We start Thursday...Do what matters

Thursday's coming. First day of school for us of the 2023-2024 school year. This will be my 18th year. There are a lot of teachers with more time than that and a lot with less. But in my 18 years I think I've picked up a little bit of wisdom that's worth offering to those who might be a little nervous about the year to come.

First, there's too much to do it all.

Today we just finished our pre-start professional development. It ended with all the stuff that gets saved for last because it's what everybody hates. Basically a list of everything expected of you that's longer than the Mississippi River. Duty. Roll. Forms. Detention. Discipline. Lesson plans. Unit plans. Parent contact logs. Parent contact procedures. IEPs. 504s. Documentation. Documentation. Documentation. 

And somehow with all that you're also tasked with getting to know the kids, giving them input on classroom procedures and rules, dealing with classroom interruptions, schedule changes, new kids registering in the midst of it all, no technology for a few days, no instructional materials for a few days, catching up kids who miss, making sure kids know what to do if there's a fire, tornado, active threat, and even a tsunami (in Arkansas? Yes. It's on there. A tsunami.)

Some things you might have noticed. Or maybe you didn't. 

In that long list there was nothing about teaching kids or grading their papers. There's also nothing in there about your spouse, kids, friends, chores, or hobbies.

If you're new to this, it's so overwhelming. If you're not new to this, it's so overwhelming. 

That's because it's not humanly possible to get it all done! It's just not. 

It's why so many teachers don't last in this career very long. There's no telling how many would-be great teachers who've left the classroom for home or other careers. I can't count the number of just my friends who've left, many were outstanding educators and others would have been outstanding if they'd remained in the classroom. 

But they're not in the classroom. They've moved on. 

So here's my advice to everyone who's feeling overwhelmed after a week of PD to get ready for a Thursday start. 

You CANNOT get it ALL done. You just can't. 

So decide here and now to do what's important. You will have to decide that for yourself. For me there are two priorities. My family, my students, and my fellow teachers.

I spent many years putting my work in front of my family. I'm not doing that anymore. And I suggest you don't start. You vowed to be there for your spouse, you're blood-bound to be there for your kids. They NEED you. Don't put them at the end of the line. Be there to eat supper with you're family. If you're kid's sick, stay home with them. Help your spouse with the chores at home and make them a priority. They deserve that. 

Next, your students. If you're not teaching to make a difference in the lives of kids, then stop here. Turn in your resignation before school starts on Thursday. In the end there are two things that are going to make you a great teacher. Two. Love what you teach and love your kids. If you don't love what you teach, but you love your kids you can still be a good teacher. But if you don't love your kids, just go ahead and get out of this field right now. They'll be better off with a sub until they can hire a teacher who does.

Loving your students doesn't mean tucking them in at night. But it does mean caring about them. Caring about where they've been. Caring about where they are. And caring about where they're going. You can't really understand a student unless you have some idea of what they've been through. Some of your students have lived great, wonderful, fairy tale lives. Some have literally grown up in hell on earth. Some won't let you in, but all of them will know if you love them enough to care about what they've been through. And if they know you do, some will open up and let you in. Even those who don't will appreciate it though.

Same with what they're going through right now. They need to know you have their best interest at heart. Did they have breakfast? Did they work until midnight? Did they get home from a ball game at two AM? Were they up all night trying to block out their parents fighting in the next room? Do they have no electricity or water at home? Again, some won't tell you. But they'll all know if you care enough to want to know. And again, they'll appreciate it. 

And what do they want to do in the future? What do they consider important? What do they need to be successful? As much as you love your content, it may not be the most important thing in the world to them. Do you care enough to recognize that and to encourage them to follow their passion? If you do it will be a lot easier to convince them to get through your class and pursue what they really want. 

In short, your kids need to know you care about them and your content, but that you care about them more than you care about your content. 

And finally, my fellow teachers. The ladies and gentlemen on your teams, in your halls, in your buildings, and in your school are also feeling overwhelmed, even those who've got a lot of years in. Most teachers were kids who always worked hard in school. They wanted to please their teachers. They always did what they were told. 

They still want to do everything they're told and they will wear themselves to a frazzle trying to get it all done. Some will sacrifice all of the priorities I'm laying out here trying to get it all done. That's their nature. 

Those teachers, even the experienced ones, need you to tell them what you're reading here. But no matter how much they hear it, they just don't have it in them to let that form go unfilled. So they need your help too. 

Right now, if you've read this far, you're probably thinking, "He's no help!" You're probably thinking all I did was pile more on. 

But no. What I'm telling you is to prioritize those three. Your family. Your students (what's really important to them.) And your peers. 

If you take care of those three, in that order, and you can't get that lesson plan finished on time, or that 504 documentation completed the day it's due, or you forget to update your parent contact log that afternoon, or God forbid you forget to teach your kids the tsunami drill procedures (okay, this one is an exaggeration), it's all going to be okay. 

It's going to be okay because you took care of what's most important. You took care of what really matters. You took care of your family, your students, and your peers. 

It is overwhelming. You can't do it all. So do what matters.