Compliments

I always seem to be modest about taking a compliment. I appreciate compliments but if I let them go to my head, I think my head would turn into a parade float. Let's face it, teachers are the new lawyers. Everyone from the President, the Governor, the Mayor on down believe that teachers are the cause of society's problems, from poverty to the Wall Street Crisis, its the teachers stupid.

My students are my joy. I take pride that an old student will stop me and say hello then transform themselves back to when they were in my class. They tell stories, they ask about Michelle, they ask about the girls, they ask if I still hate politicians and they ask if I still teach at 61. When I say "Yes!", they are amazed. They ask if the school is still the same, they ask if so-and-so is still there and they ask if I still do this lesson or that lesson.

I also receive student observers. When you become a teacher (I ADVISE ALL OF YOU IN THIS CLIMATE OF CORPORATE SPONSORED POLITICIANS RUNNING SORRY RUINING EDUCATION----DON'T BECOME A TEACHER) before student teaching, you have to observe teachers in a middle or high school for 30 hours. Bill Murphy, my AP, seems to point all social studies teachers to Room 205, 221, 224 where they meet me. I have never discouraged people to stray from teaching, I have encouraged them to find jobs outside of New York City and now with Andrew "DINO (Democrat in Name Only) Cuomo, I advise them to get out of New York. I encourage them to find a unionzed state that did not receive RttT money (Obama's bullshit program) to teach. They observe the best classes, the worst classes and the middle. Some sit for two classes, some three and some spend the day. I never tell observers that I was this good. I'm still not as great as I could be. Teaching is not stagnation, teaching is an evolving process and until you step into my size ten Rockports, teaching is not easy. To become successful, it takes time and patience. Its not about 8 to 3 or summers off or the pension (HA!) or the TDA (MAX it out!). Its about seeing yourself from your student's perspective, your parent's perspective and your administration's perspective. This is why teachers develop in five-to-seven years. The first few years is analyzing yourself and evolving, its about what's good, what's bad and what's ok. Get past that and you'll see that you can do it.

An old student observer came by and complimented me that I was a great teacher to watch. I used my modesty and told him I still suck. However, I did see Mr. Murphy and told him that I did receive a compliment. Using my rapier wit and sly sense of sarcasm, I told him, "Maybe I don't suck."

To my students thanks for the compliments. I am glad that years after you left 61, you still remember who your good teachers were and that makes me happy.