Removing the Fear

It’s funny how you will recall what your mentors said when you need their wisdom the most. I worked with a fantastic reading teacher in 1991 when she was my practicum teacher. During my tenure as a practicum student, she made a statement to me that I regarded as strange until now. She said, “Norfolk teachers have a slave mentality. They are as afraid of their administrators as slaves were of plantation owners. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Now I was 21 years old, and I thought this was a terrible thing to say about her colleagues. In addition I thought it was an extreme exaggeration…until last week. I worked with people who were afraid to publicly acknowledge my assistant principal who was being transferred. Afraid of what? Afraid of whom? Our middle school team not only acknowledged her, some of the team walked her back to her office with gifts in full view. Educators, what are you afraid of? Don’t tell me you went to college and paid tons of money to sit in your classroom afraid to voice your thoughts and opinions. If something is wrong, say something in a professional way. If you disagree with a decision, do the same. It has been 26 years since my practicum teacher addressed the level of fear in teachers, and it is beyond time to change that. You are a professional and not a child. Straighten your back, and stand up for yourself.