Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Why Teachers Should Be More Like Authors/Illustrators

I have been very lucky to make the online acquaintance of some amazing authors and illustrators. I hold a place to be able to be the proverbial fly on the wall as I watch them all interact and I've made some pretty good friendships as a result.

Although I'm sure you could fill my inbox with exceptions on both sides -- Here's why teachers should be more like authors/illustrators:

1- They support one another. There is no fierce competitiveness out in public, with the occassional exception when someone gets very famous for writing vampire garbage (my word). You can always find them sharing books by other authors and writing about how great the books are. I've been told it's a very isolating job, but many seem to have found a way to branch out and support others. It warms my heart to see how they celebrate each other.

2- They all are outwardly happy when someone wins and award or a starred review. Remember when teachers were upset because some random award honored teachers and there was huge backlash?

3- They are truly kind and friendly to each other. If someone posts about a sick family member (canine, feline, or human) they rush to post something kind. It never seems to fail. Plus, it seems genuine.

4- They support each other in a 'family' sort of way when things go wrong. If someone has stolen artwork or a reviewer has said something rude, the family will 'take care' of the perpetrator.

5- They are constantly honing their craft. There is no 'one and done' in their world...no yellowed paper run through the copy machine and inflicted on another set of learners.

6- The kindness never ends. I don't know how many times I see them volunteering their talents to schools and asking nothing in return.

Sure, there are teachers like this......but I sure would like to see a lot more of it.

We should have one goal--teaching kids in the best way possible....we should all be on the same team.