New TV Reality Show: Survivor, Season 502 - Over-Functioners Win It All

During the COVID pandemic, we teachers have had to learn how to teach in an entirely different way. It was a mind - numbing, soul - sucking time for us. We call it, "Distance Learning". Two words that should never, ever, ever be used to describe how children are being taught. However, we persevered and did our best to make sure our lovies got online and learned the best they could. As the school year was wrapping up I received an email from our county.

We were to nominate the teacher we felt went "above and beyond" their duties during on-line learning. I was immediately offended, pissed off, and sad all at the same time. What the hell does that even mean, "above and beyond". For fuck's sake. Weren't we all going above and beyond by learning and implementing an entirely new way of teaching in just three weeks? How in God's name was one expected to go above and beyond relearning their career? The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. I deleted the "above and beyond" email, and then hit delete again. When Microsoft prompted me by asking "Are you sure you want to permanently delete this from your inbox?" I clicked enter with great satisfaction

To me, the idea of the "above and beyond" means that there are teachers who are better and seemingly working harder than every other teacher. Are the teachers who are going above and beyond the ones who are making day trips to their children's neighborhoods, and face timing or Google Classrooming with their kids all day every day? Are they the teachers who are posting videos with daily stories and new curriculum? Are they the teachers who are chasing down students to make sure they have internet access and computers? "Above and Beyond" is a lot to ask of anyone during a pandemic.

The status of "above and beyond" in the teacher world is something else. During this pandemic, "above and beyond' meant being visible on social media and YouTube, hitting the pavement in the community to visit students neighborhoods, and being noted as "outstanding" by administration during virtual staff meetings. Don't get me wrong, all of the things listed above are wonderful because they allow teachers to connect with kids, and help parents know their children are loved and will continue to be educated despite Covid-19. It helps the children know that their teachers are there, still loving and teaching them. There is no doubt that these teachers ARE dedicated to their students and their career. By nature, these people over-function, or function well, during difficult times. We are not all built that way. Those whose fight or flight mode defaults to the "fight" setting generally win the "above and beyond" survival game. That email asked us to determine who was the best of us, and who wasn't by who is over-functioning rather than under-functioning on our island. The over-functioners were the teachers who boldly faced the challenges by standing tall with their swords. They were the teachers who were visible outside of the online classroom. So what about those of us who duck and cover?

For the "above and beyond" award, the "duck and cover" folks, were politely dismissed. They were not worth mentioning because their best, was not good enough. They were sent from the island of teacher greatness. I know both types of teachers, the over- functioners and the under-functioners. I love both types of teachers, but a determination of who goes "above and beyond", could not have come at a more inappropriate time.

As you may have guessed, I am the duck and cover teacher. When the shit hit the fan in March, I slept, watched endless, mind-numbing hours of trashy TV, and scrolled Pintrest like it was going out of style. During the Covid crisis, I didn't want to talk on the phone, kept Zoom meetings infrequent, and limited them to family and close friends. Sometimes, I even picked up a book and read, but not very often because that would require thought. Some days, getting up was a chore in and of itself.

That being said, when the county decided on it's plan for distance learning and told its teachers to "get on it", I found focus and did it. When, after the first day of on-line learning, the county said, "Wait - let's try this again" and we had to shift everything we had put in place, I found my resilience and did it. When, after four days of the second new plan and the county said, "hold up... that didn't work either", I once again found the path to do what needed to be done for my students and families. I didn't post my work or moan about the changes on social media. I didn't announce how hard I was working to my families or teammates. I just did it. It was all I had the energy for.

