TL;DR:
- Teachers are like French fries. They have stood the test of time and everyone is better with them in their lives.
- Teachers deserve respect. We should choose to educate our community about what goes on in school buildings and share all the good that we do.
French Fries vs. Teachers: The Value of an Educator
Y’all, I think French fries should be a separate food group. They are delicious! I have no idea if there are any health benefits to cite here to encourage you to go find your own hot, crisp bite, but these salty strips can cure any day’s blues.
French fries are warm and salty. They have stood the test of time and continue to be best in pairs. You can find them almost anywhere as each community puts its own spin on the recipe. And, whether you are willing to admit it or not, we are all better with them in our lives.
Ok, I’ll say it, French fries are kind of like teachers.
Teachers are warm and occasionally a bit salty (No? Just me?). We have stood the test of time and continue to be best in pairs. We can be found almost anywhere as each community puts its own spin on our perfect school recipe. And, whether we are willing to admit it or not, everyone is better with teachers in their lives.
As we head into the next few months, take on the following two challenges with me…
- #1: Support the narrative of the value of an educator.
- #2: Incorporate more French fries (or your food favorite equivalent) into your schedule.
Challenge 1: Support the Narrative of the Value of an Educator
While I will continue to raise the flag for the need for French fries to earn the respect they deserve for their own food group, we, too, often band together to elevate the community’s understanding of the value of educators. Why? Because controlling the narrative of what educators are “all about” begins with us.
In the book, Teachers Deserve It, Adam Welcome and I explored a number of topics as we evaluated what teachers actually deserve…
- Smaller class sizes (check)
- More money (check)
- Strong leadership (check)
- But my favorite section, and the section I am asked most frequently to speak about to school districts and conferences, is the section about teachers deserving respect.
Teachers Deserve Respect.
Plain and simple. There is no debate to be made. Teachers are incredible, service-driven leaders. Teachers spend 8 hours a day challenging students’ mindsets to build the pillars for every other profession in our world. And yet, in media outlets, neighborhood parties, and social media posts, community members challenge teachers’ commitment and ability to be successful.
For a long time, this would infuriate me—baffled by the misconceptions that exist. How could well-educated, passionate friends of mine truly struggle to understand the value of a teacher? It was while writing this section in Teachers Deserve It that I finally realized the disconnect: many people struggle to respect things they do not understand. And while it is my hope every human being chooses compassion and respect before judgment or skepticism, it is simply in human nature to question and raise a concern with areas we feel uneducated on.
So let’s be better.
We must choose to educate our community on what truly occurs behind the school building brick walls and begin to control the incorrect notion that educators carry this role for the opportunity for summers off. Teachers facilitate magical moments for student development on a daily basis. It’s time to share this, consistently, with our communities.
It begins with you.
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Challenge 2: Incorporate more French fries (or your food favorite equivalent) into your schedule.
French fries are my favorite food. So whether it’s been a gloomy, rainy, September day filled with meetings and challenging parent emails or a sunny July afternoon filled with pool noodles and laughing children, it’s always a good day for a French fry.
What’s your French fry equivalent?
What brings you a boost of joy?
What can make a gloomy moment in time just a little better?
Now, more importantly, how will you plan to incorporate those moments of joy purposefully into your schedule?
Make a plan now!
You deserve it.
I am eager to hear how your challenges above go. So don’t forget to tweet at me and share your reflection and personal journey on social media or via email! Plus, if you want to go pick up a small French fry from McDonald’s and snap a pic of your first bite, I’d love to see the smile on your face that a fry always brings!
Happy eating friends!
About Rae Hughart
Rae Hughart is the Chief Experience Officer and co-owner of the Teach Better Team, Educator, and author of Teachers Deserve It (20) and Teach Better (19) books available on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. In 2017, Rae was honored with the Illinois State University Outstanding Young Alumni Award – inducting her into the University Hall of Fame. In 2018, Rae was honored again by winning 1st place in the Henry Ford Innovator Award for her work within educators communities to build unity between local businesses and schools. And in 2021, Rae was selected to give her first TEDx Talk called “Better Than Youtube,” emphasizing the true value of educators. You can learn more about Rae or book her for Professional Development opportunities within the Teach Better Speakers Network.
