Teachers crave to be in the classroom with their students teaching lessons they painstakingly created. Afterall, they chose the profession to work with kids and to share their passion for learning. They get excited about sharing a favorite book or demonstrating a science experiment. It is this passion that makes great teachers and great lessons.

However, standardized testing, administrative expectations, a lack of resources, and unnecessary professional development distract teachers from teaching.

Teaching to the Test

Unfortunately, you must put sharing your favorite book aside because it’s time to “teach to the test.” There’s no time for sharing your passion or digging deeper into a topic because the standardized test results and your reputation are on the line. Not only does testing take out the creativity and depth of many lessons, it also causes undue stress and anxiety for you and your students. Along with the stress, standardized testing schedules take students out of their normal routine, so learning decreases and the rush to cover the curriculum for the next test increases.

The Growing List of Administrative Expectations

The many administrative tasks and superfluous meetings take teachers away from what really matters: teaching. Often, administrators must demonstrate their teachers are following guidelines and meeting expectations. In order for administrators to check their boxes, teachers must document PLC meetings, parent communications, teacher observations, and training completion. All of these tasks are in addition to parent teacher conferences, faculty meetings, and fire drills. Although some tasks are a necessity, most cause teachers to have less time dedicated to what’s really important: teaching.

Having to be the Jack of all Trades

And yet another distraction from teaching is the lack of resources most schools experience. With this shortage, class sizes increase, and teachers must pitch in and become a jack of all trades. From monitoring recess, covering classes, checking-in visitors, and managing hallway traffic, teachers are taken away from planning, grading, and tutoring. Teachers do not resist helping colleagues or pitching in, but they do resist the consistent interference from what they were hired to do: teach.

Unnecessary Professional Development

Finally, the excessive and many times redundant professional development inhibits teachers from teaching. Teachers endure required training that is often unrelated to what they teach. Training on wastewater run-off, blood borne pathogens, and the latest tech tool are not necessary for all teachers in all subjects, yet they are all required. These additional requirements are usually met with resentment and/or apathy because, once again, teachers are being taken away from their actual job of teaching.

With all these distractions, it is even more important to remember why you got into the profession in the first place. The love of kids and learning will help you navigate the many meetings and tasks you must endure each day.  Recognize that you must take care of yourself and your colleagues. Maybe, together, you can relieve some stress and enjoy the next PLC meeting during happy hour.