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It Doesn't Have to Be This Way

         Though our work as educators is serious does not mean we have to 
         work in schools defined by tension and exhaustion. How we portray our 
         work is up to us. 
As educators we are often the most fickle of professionals. We love our work, are optimistic about our kids and fight hard to make sure our profession and our students are seen as for the value that they both possess. We are relentless in making our kids that it is okay that they are never finished products and that mistakes are a valuable part of the growth process but we often fail to give ourselves that level of grace which often creates an environment driven by a feeling of relentless insufficiency that leads to exhaustion and burnout.

Though our work is serious does not mean we have to work in schools defined by tension or exhaustion. It just does not have to be this way. Just because we are in a rush to help kids does not mean that we have to work in an environment that constantly balances on the edge of that tension. We do work in a high-stakes environment but schools do not have to feel like high-stakes environments and students should never feel like betting chips in the process of school turnaround.

As educators, we create the environ
ment in which we work and how we talk about our work in front of students will be reflected in how students talk about their experience at school. Do not get me wrong, there is a lot at stake in our schools and at schools that serve some of our country's most vulnerable children their education is often a matter of life and death. I teach with that urgency and coach with that same urgency but I do not project that pace of work during my interactions  with teachers and students because to do so would mean creating an environment of panic instead of cultivating an environment of momentum, growth and achievement.

I am convinced that the schools in the most precarious situations should be the most proactive in making their school environments joyful, compassionate and energetic. Students and families who attend turnaround schools know the reality of what is at stake. They know that the schools are struggling, they know that change must occur and they know that each day is essential. This urgency is profound and important but it should no manifest in panic, a feeling of guilt of lessons or days go poorly or wholesale changes to the school or its systems.

On a smaller scale, on a personal scale, teachers and staff in these environments should proactively work to buffer the realities of turnaround from their students. Students should focus on their personal learning and growth not turning the school around; that is the job of the educators and school leaders.

This week I was reminded by a veteran school leader and teacher that, in an environment in which everyday matters and every lesson counts, urgency does not have to equate to stress - it just does not have to work that way. We can have urgency in our work without panic, we can have joy while working with tenacity and we can make sure our students know that if they succeed then we all succeed.

Find Mr. DeRemer on Twitter @DeRemerEdTalk

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