My Job Is SO Easy
It has recently come to my attention that someone in an upper administrative position in my current school district thinks my job is “too easy” because I only have “one prep.”
Yes, because that’s totally how I’d describe my job, teaching eleven and twelve year olds how to read and write, to an outsider. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. So cush. It’s basically just one prolonged beach vacation.
For those of you outside the field of education, let me explain. One prep means that I only teach one subject and grade level. I just do it three times. Apparently that’s just waaaayyyy too much of a cakewalk. According to this person, I should be forced to behave way more like a chicken with its head cut off, running into lockers and squawking at all times.
Omigod. I’m freaking out.
Because okay, yes, I teach three of the “same classes” during each eighty minute block. But these classes are NOT the same. I teach 65 UNIQUE kids. And I teach them all differently. That’s not a joke. That’s called differentiation.
I have to manage all of their independent reading. I know who needs audio, I make sure everyone has paper copies of their texts to go with each audio version; I make sure they all have books at their level and area of interest. I have to make sure every kid is making growth and progress and that they’re all picking up what I’m proverbially putting down. I have to read their writing and give some kind of feedback. In order to do all of this, I actually have to get said kids to listen to me. Follow my directions, etc. AND I LOVE IT.
But as my fellow millennials say, NBD.
Listen, I really don’t feel like justifying my work to this individual. But I will.
Yes, I teach one subject and one grade level. But last year, for example, I taught two grade levels, sixth and seventh grade. We’ll call that “two preps” and yes, I found it quite challenging. I found it almost impossible to do well. And raise my own kids. I was stressed and over-worked. I was not healthy, emotionally. Both of the curriculums were relatively new to me, and so I was doing a ton of planning plus the extra grading. And remember, it takes three to five years for educators to master a curriculum.
Many of my colleagues have “multiple preps.” Some don’t. But I don’t begrudge them, and I should hope they don’t begrudge me. Because I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing. Every content area has its drawbacks and pitfalls. I subbed for PE once and left with a splitting headache and ringing in my ears. Do I get jealous when those teachers prance out of the building at 3:15 with no papers? Sure, sure I do! I’m human. But I DO NOT begrudge them, and I certainly do not want their job!
Everybody needs to stay in their lane.
I wrote the piece I attached below in September of 2022, when I first began at my new school, where I’d been involuntarily transferred at the start of that academic year. The reasoning I was given for the transfer was that I didn’t have multiple endorsements (I am only certified to teach ELA). I found this reasoning flawed, since many other teachers who also had single endorsements were not transferred, but I digress.
I want to continue to advocate on behalf of all of my colleagues, including those who are singularly endorsed. We are dedicated to a specific content area. And that is a strength, not a deficit.
A Secondary Teacher's Quandary
My good friend, who is also a middle school Language Arts teacher, recently reminded me: “I’m not certified to teach kids social studies, and that is not a fluke. I don’t really have a deep passion for any other subject [beyond reading and writing]. To be forced to teach something I don’t have a passion for would be a disservice to the kids.”
I couldn’t agree more. I’m not certified to teach math or science or media arts and that is certainly not by accident. Selfishly, I have no personal interest or desire to teach anything beyond ELA.
Secondary teachers, we teachers certified to teach grades 6-12, walk a tricky tightrope. Some of us were motivated to begin teaching due to the love of our given subject area. And perhaps, for some of us, the appreciation and enjoyment for the art of teaching children came second. Is this necessarily a bad thing? I guess it’s what you do with the job once you’ve entered the field that matters most.
As cliché as it sounds, I always turn back to the movie Mr. Holland’s Opus, which paints a decent picture of this quandary.
Read the rest below—no pay wall!
A Secondary Teacher's Quandary
My good friend, who is also a middle school Language Arts teacher, recently reminded me: “I’m not certified to teach kids social studies, and that is not a fluke. I don’t really have a deep passion for any other subject [beyond reading and writing]. To be forced to teach something I don’t have a passion for would be a disservice to the kids.”