The Look in Your Eyes

Teaching is a team sport. My team is my school staff, and it is a great team. We share all successes and all struggles.

Let's face it, though. Struggles are like the problem child in a large class. You might have far less struggles than successes, but somehow struggles seem to zap all your time and energy.

There is a situation going on at my school. I am not directly involved, but it is bothering me just as if I were. The situation is just one of those stupid things that educators have to deal with and watching it unfold is like getting punched in the gut.

I just hate watching good educators and administrators take abuse. I really wonder what it was like to teach in a time when parents and students were held accountable. People are always saying that education is in an age of accountability, but from the inside, the only people I see being held accountable are educators--and we're held accountable for things we have no control over.

Even though I had a good day with the kids and got some wonderful thank you notes, even though it's break, this whole situation leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I just get to work with some really talented people who do amazing things. I want to believe that they don't face the same doubts and discouragements that I do about this work. Today, though, I saw it in their eyes: they are tired of it all.