How could we possibly vote for who was going "over and beyond" knowing that all teachers at the time were doing their best, regardless of whether or not their work was visible to all? I believe it's because during normal times, the education community has decided the best teacher,the one who goes above and beyond, is the one who is the loudest martyr, who groans the most about their hard work, spends the most hours away from their families, and the most time personally reinventing the wheel for each standard. They also shout the most about their successes in the classroom. I know this, because for the first ten years of my career I was the person who believed that doing my best for my students meant giving up all else. Sometimes I told people how late I stayed or how sick I felt. How I didn't eat or spent late nights awake worrying about my students. Now I recognize that martyrdom is not good for me or any other teacher. Therefore, it is not good for our families or our students. The martyr system has become part of the definition of what "above and beyond" means in teaching, but to what end? Does the "above and beyond" teacher not sleep and eat poorly? Do they spend less time with those they love so that they can focus on their students? Does the "above and beyond" teacher give up self-care so that they can care for the well being of others? Is the "above and beyond" teacher one who stands rather than retreats when their is an earth-shattering change in life? Maybe, maybe not. I believe the "above and beyond" teachers connect deeply with their students and consistently reflect on their craft to change and grow.

One of the best teachers I've ever known, works in the classroom right next to me. However, if she worked in another pod in our school, I'd never know how wonderful her teaching really is. She doesn't announce her classroom success on social media, nor does she have the desire to be a staff developer, or stand in front of everyone to talk about herself and her teaching. This teacher, has made her well-being her greatest priority, which translates not just to herself, but to her family, her teammates and ultimately, her students. Mama can't take care of others if she doesn't take care of herself first. For her, this means coming in an hour before and leaving 15 minutes after, her students do. It means that during planning she works diligently and talks with her IA about her students. She plans for the upcoming week. She gets it done with excellence and best practice, and without more self-sacrifice than it's actually worth. When she is home, she is with her two young boys and her husband, not with her 22 students. Except for sometimes, when she is particularly troubled with one, or thinking about a new lesson for her kids. That just comes with the territory.

I know from working next to her, that she is calm, quiet and caring with each one of her students. She reads funny stories and connects with them She teaches difficult concepts in a way that is fun and engaging for her Kindergartners. She pays attention to their play and safety on the playground and in the hallways. She invites them to be their best selves each day. She is reflective and flexible when it comes to her teaching practice. She is knowledgeable about the craft of teaching, and shares that knowledge with her teammates. To me, she is the best because her students are happy and ready to learn.

They are engaged in their work. If they aren't, she does her best to figure out why, and get them on with their day. She knows their family backgrounds and promotes positive connections and interactions with parents. She also fiercely fights to get children who need it, through our local screening committee so they can have access to what they need to learn at school.

If I had to, I'd bet, this strong, kind ,and effective teacher was not nominated as "the teacher who goes above and beyond" during Covid -19 because she didn't spend hours at a time making sure she was visible to the community. We did not see her on social media or YouTube. She was quietly working with her teammates to make sure she was doing her best for her students and a team player. Now that I think about it, maybe I shouldn't have deleted that email, maybe I should have nominated her.

Recognition is important. Recognition in front of colleagues is also important. But maybe,

as a profession, we should redefine HOW we decide who goes "above and beyond". Maybe we should understand that at any given time, we are all doing our best and that may look different for each person. Martyrdom as teachers should NOT be the ruler by which we measure our effectiveness on-line, in the community, or in the classroom.

As teachers, we are models, and instead of modeling selflessness, maybe we should model trusting each other and ourselves with doing what is best for us, so we can be our best for others. To be clear, this is not modeling selfishness. Our job is to help create great learners AND people who will do better for themselves and our world than we did. To that end, we must model for students what it means to trust yourself, and to recognize that "above and beyond" is not the same for every teacher. We should stop honoring teachers in the same way we did BEFORE we knew better. Martyrdom is not a "must" for great teaching. Before teacher numbers begin falling like snow in a winter storm, we should reevaluate our evaluation and reward system for our profession. We should recognize self-care because self-care translates into doing better for our students. I'm all for doing whatever helps you stay sane in real-life and a pandemic, no judgement there. I do judge the system for believing that "above and beyond" in a crisis or the classroom means having an over-functioning nervous system, or believing the more we give up of ourselves, the more above and beyond we can go as teachers?

We diversify how we teach and assess our students because we know all children do not create and respond in the same way. Neither do teachers. How can we re-define what "above and beyond" means so that the over-functioners and martyrs aren't always representatives of "the best"? Why can't we work together to redefine the standards of "above and beyond" before we vote on it?

And for God's sake, where did I put the remote and my pint of Ben and Jerry's?