It’s Not Just a Calling. It’s a Profession.
“Teaching is a calling.”
“Well, I know it doesn’t pay much, but I love teaching.”
“Teaching is so noble.”
“We didn’t become teachers to get rich!”
How many times have you heard (or said) that teaching/education/working in education is a calling? For many, teaching IS a calling. But educators are also professionals, something that can be easily overlooked when we focus on the calling aspect of teaching.
In no other profession would you have to buy your own supplies, make poverty-level wages because you “love what you do,” or deal with constant defunding while being asked to do more and more. No other professionals are judged on uncontrollable outcomes in the same way (especially on standardized tests, which let’s be honest with ourselves, are useless), and no other professionals - college-educated professionals - are seen as glorified babysitters (while making far less than babysitter wages!). And during the Covid-19 pandemic, the shift from “teachers are heroes” to “teachers are lazy and need to get back to work” was fast enough to make my head spin. I’m very lucky to work at a place that provides a lot of support and growth opportunities for educators, but for many of us, that’s not the case.
So teaching and education is an uphill battle, but it’s a battle we have to reframe. Rather than accepting that we teach because we love it - which we do of course - we have to reclaim our status as professionals and not accept that the mistreatment of educators is okay because of that love. There’s a lot to fight against in this battle. Anti-intellectualism is rampant, as is misinformation, and we have the additional responsibility to teach ourselves and our students to use our critical thinking skills more than ever. Harvard Business Review notes that teachers, since the 1980s at least, have been asked to do more with less, and that the dismantling of education as a “profession” has led to 93% of educators reporting consistently high stress levels. No matter how much we love our students and what we do, it’s not okay to ask people to live in poverty and be stressed out in this way.
But, I hear you saying, what can we do? Well, I don’t have all the answers. And certainly not all of us are facing this problem - but when the suffering of even some educators is dismissed as being part of their “calling,” doesn’t that hurt us all? Doesn’t that hurt the entire profession? If we see teaching as simply a calling, doesn’t that contribute to the dismantling of our roles as professionals?
I believe it does.
So how can educators fight for their professional status?
Stop saying “I’m just an educator.” And, not to make it gendered, but if you’re a woman especially, stop diminishing yourself. This is easier said than done, I know. I’ll be your personal cheerleader if you need it!
VOTE. I don’t care what political party you are, but vote. Vote for leaders who will fully fund education, who will treat educators as professionals, and who will listen to your concerns. Vote so you can use your voice. Vote so you can create a world where school aren’t tied to standardized tests and property taxes and the whims of bureaucrats.
Get as much professional development as you can. Yeah, I know, I’m biased - I run a PD non-profit! But the more certifications, the more skills, the more learning you have, the more you can bargain and grow in your professional life. Plus, professional development allows you to grow your network outside of your school and community, which creates a stronger network of educators for you and in general.
Take. Care. Of. Yourself. For Real. You can’t pour from an empty cup, and you shouldn’t have to. We have a free self-care day coming up, but whether it’s through PD or just realizing you don’t have to be the perfect educator (especially right now!), take care of yourselves.
Join professional organizations. Unions, Facebook groups, Twitter chats, whatever that that looks like for you, connect with other educators. Just like PD, being a part of a group can help you grow.
Don’t be afraid to be different. If you’re in a place that doesn’t value innovation, don’t think something is wrong with you. It’s not.
Be a leader. Whether that means moving into administration or just being a voice for those who haven’t found theirs yet, if you have something to say, speak up!
Finally, know that WE know you’re a professional. Our goal is to empower educators and however we can do that, whatever we can do to help you become empowered or empower others, we’ve got your back.
The brilliance, the need, the community I see every day makes me feel even more strongly that none of the educators I work with are “just” teachers - they’re professionals. And they absolutely, unequivocally, deserve to be treated like it.