I am now starting to count the days before the end of the school year. I don't get me wrong I love my job but this time of the year is all the time exhausting. Kids are tired to be in school. Since we do not have snow any reason are good to have a outside classroom which is not all the time realistic. I love my job but I have realize that most of the people around me think they know what teaching is about but in reality they don't see how large our role is. People are teasing about my 2 months summer holidays (without paid) and my 2 weeks at Christmas (also without paid). In their eyes we are spoiled to have all this time off. Let me tell you that working with children or teenagers everyday is a wonderful but also a challenging job.
When I started to be a teacher I underestimate the effect of the social stimulation will have on my personal health. I don't think they is much research done about that but it's very interesting to realize that we are in a society more and more individual. We have less children then before but our houses are bigger. In the mean time, we still see the school with our old glasses and expect a big group of children (30 and more) to get along all day in the same room. 50 years ago this mentality was acceptable because our society was thinking differently (group values). Now, our students are raise in a society where personal space and rights are the main value. As a teacher, it is reality interesting to see 30 students sit on a 1970 desk (with the chair attach to the desk) and interact in a size room good for 20 students. Their is no adults will accept to stay in this small environment for a such long period of time. Why do we ask our child to do it ? Also, I notice that our students have a lack of communication skills. They are good for texting and find funny video on Youtube but when the time come to have a real interaction with each other they seem to do not know what to do. One thing I notice in the majority if my groups through the past fews years is the volume of their voice. They literally yell at each other. I often wondering why they need to be so loud and I one day I ask them why they were acting like that. Their answers really surprise me.
- I don't like the silence (Really ? It can be so beautiful)
- I don't hear when someone talk (Really ? How come ? You are only 12 years old)
and the one surprise me the most was...
- I hear little noise in my ears when it silence and I hate that. Having a lot of noise around me help me to not hear these little noises. (What ???? )
I knew what this student was talking about... tinnitus. However, I couldn't not tell him because I am not a doctor. Then I ask them how many did ever hear these little noise ? I still could not believe what I saw... half of the class raise their hand. On ask me...
- Why do we hear these noises in our ears ?
This question was ask few years ago and I am still thinking about that. Since how our society have put our children health on the side and give priority to all the technology noisy gadgets ? One of my students told me that he keeps all day his earphone playing in his ears.... another one tell me that every morning (before school) he watch a movie on a surrond sound system. They both were really surprise when I told them that on a daily basis this level of noise is not recommended. We may not realize but if we do not change our life habits not only our children will not be able to interact correctly with their pairs but in 10 years our teenagers will hear like a grandpa.
I don't want a be too dramatic but for the sake of our children we need to change some of our life habits. First our children need proper size classrooms where they can feel comfortable to learn and interact with each other all days long. Also, we need to teach them how to use properly all technology gadgets so their future health will not be affect by the unknown choices they make today.
After teaching them French Language.... this is also another part of the long list of the social responsibilities I have as teacher.
Completely agree!
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