This blog post is part of "Should I Stay or Should I Go?," a series of teachers' reflections on the factors that keep them in the classroom, or draw them out. Read the first post in the series and stay tuned for more.
By Lillie Marshall
Sometimes to stay in the classroom, you have to leave the classroom ... even for a day.
"Ms. Rogers," I told my administrator in the spring of my second year of teaching, "I'm quitting after this year."
"But you have so much potential!" Ms. Rogers exclaimed, handing me a tissue. "You're hard-working, idealistic ... even an Ivy League graduate!"
I rolled my tear-soaked eyes. What good did it do to be an Ivy League graduate if every day teaching felt like losing a war against chaos?
That week I took my first sick day in two years. I lay in bed, feverish, fully envisioning for the first time what it would be like to leave the classroom forever.
When I returned to work, I thought I'd wandered into the wrong building. Everyone seemed so ... upbeat. Why were these teens suddenly bowling me over with hugs?
"Miss!" Chatia squealed, "We got the results back on the MCAS state English tests, and we all did really well! What you taught us actually worked!"
In subsequent weeks, I began to find my rhythm as a teacher, using the new energy and confidence from my students' success to try out teaching techniques suggested by colleagues, until I found ones that worked for me.
I remained at that school for five years, each year improving and feeling happier as my students learned more. One of the best choices I've made in my entire life was not quitting after year two.
But then, after five years in the classroom, I really was ready for a break if I was going to continue being the teacher I now knew I could be. I took a year-long leave of absence to travel the world and write. From 2009-2010, I volunteered in Ghana, learned web design from the #1 travel blogger in Spain, and toured mind-blowing historical sites of Southeast Asia. I returned to teaching in Boston Public Schools in 2010 with such renewed vigor and resources, I felt like triple the teacher I had been before.
Often, what teachers need in order to stay in the classroom is permission to step out of it for a time. It gives us perspective, balance, and new skills. Whether teachers do this by taking on hybrid roles, or by a whole year's leave of absence, we educators must cultivate ourselves as whole, healthy people in order to teach our students powerfully. When Steven Brill wrote in his book Class Warfare that "good teachers never sit down," he ignored the fact that all humans need to reboot sometimes.
Do you know a teacher who is thinking about quitting the profession as I was? Helping them step out of the classroom for a time might just help them stay in it.
Lillie Marshall (@WorldLillie) is a Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellow and a teacher in the Boston Public Schools. She runs the Education Bloggers group and chat, along with two GlobalEd websites, AroundTheWorldL.com and TeachingTraveling.com. Read about Lillie's 5 recommendations for quality teacher evaluations.
Follow Teach Plus on Twitter: www.twitter.com/teachplus
Experiential learning for teachers in the summer equates to energy in their classrooms in the fall. What teachers put into their own learning is what students ultimately get out of theirs.
Thanks to Jennifer, who posted below about her fellowship! Please encourage preK-12 teachers to check fundforteachers.org for eligibility and apply. Online app goes live 10/1.
Love what you are doing globally, and I agree with you with the rebooting thing. Whenever I have a hard time at school, I always find a place to reboot on Twitter. My PLN encourages me to follow my passion and stay motivated and stop thinking about quitting teaching. I believe that having a network would definitely help you to stand up again.
Great work.
I could closely identify with your post, although in a slightly different way. This year I took a one-year leave of absence from my classroom to fill in as a sabbatical replacement at a local university for the year. It was far from a year off to completely reboot as I was still working full time and completing my doctoral program; however, it was a change of pace and a different type of schedule. It also allowed me a chance to reflect back on my own teacher prep experience while seeing the experience and observations through my pre-service teachers' eyes. Before I left a mentor told me that I would return to the classroom with new energy, and as I gear up this summer, I think that it will end up being very true. I did a lot of growing this year because of the change.
www.snapshotsofmrsv.blogspot.com
This is such a great example of how to get perspective from the classroom, while still contributing to the world! Thanks for sharing it!
You know what stops me? I do not want to give disgruntled parents, students, or staff an open forum to trash a principal who does not deserve it, or to give solely destructive criticism--and yet, this is what principals, in far too many cases, do; and the do it with impunity!
Good work!
Ana García Álvarez de Perea (closeyourtextbooks.blogspot.com)
What do you think teacher-leaders (like you, as I think you're a teacher?) should do to best help our educational system?
"Often, what teachers need in order to stay in the classroom is permission to step out of it for a time. It gives us perspective, balance, and new skills. Whether teachers do this by taking on hybrid roles, or by a whole year's leave of absence, we educators must cultivate ourselves as whole, healthy people in order to teach our students powerfully. "
http://wp.me/p2x8EM-1l
That is such a valid point about money. Like I will go to Costco and spend $100 on groceries per week, but in Dominican Republic, there is not so much "junk" to buy, so I end spending comparatively very little money.
It is possible--and it IS advisable. We are not rich--in fact, if anyone proves that it can be done, it's me. My husband is also a teacher, so in no way does his job 'allow' me this 'luxury'. I saved up, I budgeted, and I had an amazing year. And I'll do it again. And again--over the course of my career. Being out of the classroom and IN the world has given me a new outlook. Plus I'm much more laid back and relaxed. And a laid back, relaxed teacher is a happy, productive teacher.
Sabbatical and travel aside, what are your thoughts on the concept of smaller breaks from the classroom (ex: hybrid roles, or even a "mental health day" off) helping teachers stay refreshed and effective?
And while I'm glad you managed to take a year off, how much world-traveling could you afford in that year?