What kind of teacher do I want to be? Part II

One of the sections of Milner that resonated most strongly with me was Building Public Trust. 

One reason I was so interested in this section is because I am shocked by how often pre-service teachers are reminded to behave professionally. I don't know whether this is common to all teaching programs, but the folks in charge of my program apparently believe that we are all strippers with anger issues who are just one spring break party away from posting photos of ourselves shooting up on Facebook. It's insulting and disappointing and it makes me doubt that they actually do view us as professionals. Which makes me wonder whether they really see themselves as part of a noble and respectable profession, either. 



The weird thing is that my negative reaction to this treatment actually stems from the fact that I believe teachers are professionals. As such, we probably don't need to be reminded constantly not to be idiots.

And yet... while I deplore the heavy-handed tactics of my program administrators, I also understand their concerns. As teachers, we are part of the community, which means that our jobs do not begin and end at the classroom door. Milner focuses particularly on building strong relationships with parents by including, informing, and involving them. Reading this section reminded me of three things that recently happened to me.

First, I was buying groceries last week when the teenager bagging my stuff looked at me, grinned and said, "Hey, you're a student teacher at Broughton, right?" I realized he was one of the seniors I've been observing - and one of the kids I'll be teaching next semester. This was a great example of how visible teachers (even puny little student teachers) are. I smiled and said hi to him and breathed a sigh of relief I had worn my clean pants to run out to get milk.

I think this is why the folks in charge of my teaching program are so paranoid about reminding us to be professional. Their methods are heavy handed, but their hearts are in the right place. Teachers are never off-duty, and they want us to remember that. 

Seeing this young man made me remember how tickled I used to be to see my teachers in the "real world" when I was a kid. In fact, I ran into my old eighth grade teacher earlier this year when I was taking my dad to the doctor, and she very graciously chatted with me for a few minutes. She's been retired for at least 5 years now, but students like me still recognize her. Being a teacher isn't just a job; it's your identity 24-7.

Milner's emphasis on connecting with parents reminded me of an experience I had recently with the parent of one of my religious school students. The mother sent me a brief email saying thank you for teaching and asking whether her son was behaving himself in class. I replied, thanking her for her kind word and assuring her that the boy was very well-behaved. I also said that I hoped he was enjoying class.

The mother sent me back a longer email admitting that her son mentioned to her that the class "lacks passion." I asked for more specifics, and also gave her a brief overview of our goals for the class and what we've been doing to meet them. She responded with some specific concerns, and also acknowledged that her son has enjoyed many class activities. I was able to respond to her concerns, and offered to bring one of them to the administration since it involves matters beyond my control. She decided that it wasn't necessary and thanked me profusely for treating her concerns seriously.


I think this interaction is a good example of how being open to hearing parent concerns can produce excellent results. I could have ignored that first email, but I took the time to respond, which gave the parent an opportunity to raise concerns. My willingness to engage with her encouraged her to be frank with me about weaknesses in the class, which I can now address. Our interaction helped her feel heard and valued as a member of the community. 


The funny thing is that my impulse to respond as I did to this parent wasn't based on any training I've received as a teacher. It stems from my background in customer service. In fact, that's what Milner's advice reminded me of: excellent customer service. Part of being a professional is using your expertise to serve your client. Students are our clients, but so are their families. This experience was a good reminder that any communication from a parent is an opportunity to provide excellent customer service and forge strong relationships with our clients.