Twenty [Unrelated] Questions

08/02/2010 03:18:00 SShahani

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Sonam Shahani

2.8.10 - Sonam Shahani - I hear that new teachers consistently get sick during their first experience in the classroom. Interesting - can teaching literally make you sick?

Twenty [Unrelated] Questions

Sonam Shahani

I’m sick. My nose is stuffy, my throat hurts, I can’t breathe, and my eyes burn. Maybe it’s the season. Maybe it’s the kids. I hear that new teachers consistently get sick during their first experience in the classroom. Interesting - can teaching literally make you sick?

When I was in elementary school I was fascinated by laminated papers. I always wondered how the teacher did it. Did she wrap packing tape around the papers? I never knew that the teacher used her planning period to feed papers into an amazing machine that spits them out with a glossy, warm, and sleek finish. This week my Cooperating Teacher (CT) asked my partner and me to create all sorts of simple games by using the copier and the laminator in the teacher’s lounge. By the end of the week I was an expert. I can feed documents into the laminator in such a way as to minimize the unused spaces between the laminated papers. My partner and I also wrapped students’ shoe boxes in red and white butcher paper to get them ready for the Valentine’s Day party. We also laminated die cut heart, star, and dove shapes for students to decorate their shoe boxes with. Lots of laminating this week. Lesson: teachers have many, many administrative tasks to tend to. How do teachers manage these tasks along with lesson planning, evaluations, etc. while still keeping their professional lives separate from their personal lives? Is that even possible?

My CT gave me the responsibility of playing Alphabet Bingo with groups of students during centers time on Tuesday. I had an interesting “problem” during the bingo game. When I wanted one student at a time to answer a question, everyone wanted to talk! Even after I made it clear which student I wanted to answer the question, everyone called out the answer. After this happened, the student who was supposed to answer the question would provide the answer that was called out by other students. Therefore, I couldn’t really tell who understood the topic and who didn’t. I was unable to manage this. How do teachers do it? I feel like I don’t want to stifle the students’ enthusiasm, but then how will some students have the opportunity to speak up?

Speaking of bingo, I gave each student in each group a sticker after completing a game. According to the teaching assistant, this is customary during the bingo games. Later in the week I was reading an article for a class that discusses praise and feedback. The author argued that students shouldn’t receive empty praise or rewards for participation. Does this mean only the winners of the bingo game should get a sticker? Should this argument apply to such young children (Pre-K)?

When my partner and I ate lunch with the students on Thursday, we had some humorous conversations with the kids. One student mentioned that his mother works in the school office. Then another student said her mother works in the school office. Suddenly, everyone claimed that their mother works in the school office. Is this "me too, me too" trend common in early childhood?

One last question. Although my finance classes focus primarily on corporate finance and for-profit companies, I enjoy extending the information to nonprofit institutions such as schools. Recently, I pondered one thought: What would education in the United States look like if the system was left up to open market conditions, i.e. supply and demand, without a law for mandatory K-12 education? From attending school abroad, I know that schools in India are set up in this way. However, India has a lower literacy rate than the United States. Is that because people who can’t afford an education aren’t getting one? I do not fully understand the complexity of an education system but enjoy learning more about it so that I can become a knowledgeable educator.

Many questions this week. As scientist Albert Einstein said: “The important thing is not to stop questioning.”

Sonam Shahani is a 3rd year undergraduate student at The University of Texas at Austin pursuing a B.B.A. degree in Finance and a B.S. degree in Applied Learning and Development: Early Childhood - 6th grade. She is currently a student teacher at Metz Elementary School in Austin, Texas through the university funded Urban Education Teacher Prep Program. She can be reached at Sonam.Shahani@bba07.mccombs.utexas.edu

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Comments (7 posted):

Shelley on 09/02/2010 14:49:27

On the sickness issue, I also find it amusing that teachers often get sick immediately as a holiday or weekend falls. Maybe a sudden drop in adrenaline?

KDdidit on 10/02/2010 09:43:12

I remember well the years I was teaching second grade and my asthma was putting me in the hospital once a year. I would try NOT to miss on a Monday or a Friday so it wouldn't look like I was "skipping."

So IF I did miss school I would miss on a Tuesday. I had been miserable and unable to teach on the Monday so I gave my body the chance to recover on a Tuesday.

About every March or April I would receive a "naughty" notice saying that I was abusing "sick leave" since I had used more than the 3 a year the central administration figured was appropriate!

