Attitude of Gratitude, Day 14

November 14: 5 things you are grateful to have learned in your teaching career.

It's political.
While I wish the climate of education wasn't as political as it is, it is. And, I believe, it's gotten worse, a lot worse. When I was a beginning teacher, I had absolutely no idea the role politics played. State legislators have a lot of influence over funding. Federal influence brought us Race to the Top, Common Core State Standards, and who knows what else. Worse, rich and influential private citizens have pushed agendas on education, with seemingly little understand of how schools work. I'm glad I understand all of this finally, because it means I don't have to be surprised or shocked. I'll keep dismay, though....

Teaching is fun.
There are so many facets to teaching, but having fun with students is something that wasn't exactly talked about in my pre-service education. It's great to have fun in class, and know that learning will still happen.

It doesn't have to be adversarial.
I'm a member of the Badass Teachers Association on Facebook. The horror stories that some of these BATs share are amazing, and so often the story has to do with a top-down management style that seems to have nothing to do with collegial relationships, working together to benefit kids, or any of that. I've been fortunate that I've had decent relationships with the administrators I've worked with. Life is easier at school when people are on the same page.

I've had a lot of freedom to "do my thing".
It might help that in a super small school, most of the staff are their own department. I'm grateful that enough trust has been put in me to be able to create classes that work for kids, while maintaining state standards. I remember being told by my first principal that if the district didn't trust me to do the right thing educationally, they wouldn't have hired me, and it has been that way ever sense.

I know how to read a collective bargaining agreement.
What this means is that I understand the rights and responsibilities of teaching in my district. It also means I've been in a position to help other teachers when they have questions, and I've developed into a teacher-leader. I believe that if teachers don't understand their contract, they can get themselves in trouble. Knowledge is power, and that certainly applies to contracts!