TL;DR
- There are many opportunities to get involved in your school community.
- Clear your plate enough to support students and staff members outside of the classroom.
- Build relationships with your students by supporting their other interests.
- Your purpose goes beyond the walls of your classroom.
Katie joined Rae on the Daily Drop In to chat about ways to get more involved in your school.
Living the Dream
These days, social media is flooded with pictures of kids holding signs stating, “First Day of…” with a few current facts about the child. “My favorite food is pizza. My teacher is Mrs. Smith. I love to ride my bike. I want to be a teacher when I grow up.” While the desire to be a teacher sometimes starts at a young age, it’s not often that a child says, “I want to be on the Behavior Intervention Committee,” or “I want to be the drama director for the middle school play.” No, the dream of being a teacher often stems from the idea that a person wants to teach, in a classroom, with students, and maybe spend a few nights grading homework. Sounds magical, right?
What if nights were spent directing adolescents on a stage, plan periods were spent analyzing data, and mornings were spent discussing the Student Handbook? Teaching might look a little different if we focused on being more than a teacher. After the first year or two of teaching, the craziness of day-to-day life starts to calm, bedtimes become earlier, and the to-do list gets shorter…at least a smidge shorter. As an educator, you can decide to fill your time with more episodes of “The Bachelor” or investing in the school community.
Remind yourself that your purpose goes beyond the walls of your classroom. Click To TweetExpanding Your Teacher Role: Let’s focus on more than our classrooms.
Schools are more than students learning and teachers teaching. They have clubs, sports, and communities embedded within the building. Schools are filled with future scientists, actors, musicians, and leaders. As educators, it is our responsibility to foster a community that allows for such growth. Teaching goes beyond the walls of our classroom.
In order to push yourself, look for opportunities to get involved, but know your limits. What interests you? Getting involved in some of the extras should fill your bucket and not feel like a burden.
Is there a committee that meets during a time that works for your schedule? There’s no sense in adding more to your already busy schedule as that adds stress.
Do you thrive on student interaction? See if there is a club that needs a sponsor or a team that needs a coach.
Do you prefer to help students in an indirect way? Ask your administrators if there is a committee that meets those goals.
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Expanding Your Teacher Role: Involvement helped me grow.
Throughout my years of education, I have been active in behavior intervention committees, building leadership committees, coached various sports, directed the school’s play (hardest position yet!), and several other small jobs here and there. While I haven’t loved all the positions I held, they all helped me grow as a classroom teacher.
I learned that students who struggled to focus in my class have magical talents on the stage. I learned that spending all day on a softball field can reassure students they have a safe adult inside the school walls. And, I learned that analyzing data allows me to see learners from a different perspective.
Being more than a teacher takes heart, determination, but also capacity. Force yourself to clear a few things off your plate in order to make room for a committee. You won’t regret it. Remind yourself that your purpose goes beyond the walls of your classroom. How will you invest in your school community this year?
About Katie Miglin
Katie Miglin is a 7th grade Math teacher in Bloomington, Illinois and also the Online Events Coordinator for the Teach Better Team. She has held a variety of roles in her professional career, such as an athletics coach, Fellowship of Christian Athletes Huddle Leader, PBIS Coach, Math Department chair and served on her school’s leadership team. Katie is married and has 2 daughters who she loves to spend time with. During the summer months, you can find Katie and her family playing outside, camping or going on long walks. Katie loves working with other educators and is always looking for new ways to improve her classroom.