Anton on 11/02/2010 07:35:03

Well, as far as I know, teaching can not make you sick, but stress does. Teaching is a quite stressful profession, but it is important to remember that not all stress is bad. A certain degree of "good" stress is making you perform better. Without it your performance would be dull and uninspirative. Good stress happens when you have the feeling that you are able to cope with the challenge, but still want to do it as good as humanely possible - that is, when you want to outperform yourself. It turns into a bad stress when elements of fear or disillusionment enter the scene. If a teacher starts fearing classess, students or constant assessments he/she is subject to, it means real trouble and is a sign that this person is in need of supervision or professional help and guidance. Most educational systems are quite bureaucratic and don't provide for such help. This is why we have so much burnt-out teachers. The same goes for chronic dissapointment many teachers feel because they feel unimportant, unheard and not given proper conditions for successful work. It doesn't mean they don't have real reasons for complaints, but usually when it turns into a feeling of powerlessness, it is a symptom of burnout.

Concerned Teacher on 11/02/2010 08:51:45

I don't suppose in any other profession people tend to be "sick" more often on Monday or Friday? Just teachers do this?

There is a reason. While no one will argue that teachers get plenty of time off, they do not get any vacation days. Of course, when you have weeks of vacation per year, you don't need vacation.

But, this does not change the fact that things come up. My district currently permits 4 of my 10 sick days per year to be used for personal reasons. I attend up to 3 non-school related seminars per year. These fall on Fri.- Sun. weekends, so I take the time off and I miss 3 Fridays per year. Others might use vacation days, but none of these events occur when school is recessed. This year I have to travel across the country for a family wedding, a 4th Friday.

So, yes, we do get plenty of time off, but the issue is that the time off is when it is prescribed. When other things come up in our lives, personal, family, etc. we often find ourselves having to use a Friday to participate in the same things others engage in.

I often yearn for year-round school, for as my children have grown up, I find that taking vacations summer and winter break, when the families are out in mass and prices are often at their highest (they have a captive audience) is frustrating at time. Friends sometimes suggest a trip in October or a cruise in April, but I will have to wait until I retire to think about planning vacations during seasons that pricing is more competitive and my mostly nonteaching friends like to travel.

This is the price of that long summer vacation, and I try not to complain (vacations are nice anytime). But, these are factors, so please don't complain when we take a few days here and there and often they are Mondays or Fridays. This is the only way I can get to that wedding or that church seminar and believe me, I would gladly use vacation time were it available to me.

LUnderwood on 12/02/2010 12:29:06

I'm a first year teacher, and I too have always heard that new teachers are constantly ill. Having a strong immune system, I rarely get sick, but when I did get sick (tonsillitis that was so bad the doctors at first thought it was strep), it was much worse than it normally would have been.

I am currently teaching art, K-3, so I am in contact daily with hundreds of children who come to school sick, who don't always wash their hands (you've got to love hand sanitizer), who love to touch and be touched, and who, on occasion, will smear snot all over the front of your shirt. This is factor number one.

Number two is simple stress. When your body is stressed, it is working overtime trying to compensate. Maybe you aren't getting enough sleep (very, very important) or eating right or exercising. You're busy learning the ropes, familiarizing yourself with your students, your colleagues, and your school. You're teaching and, if you're anything like me, going into the experience with very few lesson plans and classroom management strategies (so don't be afraid to borrow shamelessly from veteran teachers).

If you don't pace yourself, you can quickly find yourself burnt out and/or sick. From my experiences thus far, I can offer you some advice for your first year teaching:

Don't be afraid to talk to your fellow teachers and parents. They are a rich resource that can vastly improve your stress levels!

Ask questions, always (though I think you have a wonderful handle on that!)

Always make sure you get plenty of rest and, even if you don't exercise, try to eat healthily and give your immune system the support it needs.

Make a little time for yourself each day and do something to de-stress. To me, teaching doesn't end when you leave the building, but that doesn't mean that it has to encompass every aspect of your life.

And the most important thing - always look for the silver lining. Even when you've had a rough day, when you're thinking 'what have I gotten myself into?' there is ALWAYS something that is positive, even something as small as one of your students giving you a hug or a picture they drew. Focusing on the good stuff can really help buoy you up when the bad stuff is getting you down.

Linda/RetiredTeacher on 12/02/2010 12:30:34

Teaching itself doesn't make a new teacher ill, but lack of immunities for the novice can cause him or her to catch every little cold. On the other hand, veteran teachers are often the only ones left standing when a flu epidemic spreads across an entire campus.

Mary on 13/02/2010 16:37:58

I have worked with children for many years in my church and also in the school system. Sometimes I find what really works good to calm students down from talking over others, I do a positive thing - I concentrate on teaching them respect for other individuals while that individual is talking, then they start to realize that they need to be more considerate of others. Also, we would have a popcorn party incentive if the children followed the specific rules that week. We would usually have it on Friday - the kids loved it. One more thing keep praising your students on their accomplishments. They become more secure when they know they have achieved something very well. Don't be discouraged - remember God is with you too and he will help you be the best teacher ever. Good luck to you and your kids!