Welcome to the club!

Zoey D's character Jess, being welcomed to the club of "kid haters"

   I was watching the cute and quirky, Zoey Deschanel on her new tv show "New Girl."  In the most recent episode, Zoey's character, Jess who is a teacher, accidentally sabotages her student's science project.   When confronted by the principal, who believed that Jess had destroyed the student on purpose out of spite, Jess is greeted with a hug and a "welcome to the club of kid haters."

I feel like I was reluctantly welcomed to this club during the past month of February.

Before this February rolled around, I believed that the teachers I knew enjoyed teaching and loved their students.  I love teaching.  I teach kids at my church, at my part time worship dance job.  Teaching is such a big part of my life.  I enjoy teaching!  So much so, that I want to become a teacher one day!   I wanted to join the club of "kid lovers."  However, this past month had me re-thinking teachers and their devotion to their students.

Most know how Teachers are under paid for their work.  They are put on long schedules with a strict curriculum that must be followed to a "T".  I have come to believe that Teachers who start out like Zoey D's character Jess from "New Girl", creative and loving and willing to give everything to their pupils, end up bitter, bored, and tired.

During my experience this month, watching another Teacher handle his class, listening to his backhand comments, complaining about this or that concerning their students, I was put off.  One day they even confided in me spewing out their annoyances and expecting some type of comfort for their "pitiful profession."

I felt like I was supposed to say something like, "Oh yeah. Those kids are stupid."

Now I'm not saying that I wouldn't be tired as a Teacher.  I'm not saying I wouldn't get tired of the long hours.  I'm not saying that the kids wouldn't annoy me sometimes.  I'm not saying that I wouldn't regret being a Teacher. But I am saying that if I did feel that way I hope I would have the decency to STOP everything immediately and QUIT then and there.


I hope I would have the decency to at least keep my angry sentiments to myself instead of sharing them with EVERYONE in sight!

Life is too short to spend time whining over something you clearly don't want to do.  Don't do something just because you're obligated to do it when your heart is not in it.  And when you are caught in a job you HATE, PLEASE for yourself and others, quit immediately.  You are not doing anyone any favors by staying in a situation where no one is happy.

The school system is so messed up, as is everything else in this world.  But when you get a good teacher it really is worth all those long hours spent doing homework.  A good teacher makes sure that they are there to  answer any and every question.  A good teacher gets tired, gets bored, gets uninspired.  But the most important thing that makes a teacher good, is that a good teacher persists, never gives up, works hard to help and is a people server.

My prayer is that I will be that type of teacher.  The type that persists, is creative, and strives to inspire students to learn and help themselves have a better life.  And I pray that I will keep those feelings of boredom, fatigue, and annoyance to myself on the days that aren't so good.