Sometimes you have to admit that it's you.
If twelve people say a thirteenth person is an asshole, there is a reasonable chance that the selected number thirteen is the problem, not the core twelve.
So my posit is this: if a teacher educates in two different buildings in two greatly differentiated districts, and the administrators in both buildings are built of a similar plastic...
Well, 'similar', needs explanation. The similarities lie in the pursuit of an agenda. Physically they are different. But they both seem to have an agenda that is not rooted in the needs of the students, and instead focused on running out teachers and/or destroying a building and/or pursuing their own career path. Which today, 12 October 2023, seems to me to be an insane agenda considering our current educator crisis.
My point is I left a similar party in a different district in January of 2020 and it seems the problem followed me. Thereby presenting my posit: I am the problem, not the administrators.
I am the problem for drawing boundaries in personal relationships with administrators.
I am the problem for stating in public that additional busy work like meetings and data tracking are not making me a better teacher, or supporting my students.
I am the problem for asking "How is this choice best for our students?" at every opportunity.*
I am the problem for believing we cannot shelter high school students from theatrical texts that are emotionally charged and challenging.
I am the problem for pushing theatre students out of their comfort zone so they can stretch and grow and discover the power of their own talent.
I am the problem for believing drag queens are performers and should be treated as such, without any trigger warnings or hoopla.
I am the problem because I understand the game and I refuse to play it. Even for a minute.
I am the problem because I have Resting Bitch Face, and when I smile I look like a shark.
I am the problem because I am older than all the administrators and they see no value in my experience.
I am the problem.
I am the problem for insisting that my kids learn and perform Shakespeare.
Fun update: as of 6 November, it seems I have officially killed this theatre program. We opened a show...and nobody attended. So my posit is correct: I Am The Problem.
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
* The answer has yet to contain the word "student" in it, let alone "best for our students". It generally has to do with district policy, parents, administration, turn around or testing.
