We are also the 99%.

“Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” This derisive comment about the teaching profession is, sadly, nothing new.

To belittle teachers is bad enough, but in recent years, politicians and the media have demonized us, too. Many people now believe we’re greedy, lazy incompetents at best, and drug dealers or child abusers at worst.

As a teacher, I get angry and a little more tired each time I hear one of these negative stories.

And I’m not alone: teacher job satisfaction is at its lowest in 20 years.

This site is devoted to the 99%  — of teachers, that is — who fight ogres like increasing class size, diminishing resources, and sheer exhaustion every day. (Not to mention poverty, standardized testing, and shrinking benefits…)

I hope we can remind ourselves of the good things happening in our classrooms — whether it’s  a student playing his solo confidently, connecting personally to literature, or discovering a passion for fractals. In this way, we can draw strength from one another.

I hope we can also remember that teachers are human beings — not saints, sinners, nor ogres.

Advertisements