Gladly Would I Teach

“Second home” and “family” are terms that teachers often use to describe the schools where they teach and the teachers with whom they teach. Whereas most students stay in a high school for four years, teachers may remain there for over a decade. In time, camaraderie develops among teachers, and it’s those long-term special relationships that often redirect teachers when they are struggling, rejuvenate teachers when they are declining, and bolster teachers when they are weighed down with problems outside of school. We have all experienced those moments when another teacher stepped in to rescue us when we were depressed, frustrated, or at a loss for what to do next, and in turn we all have reached out to help our peers when they were in trouble.

Sometimes teachers who have worked together for a long time help each other by simply providing a different perspective on students, traditions, assignments, and school plans.

Years ago I worked in a small high school where many of the teachers had worked together for many years. Like family members, we were each other’s biggest supporters and biggest critics. At the beginning of each school year we all took great pride in decorating our rooms to make them colorful and inviting for students who would enter our classrooms. Gaile, the well-loved Social Studies Department Chair and Psychology teacher, invited a group of us into her room to see a new poster of Sigmund Freud she had just hung.

When we looked at Freud, some of us laughed, others gasped, and one or two said, “Are
you really going to display that in your classroom?”

Squabbles break out even in the best of families, and Gaile truly did not understand why
anyone would have a problem with her poster. After all, she taught Psychology; what
could be wrong with a poster of Sigmund Freud? Finally, another teacher walked over and traced over the poster to show that although no one would have trouble with the profile of Freud, the rest of the poster might be exceedingly entertaining to teenagers.

I’ll pause here and let you view the poster at AllPosters.com

Sigmund Freud Poster

If you are perplexed, disheartened, frustrated, or simply worn out from the excessive duties teachers must complete on a daily basis, ask for help from other teachers. Often they can provide encouragement, tips, and even commiseration.

Sometimes you just might need to view your situation from a different perspective.

And, if you are thinking about decorating your classroom, the Freud poster is still
available for $8.99.