Each week, an educator takes a stand or shares an Aha! moment in the classroom in the Education World Voice of Experience column. This week, educator Brenda Dyck reflects on the rough classroom times that seem to occur every February. Teachers are tired and discouraged. The kids have lousy attitudes. Why? Included: Tips for snapping out of the February doldrums!
Have you ever noticed that teaching morale is cyclic in nature? Each year, we find ourselves smack in the middle of February, wondering where our September optimism went. An onslaught of unsettling events in February can make you wonder whether there is a conspiracy at work -- one meant to perturb and discourage those of us who teach.
The new students I inherited after Christmas have made great progress in their behavior and their ability to focus. This week, however, they have reverted to their old ways. Today we finished our class by "dialoguing" about what went wrong this week. The students said they were tired, were discouraged by their teachers, and didn't much like the assignments that were coming their way. I didn't tell them that on that particular day, I felt much the same way as they did.After school, I sat through a two-hour staff meeting that focused on the declining behavior in our school. This group of yawning, discouraged educators agreed that lack of respect and rotten attitudes students were showing had finally eroded their patience. The principal commented on the heaviness she sensed in our meeting. Our guidance counselor said he felt the room was heavy with fatigue.
It's strange, but the ambiance of school is so different in September. Hope, enthusiasm, and vision for the future permeate every corner of the building. Teachers can't wait to implement ideas pondered over the summer. February, on the other hand, is screaming with reality checks -- hopes that haven't materialized, problems that don't seem to have solutions, and a sense of feeling tired to the bone.I wonder whether our students go through their own February crisis each year? They too begin each September with a sense of optimism, hoping new friendships and learning successes might make the new school year different for them. However, here they are in February failing some classes, bored in others, and drowning in the same old behavior issues. Hmm -- just when I had decided that my students caused my February crisis, I need to ponder whether perhaps I've contributed to theirs! Perhaps a combination of the two makes for a stressful learning environment.
Parenting is kind of like that too. We experience intermittent Februarys. We hang in there mostly because we signed up for the long haul and because every so often a September experience reminds us of our child's potential.
I'll tell you what I do when I hit the wall of February; I intentionally remember past successes from my classroom. I try to recall