So I spent today in new teacher professional development meetings. Basically, it’s the day that all teachers who are new to our district come and have numerous presentations by most of the administrators who are above them. There are also presentations on different district goals such as assessment and differentiation.
It is nobody’s idea of a fun way to spend the day. Even those of us who are doing the presentations realize that we can be fairly dry mind numbingly BORING. It is somewhat ironic that, as educators, we are taught that the WORST way to teach people is to sit them down for long amounts of time and talk at them. Yet almost every teacher workshop consists of exactly that.
Every teacher from the beginning of time has had to endure the dreaded “teacher workday” and has sat through the presentations with a fake smile painted on their face, eyes slowly glazing over. It’s just something you have to do.
The last few years, I have noticed a difference at these workdays. When I first started teaching, we would pay attention, fake interest, generally kiss up to our administrators. These people were our bosses and we were very aware of the need to stay on their good sides.
Today’s teachers (I should clarify by adding SOME, not all of them) spent parts of today’s sessions checking their e-mail, texting their friends, and yawning. Some took off their shoes and stretched out their legs under the seat in front of them. Most seemed oblivious to the unprofessional image they were conveying. Or they just didn’t know better. (I should probably add that I work in one of the best districts in the area. Every job posting brings in hundreds of resumes and these teachers were the cream of the applicant crop, not just bodies to fill the positions.)
So I find myself making disparaging comments about “kids today” like an eighty year old grandma. I find myself wondering if it is a generational thing? (Is there really a generation between me and these recent college graduates???) Have values really changed that much?
It’s making me feel incredibly old-fashioned. And just plain old.
Patois says
It’s got to be hard for the presenters, seeing the utter lack of interest — even feigned interest — on the teachers’ part. That said, I’m all for taking the shoes off and stretching out these old legs of mine.
merri says
I think taking your shoes off is def going too far. who does that at work? but no one can help yawning. personally, in a long meeting or presentation, i have to pinch myself, jiggle around, shift, dig my nails into my hands and arms, do anything at all possible not to fall asleep. sometimes i don’t succeed very well. if everyone knows this is a bad way of imparting info, then Why Do It? Just to have something that all new teachers have to go through because the other people did? Faking attention isn’t really helping either, so what good is any of this doing anyone? The only way i can pay attention to things is to do a few other things at once. I assume these people had the same issue, which is common. I’m certainly not the only one.