In My Experience: Notes for Educators (A Blog)

Teachers: I support you!

Teaching is an art. An art that wears many hats and requires many talents. Content knowledge. Instructional knowledge. Human behavior understandings and skills. Planning. Organization. Assessment. Record Keeping. Public relations. And above all - the “F-” word: FLEXIBILITY. (LOL. Not what you thought I was going to say, was it?). Every day is different. Every day is busy. Every day involves hundreds—if not thousands—of interpersonal communications-with students, sometimes as many as 160 or 170 a day for high school teachers, with other teachers and administrators, and with parents. Electronic communications have only added to these interpersonal demands. It all can take a toll. And all of this in a very challenging social/political climate. I’m not sure I’ve seen a time when educators were under so much stress.

When I began teaching (nearly four decades ago), teachers were mostly supported and respected, seen as professionals, along with doctors, lawyers, nurses, and such). The country largely valued public education. Less resources, sure, but also less students. Less professional demands. Unfortunately, in the last decade or two, I’ve seen in change dramatically. Teachers have come increasingly under attack—mostly because, in my view, economics are challenging, and citizens pay our salaries; disrespect for the profession has grown. Besides economics, politicians have increasingly become involved—in standards, in assessments, in professional requirements, in funding. One of the few professions whose work is mandated not by fellow educational professionals (think law firms and the BAR, medical professionals and their governing bodies), educators and school systems are governed by non-educators, publicly elected representatives. We bounce between administrations with varying agendas that change what we can teach, how we can teach, and how we’re going to fund it.

My point here is not to blame anyone for or to state a particular judgment on the state of education. That’s not my job. My point is simply to acknowledge that teaching has become more and more difficult, as evidenced by the growing numbers of educators leaving the field, and the lower number of students enrolling in university teaching programs. And to let you know that educators, I love you. I value you. I see what’s happening, and I’m here to help, however I can. I’m here to say I support you. I’m here to post on topics that may help you - using both research and my experiences as a classroom teacher, an instructional coach, a content specialist, and an experienced professional development leader. I’m here to provide courses (educator courses coming in November and December, 2025, and continuing to be added throughout 2026), and I’m here to provide teacher coaching if you want to take advantage of that service. I hope you find what I post to be insightful, helpful, maybe even artistic: the art of teaching. If you have a topic you’d like me to discuss, please use my contact information to reach out and ask.