Every Teacher Needs A Champion
Have you ever seen the TED Talk “Every Kid Needs A Champion” by Rita Pierson?
If you haven’t, I urge you to take the time to watch it today.
I love Ms. Pierson’s message. Every kid does need a champion! But you know who else needs a champion?
Teachers!
Teachers Need Champions Too
Did you know that nearly 40–50% of teachers leave the classroom within their first five years, or that turnover in teaching is 4% higher than in any other profession? (NPR)
Many of our teachers are overworked, underpaid, and physically, socially, and mentally exhausted. Class sizes are larger, students are coming to school with more social and emotional issues, and schools suffer from a lack of autonomy and increased accountability.
Teachers are now being asked to do more with fewer resources. They must raise test scores, give students feedback, input grades, communicate with parents, focus on professional development, foster relationships, solve social and emotional problems, and attend school events. It’s not a profession for the faint of heart.
This is why every teacher needs a champion.
My Biggest Champion
During my first years of teaching, I was blessed to work in a school with many champions. Veteran and new teachers constantly came by my classroom to encourage me, help me, and lend a sympathetic ear.
My biggest champion was Mrs. Eileen Hartwell. I remember the day I walked into my empty classroom to set it up for my first year. She came to my room and took the time to get to know me. After learning the subject and grade level I would be teaching, she brought me materials and resources. She shared all her lesson plans with me and even showed me samples of students’ work. I was amazed at her kindness and generosity; she made teaching far less overwhelming.
Mrs. Hartwell never stopped coming by my classroom. She offered me feedback. She helped me plan. She gave me strategies. When I applied for National Board certification, she proofread all my materials. She probably even saved my job once when she stopped me from sending an angry email. I sent it to her for proofreading and she quickly replied back in big bold words: “DO NOT SEND THIS!”
I was young and naive and thought I could save the world. When I realized I couldn’t, she was there to listen and offer words of comfort and hope.
Most importantly, Mrs. Hartwell believed in me. She saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. In my second year of teaching, our team was reorganized and the principal asked me to step up as the team leader. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t see myself as a leader.
But Mrs. Hartwell did, and so I was.
When I had the chance to take a leadership position in my district, I once again failed to see myself as a leader.
But Mrs. Hartwell did, and so I was.
Because she believed in me and encouraged me time after time, I finally began to see what she saw in me. I know for a fact that I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for the champions in my school, especially Mrs. Hartwell.
No college class can prepare you for the reality that teachers face today. That’s why every single teacher needs a champion like Mrs. Hartwell. Teaching can be a very lonely profession without one.
Be a Champion
To keep finding the joy in teaching, it’s not enough to have champions; you must be a champion for others. The more we can be champions for each other, the better we will be as teachers.
Being a champion for other teachers is challenging. You must be a critical friend who can give honest advice. You must suggest strategies that work. You must offer encouragement on good and bad days. You must be able to make others laugh and listen when they cry. And you must have others’ backs.
So I want to challenge you to think about who you can be a champion for today. Teachers will stay in a school filled with champions: best friends, family, and mentors. They become invested not only in the kids but in each other. Teacher turnover in these types of schools is rare because the teachers support each other.
I challenge you to think about how you can encourage another teacher. Take time this week to stop by another teacher’s classroom and make an effort to help and uplift them.
If you’re a veteran teacher, seek out a first-year teacher and make time every day to check in on them. You’ll be surprised what a smile, a resource, a listening ear, or even a piece of chocolate can do.
It may not seem like much, but the little things you do every day can make a huge difference in another teacher’s life!
If you’ve been teaching for many years, you probably had a champion too. Thank them today, then go be a champion for your fellow teachers!
