As a teacher I have heard it all. Among my favorite comments:
"Teachers only become teachers to get summers off."
"You just play all day."
"You just bribe them to behave."
"You only have 14 kids, you are not allowed to complain at all."
Let's discuss, shall we?
1. "You only have 14 kids, you are not allowed to complain at all." Yes, it is true that my classroom has smaller class sizes due to its nature. I teach students with emotional disturbance, and they require much smaller class size and more one-on-one attention. I have had students who are physically aggressive, verbally aggressive, elope out of the classroom/school, and those who self-harm. Could you imagine having 20-30+ of those kids in one room together? I didn't think so. I have 3 amazing paraprofessionals who help me to manage behaviors and teach social skills using a positive behavior support system.
2. "You just bribe them to behave." This brings me to the bribery comment. A bribe is defined as "persuade (someone) to act in one's favor, typically illegally or dishonestly, by a gift of money or other inducement." An example of this is "If you can stop yelling, I will give you a candy" and is in the moment of the behavior. What my classroom, and almost every emotional disturbance (as well as other special education classrooms) runs on a positive behavior support system. It can look different in every classroom, so I will explain what it looks like in mine. If you are interested in learning more, let me know and I can explain further!
Teacher explains rules and what is expected of them during the day. Students are clear and show an understanding of what is being asked of them. Teacher reviews the reinforcers (such as reward time at the end of the day, treasure/reward box at the end of the day). I use a token economy system in my classroom. This means that as my students are showing expected behavior I give them a token (I use bingo/counting chips) and pair it with a positive verbal praise, "Great job writing your name___" "Thank you for sitting nicely ____" "I love how hard you are working ___" "Thank you for raising your hand ___". The schedule of the reinforcement depends on the needs of the child. For example, I have one student who requires more reinforcement for the little things such as sitting in his seat and continuing to work instead of running around the room. I also have another student who finds enjoyment in just hearing positive phrases after he finishes an assignment. At the end of the day the tokens are counted up and students can use them towards things in my reward box, such as fruit snacks, little toys, and school supplies. Students can also save their tokens for a special Fun Friday in which we watch a movie and have popcorn.
This is reinforcement, not bribery, for many reasons. Students are clear of the expected behavior prior to negative behaviors occurring (instead of in the moment). Students are aware of what they are working towards (tokens, reward time, etc). The goal of positive reinforcement is using verbal praise and a reinforcer to change a child's negative behavior to a desired/expected behavior so that the child no longer needs the reinforcer. This will help to shape the behaviors and, hopefully, allow the child to return to a general education classroom setting with his/her peers.
3. "You just play all day." Depending on when you walk into my room, you will see my students playing. What you do not see is what they are playing and why. During my language arts or math times, I may have centers going. In the centers I have games that help with a student's IEP goal or state standard. This makes learning fun! Doing worksheets and other modes of learning can be boring, and I like to engage my students in a variety of ways. We still have times where the students are having a discussion and taking notes, reading, writing, or working on a project. In the afternoons I have reward time. What this means to my students is that they get to play board games, puzzles, or be outside with their peers in the classroom. What it means to me and my paraprofessionals is that the students are working on their behavior goals in a fun way, and allows us to work on their goals in a different setting. Many of my students will have goals such as turn taking, engaging in conversation, initiating play, hands to self, frustration tolerance, etc. Playing games with their peers helps them to work on their goals, but not feel like it is a "social skills time" where they must sit and listen or do role play. To my students it is a reward!
4."Teachers only become teachers to get summers off." This brings me to the age old comment. Yes it is true that many teachers spend their summers planning and preparing for the next school year, however we should not feel bad for taking time for ourselves. We work hard, and deserve a chance to rest and recharge. Many teachers come early and stay late at school to prepare for the day. Many teachers spend their own money to ensure that the students have everything they need to achieve. We are drained by the end of the year and need a break. Do I think about school and prepare? Yes. I teach summer school and only have about a month off after that. I do spend some of that time preparing for the school year to come, however I also make time for me and my loved ones. I like to catch up with old friends and past coworkers, having lunch and just relaxing. I catch up on my reading and watch TV. I enjoy that I do not have to set an alarm, even if that means waking up 30 minutes later than I would have normally.
With that being said, I would not trade in my job for any other. My work is my passion and I am grateful for every smile, lightbulb moment, and "Mom, I mean Ms. V" comment. There is never a dull moment in my classroom and I wouldn't change it for the world.
