I overheard an exchange the other day between a student and a teacher that completely befuddled me.
“Do we have to take notes today?” the student asked.
“You should always take notes,” the teacher responded.
“No, I mean is there going to be a lot of stuff today?” the student asked.
“Well, I’m going to be lecturing,” the teacher said. The student promptly sighed their displeasure and pulled out a notebook and pen.
Maybe it’s just me, but isn’t that rude? To me, teachers are people to be respected both with words and with actions. That includes paying attention in class. I’m sorry if I’m stepping on anybody’s toes, but I take my education seriously, and I tend to think highly of the people providing that opportunity for me. It’s hard for me to understand why somebody else wouldn’t.
Now, I’m not the perfect student. I’ll admit it. There are required classes I’ve taken that I don’t think are important. Sometimes my mind wanders because something more important than school steals my attention. Heck, I once had a professor with a monotonous drawl to rival Ben Stein’s. That doesn’t mean I look for a reason to mentally skip out on my class.
Teachers often have a thankless job. Sure there are rewards beyond a student’s thankfulness, but that doesn’t mean a kind word isn’t appreciated. Don’t believe me? Think of the teacher you admire most. When was the last time you expressed your gratitude?
Teachers work outside office hours. Most I know arrive at school before students get there, and they leave the school long after students are on their way home. I’ve heard that teachers take papers home to grade them because they don’t always have time to do it at school. Can you imagine taking your work home with you every night or even once a week?
Teachers are busy. Between teaching classes, office hours, grading homework and mandatory staff meetings, I’m not sure how they get it all done, especially if they work for two schools. I can’t count how many times just this week that I’ve heard my teachers say “I’ll get that to you as soon as I can, I’m just a little behind right now.”
Teachers don’t make nearly enough. The average starting salary of any teacher in Ohio is approximately $33,000, according to teacherportal.com. To put that in perspective, the prevailing wage for a Montgomery County employee is about $41,000, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
I know I’m not a teacher and I couldn’t begin to cover everything that goes into instruction or education, but I do know this: If someone has chosen to spend their career passing on valuable information so that you can get a good job down the road, the least we can do in return is say thank you and take notes.