Last year, it felt like I was calling students’ homes more often than ever before. Attendance issues, grades, behavior problems, even the positive calls I try so hard to make each week, all took up a huge amount of time after school. During one of these call sessions, I noticed that I started each call with, “I’m so sorry to bother you. …” The realization was startling. Why am I saying “sorry” for wanting to discuss someone’s child with them? I immediately promised myself to stop apologizing for communicating with parents and guardians. I wasn’t bothering them—I was doing my job. Soon after, I began to realize just how often we as educators apologize for things that we don’t need to feel sorry about.
We Are Teachers asked you to tell us the things you feel teachers should stop apologizing for. Here’s what teachers had to say.
1. “Taking time off for doctors appointments.” —Stacey G.
2. “Eating lunch. Going to the bathroom.” —Emily R.
3. “Missing a day of work for a vacation.” —Michael L.
4. “Leaving on time.” —Joni H.
5. “Taking personal days.” —Windy H.
6. “Missing a day to chaperone a field trip with your child’s class.” —Portia P.
7. “Putting your own family first.” —Alison W.
8. “Not having additional tutoring times because they have a family.” —Deidra M.
9. “Taking care of your elderly parents.” —Janice W.
10. “Teaching personal responsibility.” —Keri D.
11. “Having high standards and expectations.”
“If you raise the bar and let your students know you believe in them, they will excel! —Kathy Perry B.
12. “Not responding to messages from parents outside of normal school days or during time with my family.”
“It happens with ridiculous regularity, and parents often expect an answer immediately.” —Cassandra L.
13. “Challenging and speaking up against school decisions that affect student growth and happiness.” —Meenara K.
14. “Teaching the true version of America’s history.” —Ashley J.
15. “Poor student behavior.”
“If the teacher has built relationships, taught and retaught expectations and contacted parents, then they have done their job.” —Tony R.
16. “Having a noisy classroom.” —KJ D.
17. “Taking time to check in with students.” —Christina R.
18. “Standing up for trans students.” —Jenny G.
19. “My accent.” —Christy J.
20. “Having emotions.”
“Not being positive 100% of the time.” —Katie Allen D.
21. “Being LGBTQ+, teaching students that you can be successful if you take any sort of alternate path, and teaching empathy.” —Phoenix M.
22. “Being human.” —Lisa K.
