Today, November 19, 2019, was a monumental day for educators in Indiana.  Today was the day they took a stand for their jobs, for themselves, but most importantly, they stood up for their students.  Per the Indy Star, more than 15,000 people registered to stand for education today.  They were taking a stand against their pay, standardized testing, and new professional development requirements.

Some of you may not understand their concerns.  I’m here to tell you my views of it all.

I grew up as the child, grandchild, and niece of educators.  My mother is a teacher.  I consider it a blessing to be raised as a child who knew education from the inside out.  I would come home and hear about my mom’s day at school as she listened to my own.  We would go to the grocery store and almost always see one of her teacher friends.  Every year, she would more than likely know my teachers before I even had met them.  As an added bonus, summers, delays, and weekends meant more time together.

Many of the closest friends I had through school were because of her.  I went to middle school, and instantly made friends with the kids who had my mom as a teacher because of that connection.

I feel that there are many people who on the outside would feel there’s this pressure with being a teacher’s kid.  Sure, some may think there’s a pressure of always having to behave or your mom will find out, her forcing you to do your homework, or ….  But none of those things have really been the case with me.  I’m not saying they could never happen, but honestly… I feel that that depends on the kid more than the parent.

So far I’ve spoken about me, but let’s talk about her.  Being a teacher’s kid also enlightens you to a lot of things in the education realm.  It has shown me that being a teacher is not always the nicest job to your mom (or dad), no matter how hard they try.  Please just imagine for me the meanest, most rotten kid and being responsible for them 8 hours a day for 180 days.  Imagine trying to teach a room full of kids who don’t care.  Imagine trying to change the lives of young people who don’t have any aspirations.  Imagine being forced to change grade levels after 20 years.  Imagine your pay being dependent on the test scores of said kids who don’t care about what they’re learning.  Imagine parents blaming you and criticizing your teaching style every single year.

Keep in mind, those are some of the lowest of lows for a teacher.  But it has happened to so many of the dearest people in my heart.  My mother and many other teachers I have had the pleasure of being taught by only aim to change lives.  They want to change the lives of students, so that those students can change the world.

Seriously, let’s look at this.  Teachers spend time with children who may or may not want to learn.  Teachers give all their knowledge, both educational and life-related to these students to make them the best people they can possibly be.  They are literally life-changers.  I know I would not be who I am without my mom… but let’s face it, I wouldn’t be who I am without the remarkable teachers I had for 18 years of my life.  They do not get the credit they deserve.  There are people out there who want to say that they are not good teachers if their students don’t do well on a test.  There are people out there who want to say their skills are only worth a degrading amount of pay per year.  There are people who want to change teacher requirements that don’t benefit neither the teacher or the students.  But, these people do not see the mental strain it has on the teachers its affecting.  They do not see the life it takes out of them year by year.  They do not see the most passionate people in the world lose their passion for teaching, because teaching isn’t the goal anymore.  Test-taking… school scores… a conventional curriculum is the goal.  That’s what you see as the child of an educator.  I am a recent college graduate, I participated in standardized testing, but nothing to what it is now.  My teachers have shaped me into who I am today.  My mom has shaped me into who I am today.  I’d like to think I made her proud.  But I am not proud of the way her and others like her are not allowed to be fully who they are when teaching to their classroom full of future doctors, lawyers, tradesmen, businessmen, artists, and educators.  So, I ask this of you.  Please be aware.  Be aware, both as a student and a parent of a student, that these teachers… these people… put their heart and soul into the kids they teach every single day year after year.  We would not be who we are without our teachers.  Thank you to past, present, and future teachers.

Sincerely,

The Child of an Educator