Voices of Experience

I have been reading a lot of comments about how older teachers won't get on the change train.

I can't quite figure out where I fit in this age thing. I am definitely old enough to be considered an old-timer, but because I stayed at home with my kids when they were small, I've taught about 12 years or so, which makes me middle-aged in experience.

Wherever I fit, it saddens me to hear of people over the age of 50 denigrated as "not getting it".

My father, at 85, was the wisest person I have ever met when it came to educating kids. I miss bouncing ideas off of him, because I haven't found a sounding board that can even come close to replacing him.

If teachers with over 25 years of experience don't hop right aboard the change train, it is probably because they have ridden that train before, and it didn't take them where it was supposed to go. There really aren't that many new ideas in education. We keep recycling the same things and giving them different names.

Why don't we listen to what these seasoned veterans have to say? REALLY LISTEN, not just sit there and think, "Oh, she's old, so she doesn't get it" while we nod our heads.

We're all feeling beat up right now. No one seems to like teachers. The least we can do is like one another and respect everyone's opinion...young or old.