"When we learn how to teach, we must also consider what it will feel like to teach."
Chapter 8: Hit by a Bus
Using personal story from a shocking and unexpected moment in her teaching career as well as other teachers’ experiences, Diane Manser imparts in this chapter what it feels like for teachers when they experience emotional shocks in their classrooms and what they can do to navigate these tough feelings. Whether an elementary teacher, specials teacher, or content teacher, the pains, even grief, from teaching can affect all of us. Considering the expectations we have for ourselves, our classrooms, and our students can be just one piece to determine how we get through—not out—of the toughest experiences we may face in our classroom life.
ReflectionQuestions
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What is the hardest part about teaching right now for you? What is the easiest or most comfortable?
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How do you maintain balance in your teaching life so you can remain in the profession and grow through it rather than step away from it? Which aspects of this balance feel most challenging for you, and which come most naturally?
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Have you ever felt figuratively hit by a bus in your teaching career—possibly from work overload or from a shocking experience? What was the circumstance and how did it make you feel? How did you work through this situation?
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In teaching, it’s important we work through troubling circumstances, so we don’t aim to get out or become bitter. How do you suggest teachers work though tough moments to come out on the other side stronger and emotionally strong?
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“Teaching can be more about self-management than it is about content management.”
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“Teachers can find themselves in the classic social whirlpool syndrome, where students look to the one student to determine how they are allowed to act toward a teacher and in a class.”
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“Let’s lighten the teacher emotional bag. Maybe even put that bag down. We don’t need to carry that bag.”
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“Don’t ever resign yourself to closing, because nothing is worth closing your heart, only to leave anger, disappointment, and resentment inside.”
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RESOURCES
