First of all, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! ... I think my regular background is particularly festive today.

Second of all, I was talking to Chad last night (after he talked to his dad who is a school teacher in the state of California) and I came to a realization.

When you're a child, your teachers are pretty much the coolest people ever. I'm thinking of the time Mollie cried when her first (?) grade teacher wasn't there on the first day of school because she had a baby, and instead had a long-term sub for a while. I'm thinking of my first grade teacher who was nothing but nice, and always had cool crafts for us to do. I'm thinking of my second grade teacher who I was scared of, but who convinced the whole class that getting a drink from the drinking fountain at the back of the classroom was a coveted reward for winning Bingo. I'm thinking of my fifth grade teacher who always made us laugh, my seventh grade science teacher who made science fun, and countless high school teachers who were good at their jobs. There are some teachers that you wouldn't care if you never saw again, but they were still teachers. I guess what I'm saying is, it was kind of implied that your teachers were good people. They devoted their lives to teaching little (and sometimes not-so-little) kids. They must be good people. They enforced right and wrong in their classrooms (some better than others) although I didn't always think they were very fair.

And going to an LDS school only heightened the expectation of moral behavior from your teachers/professors.

And yet, now a certified teacher myself, I find that teachers are not always the irreproachable people I used to think they were. I guess you expect some amount of unfairness as a child and teenager, but you would never think your teachers would break the law, or skirt responsibility, or defend immoral or unethical behavior. And yet they do. I know they're "just people", but something tells me that a teacher should be held to a higher standard. If they're going to be the example for their students, then they should behave like it, no?
They should abide by their classroom rules if they expect students to also. They should model the attitudes and behaviors they expect from their students.

When did "being a good teacher" come to mean "being friends with my students."? The best teachers I ever had were the ones who pushed me to work harder, even when I didn't want to. They were not necessarily the ones I wanted to chat with after school. I liked some of my other teachers as people, but they were lack-luster teachers. Similarly, it seems that some teachers are afraid to pass responsibility to the students for fear of parental backlash. There are some downright crappy teachers out there. It frustrates me as a certified teacher that can't find a job. And once they get a job and survive the first few years, nothing can touch them. They have to be certifiably crazy (Mr. Kos, anyone?) before they lose their job. I'm all for protecting teachers from baseless accusations, but with such complete job protection, there is so much room for ineffective teaching. If the country got serious about education and weeded out all of the "here's-a-handout-I-printed-off-of-the-internet" teachers, I wonder how many would be left?

I just think that teaching can be a rewarding career. As a teacher you have a huge responsibility over the students with whom you associate. You can change lives for better or for worse, and you have an incredible opportunity to make a difference. Am I just naive?

I recognize that circumstances and life are not always perfect, but can't we do better? Shouldn't we expect a little more?

...Becoming an educator and working at a school is like working at your favorite restaurant. Once you know what goes on behind the scenes, you never want to eat there again.

Just sayin'.