Compliance

A few years ago I helped a first grade teacher with a career project. Students picked a career in their community that they were interested in and interviewed a person in that role. I will never forget this little girl who started out her presentation saying, "I wanted to be a teacher so I could make kids follow directions and be quiet, but being a teacher is a lot more work than that." My heart broke a little that day seeing my profession through her eyes. To me teaching is all about helping students learn, grow, and explore, not about making kids do what I say. That being said I see the compliance monster rear it's ugly head all of the time in schools. The worst is when compliance is sold as teaching responsibility.


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