What It Takes to Be A Teacher

When I tell people what I do and who I teach, they say, "Wow, you must have a lot of patience." I nod and smile and say, "It's understanding I have." There's an article I read in graduate school that has had an incredible influence on who I am as a teacher-- I even remember the professor who assigned it. "Food for Thought. Patience or Understanding?" was written by Nancy Weber-Schwartz in 1987 with the conviction that good teachers aren't patient, they understand the whole child.I follow this, as is evident in a few of my previous posts-- it's my mantra as a teacher. Don't get me wrong, I have felt frustrated working with children. When I do, I step back and reflect, sometimes catching eye contact with another adult in the room to indicate I need a minute away. In these times of frustration, finding different ways to approach the situation is imperative- I make a visual for the next time, chat with the student when he or she is not upset, or make an incentive plan based on the child's goals. Knowing exactly what impacts a child's ability to complete a task or follow a direction is key to providing the necessary support for the child to be successful. Providing the support is what makes a good teacher.Good teachers who work with toddlers understand that they touch everything because they are curious and discovering their world, so they give them the tactile input they need. Good teachers who work with teenagers understand that their rebellion is something to be embraced, so they ignore the fact that they were late and instead give them a reason to be on time. Good teachers who work with children with special needs discover patterns of behavior, so they can preempt behaviors with necessary support. All of these good teachers have something in common; their work is centered around understanding the child.Stemming from what can sometimes be crippling compassion and understanding, there's a high level of dedication and follow-through that good teachers have. Sometimes this follow-through means dreaming about the classroom, not being able to sleep at night, working late and early hours, needing multiple venting sessions in a day, and needing someone else to tell them it's time to take a break from school. If school schedules didn't dictate vacations, teachers would rarely take the time for themselves. Most of the teachers I know drag themselves to work when they're sick because they are overridden with guilt if they miss a day.I think about the perspective required to understand teachers, and there are few outside the profession who have it. Unfortunately, the ones who really don't understand are the ones making decisions in schools. Successful teachers aren't measured the way they should be. Schools get graded based on text scores and test score improvements, not on actual growth of the children. What will it take for our system to recognize what we're doing to both teachers and students?