De Ann's Clan

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Dr. Lew Gardner

After my last post, I am a little afraid of posting.  There were so many strong reactions on Facebook, that I am hesitant.  But yet, here I am.  I want to focus this post on the stress teachers are facing.  Here's hoping that people will understand what I am trying to get across.

Being a teacher has its ups and downs.  I truly love teaching.  I could do without the negativity and criticism that I face daily.  I know I am not alone in this matter.

I worked in the SLCSD from 1995-2007 before I came back to the district last year.  Back them I had my teaching degree, but worked as a Family Support Specialist working as a liaison between families and Government programs.  I remember a specific principal that everyone praised.  He was being moved to a position at the district and everyone was ecstatic.  We were going to have someone at the district that had been down in the trenches with the best of them and knew what it was like.  I am being non-specific for a reason, as I still work for the district.

Fast forward to today.  This is my seventh year of teaching.  I have worked with some great principals and some terrible principals.  The great ones have always been positive and focused on what I was doing right and how to get better.  The terrible principals were negative and found only negative things to say, squelching my enthusiasm.  I have always been a better teacher the years that I have supportive principals. 

Of the seven years I have taught, I have had a great principal for two years.  One year my principal was okay.  Four of the years, I have worked with terrible, mean people.  This year is one of the great years.  So I have nothing but praises for Dr. Lew Gardner. 

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