1. Teacher- Of course, that's what we're hired to do. We must get information across to our students- both academic skills and life lessons.
2. Nurse- I am so thankful we have a school nurse! It's an amazing comfort to know when there are emergencies, we have a professional that will be there in seconds to take care of things. Not all schools are so blessed. I could keep our nurse busy from 7:50 until 3:00 if I sent every student who has a headache, stomachache, paper cut, bruise, etc. to her office. Fortunately, a sip of water or a Band-Aid can cure most of these ailments, whether real or imagined.
3. Counselor- If I could attend any professional development of my choice, it would be something in the psychology field. Perhaps I'll get better at this as I gain more years of experience, but I would love to be able to read my students better. Is she yearning for attention? Is he crying because he's sorry for what he did, or because he doesn't want to get sent to the office? What is the right way to get her mind off of her problems at home?
4. Interrogator- This could also be referred to as "lie detector", and is another area I am not so good at yet. I'm not great at cracking a student who I know is lying. Thankfully, my coworkers have been doing this a whole lot longer than I have, and they graciously help me out in difficult situations with students.
5. Jury- Is the student guilty?
6. Judge- What is his or her punishment?
7. Secretary- I am so thankful for our school secretary. She accepts phone calls from parents and relays messages to us. We are responsible for information traveling the opposite way, from teacher to parents. This communication could be because the student is in trouble, to brag on the student, to inform parents of unusual behavior. I have also communicated with many of my students' doctors through paperwork. Besides phone calls, there's the matter of making copies. I can't imagine how much extra time I would spend at the copy machine if it weren't for our wonderful paras. Many teachers do not have paras to rely on for things like this!
8. Dietician- When students complain of headaches or stomachaches, I normally start my questioning with what the student ate. I also have several students who don't like the school lunches, but won't bring a lunch from home, either. Coaxing them to get a school lunch plate and eat the roll, the fries, something, is not a rare occurrence.
9. Lawyer- I defend. I defend my students when they are not getting along with their classmates. Through paperwork, I argue a case for certain students who need testing accommodations. I also must defend my decisions as a teacher to parents, and probably there will come a day when I must do this to administrators as well.
10. Cheerleader- Each and every day, I'm learning the importance of this "hat". I must cheer on the students who are high-achieving and well-behaved. I must also cheer on the students who are not. After getting to know my group of kids this year, there are a few kids that I have a hard time believing they have an advocate at home cheering them on, giving affirmation, showing pride. All children need their teachers to be cheerleaders, but those that I just mentioned especially need to be reminded of their worth and their abilities.
The purpose in posting this is certainly not to complain, but it's a realization just how intricate my job is. I have a long way to grow in each of these areas, but I love what I'm doing!
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