We must love, and care for, ourselves as much as we love, and care for, our students. Our most undervalued resource is positive peer pressure in the classroom, whereby student teams, using cooperative learning strategies, can bring to bear student ownership for success, not only their own, but their classmates as well. I have known too many teachers, in my twenty-two years of teaching, who produced that proverbial bright flame and then burned out. I know of no one who went into teaching because of the money, but I know far too many who had to leave because of it. A professional salary is essential to allow our teachers to teach.
Teaching is a bottomless opportunity .
Teachers' job requirements must be carefully defined, and limited, to allow time for satisfying accomplishment, rather than disheartening haste. Teaching is an emotional experience . I have seen too often, real tears of frustration, from colleagues who care about kids. Continued recognition must be given to how the system can strengthen each teacher's sense of well-being and ability to make a difference. Too often genuine issues, such as stress management or paperwork reduction, receive only momentary recognition and the emphasis fades, while the problem-causing factors remain.