Whether you are a mom-teacher or dad-teacher, becoming a parent, changes you and your perspective on everything, especially your job as an educator. Here’s how becoming a mom changed me.
1. I look at my students differently. When they enter my room, I see my students not just as my students, but as someone’s kids. They are someone’s whole world and they are special. And when I stop myself and remember this idea, I also think about my 5 years old daughter. I think of my own daughter walking into her classroom and hope that her teachers are thinking the same things about her.
2. I look at parents differently. When I first became a parent, I remember getting the biggest slap in the face – a dose of reality and shame for thinking I had parenting all figured out before I had any kids of my own. I promised to never judge another parent again. Ok, well, I’m not perfect. I slip here and there, but there has been a drastic change in how I view and understand parents. If they need to take their kids out of school for what they consider an important event, let them. If a parent writes a note stating they didn’t get to homework because of this, that or the other thing, so be it. Parents need to be part of the team and maybe if we remember to treat them that way, our students will find more success.
3. I never assume I know it all. All families struggle with their own set of issues. You just never know what a student is dealing with when they get home. And I’m not just talking about the real heavy-duty stuff. I’m talking about the day to day struggles such as a sick family member or little to no food at home or the smaller things like a disrupted morning schedule. There are many things going on in our students’ minds and lives. We need to be caring enough to understand that.
4. I assign less busy work for homework and try to make things more purposeful. The time I have at home with my own kids is so precious and I know it it the same for all families. We are busy and rushed. And I’m just starting to see how much time is taken up by sports, music lessons, basic playtime and other appointments as my children are scratching the surface of after school activities. I’m not a fan of busy work anyway, but I’ve been trying even harder over the last few years to make homework more purposeful and manageable for my students and their families. I think I’ve come to the conclusion that homework is a necessity to some degree, but we need to be realistic in how much and what type. Kids need time with their families, parents need time with their kids.
5. Home/School communication is key. Not only do I try to keep in close communication with my class as a whole, but individually as well. Again, I’m not perfect, but I try. If I sense an issue, I want to be in contact with a parent. I return phone calls and emails promptly and hope that my children’s teachers would do the same. Like I said before, parents and teachers need to act like a team to ensure students’ success.
I guess this list can be summed up to one word: Compassion. I’ve become a much more compassionate teacher since becoming a mom. Sure, I have my days… But the truth is, I do reflect a lot on how I treat the people in my job and at worst, I try real hard to see things from all perspectives and do the right thing out of love. That’s what this job is really all about!
