School Leadership 2.0
A Network Connecting School Leaders From Around The Globe
Can't Wait for Monday by Rafe Esquith
February 2014 | Volume 71 | Number 5
Building School Morale Pages 20-22
Can't Wait for Monday
In the face of unfair criticism and unreasonable demands, educators must stick together and keep their eyes on the prize.
It was an ordinary Friday afternoon. While the students were eating lunch, I walked down the hallway of my elementary school's main building and stopped by the office to check my mail. I had to hurry because my students eat lunch in about two minutes so they can dash back to class for a guitar lesson. It's something they love to learn. As I sorted through my mail, I saw a fellow teacher glumly enter the office. It looked like she was having a hard day, so I tried to cheer her up. "Happy Friday," I said with a smile.
"I hate Fridays," she responded curtly. "It just means that Monday is that much sooner."
Morale in many schools mirrors the pessimism of this teacher. And why not? Really, what is there to be cheerful about? Students seem surlier and more difficult to teach than ever. Poverty is destroying families. Societal values have decayed to a point where many students come to school completely unprepared to learn. Many campuses are falling apart; in my own classroom, we're not allowed to drink the water because it has been deemed unsafe by the city.
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