Teaching In The Abstract

is all flowers and butterflies. Students will come to school well fed, having been well rested. They have parents who care; parents who provide shoes and clothes that fit, are comfortable and will allow their child to "fit in" with his/her peers. Students will come to school ready to learn, devouring every bit of information you pass on to them. They will participate in all classroom activities, do their homework every time it's assigned, hand in all projects and study for their tests. Every single time you ask them to.

All teachers would come to school every day invigorated by the challenge of their jobs. They would be inspiring and enthusiastic. They would never have a bad day. Discipline would never be an issue; nor would creativity and time management. Teachers would have a fantastic administration that supports them in every way for the benefit of the students.

In a perfect, rose-colored glasses kind of world, this is what teaching should be like. Unfortunately, it is not. Some days are perfection. Those are the days I want to bottle up and savor. The days when the stars align and everything goes perfectly. I live for those days. Unfortunately, they are few and far between.

The reality of teaching is that there are students who don't care. There are students who come to school hungry with ill-fitting clothes. There are students whose parents don't care, are uninvolved or working three jobs to keep the family afloat that there's no time for the kids and the school work. There are students who are so overwhelmed with the lessons given that they shut down. There are students who just give up.

There are teachers who have bad days. Teachers who run out of steam and muddle through the best they can. Teachers who should have left the profession many moons ago because they are not helping any student that comes into their classroom. Teachers who work hard but are thwarted by administrations who don't back them.

As I reflect a little about what I want to accomplish this year with my students, I realize that in the abstract, teaching is wonderful. It's easy. It's inspirational. I get to inspire and "train" our world's future doctors, lawyers, politicians, electricians, garbage men, mechanics and shop clerks. In the day to day, however, it's much more complicated.

I wish all students returning to school and all teachers the best this year.