because...

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Home : 2002 : January : 2

because...
By Krissy

You may be called an "Elementary Teacher" but you are really a...

...lawyer who settles difficult playground disputes
...nurse who patches up papercuts with band-aids and hugs
...psychologist who tries to figure out
what makes the most difficult student tick
...entertainer who jumps through hoops and shouts to make learning come alive
...gardener planting the seeds for tomorrow's world
...engineer who works and reworks the same schedule until it flows smoothly
...architect who designs a classroom space that accomodates all students
...hospitality specialist who puts on a smile and

friendly face each morning, regardless of personal feelings
...technology trouble-shooter who in the middle of a lesson must stop and try to figure out why the printer has quit working or a student's computer has frozen
...a counselor who becomes a shoulder to cry on for a troubled child
...public relations representative who must communicate with parents and families on the status of their children and school
...advertising executive who has quickly figure out how to "sell" long division and pro-nouns to 28 blank stares
...secretary who must figure out how to organize piles and piles and piles of papers in some sort of order, or at least to the point where you can see your desktop
...artist who must quickly figure out how to draw everything from a plant cell to a 1/4 eaten pizza to quickly show those "visual learners" exactly what you mean

I know that there are MILLIONS more. But, as a first year teacher I feel like I am walking the tightrope with my long pole and things just keep getting piled on. I am halfway through my first year, and am making it...but whew! what a balancing act. But I love it, and can't imagine doing anything else. It's the only job where you get to be sooooo many things, and everyday, a new challenge awaits you.