they want, whether you agree or not, because of widespread silence and disengagement. Yes, there's a culture of fear in DISD. There's threat of retaliation. Whether or not it's real, which many will say it is, the feeling that it's a reality is what makes it real.
Instead of taking our frustrations out on people unrelated to the issues we have, it's better to confront our common concerns together. Obviously time is finite and teachers are busy, but it only takes a second to send an email. Take as long as you need to draft it, but send it. Make a fake email and name if you need to. People do it all the time.
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