Being a student teacher has introduced me to one of those institutions of teaching that I had really never experienced, even as an intern: the teachers’ lounge. Before this, my only interactions with teachers were in very small groups, maybe only one or two together at a time. In the teachers’ lounge, this expands greatly, and I’ve found that it is a beast all its own.
For one, being in a school where there are a lot of female teachers (or maybe it’s just our lunch period that has quite a few female teachers in it) has reminded me of how out of place it feels to be around teachers whose small talk is Oprah’s Best Life Ever week. Fortunately, there are three of us (student teachers) that eat lunch together, and we’re all male, so we can stick together somewhat.
But this post isn’t just about the oddness of that environment; it’s even more significantly about another facet of teaching: interacting with other teachers.
On Monday, I had my first teachers’ lounge experience as a student teacher (I had eaten there once during internship last semester), and I was confronted with the varying personalities of the different teachers that share our A lunch (4th period is split for lunch at our school, as it is at many – if not all? – schools). One teacher in particular came in especially exuberant, telling us about her new fact of the day: that Fred Rogers (of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood fame) was a Navy Seal with 25 kills under his belt and had to wear long-sleeved shirts on the show because his arms were covered with tattoos. No one questioned this fact, but I was immediately skeptical. In fact, I was more than skeptical: I was fairly certain that this claim was patently false. I came home that day and confirmed this by checking that favorite of urban legend sites (of which I am on the mailing list), snopes.com.
I was faced with a dilemma: I wanted to tell this teacher that she was disseminating an untruth (she didn’t even divulge her source), but I didn’t feel it was my place to say anything since I don’t know her well and it might be construed in a bad way, as though I was trying to be condescending. I might have even been content to leave it alone but for the fact that she even made it clear that she was telling her students about this myth. Now she was not just disseminating a myth as though it were factual – she was lending credence to it by telling her students, who trust her to know what is true!
I simmered on this for a few days until Friday. My cooperating teacher and I were discussing plans and an upcoming event that we’re incorporating into instruction, and, by utter coincidence, the topic of urban legends came up. I had to spill, so I said, “Remember on Monday when Mister Rogers came up in the teachers’ lounge?” To my delight (and relief), my co-op replied, “Yeah, I knew that was false.” We discussed what to do in such a case, and she took the stance that it might make interactions difficult if not done the right way. We both agreed that it wasn’t my place, and I mentioned that I had even been tempted to print off the snopes page and leave it in the teachers’ lounge before school (which was entirely true). My co-op was able to handle it: she teaches a section of sociology each semester and teaches urban legends as a part of the course, and she could approach the teacher using that as a “cover” of sorts so that she wouldn’t continue to tell her students that the myth was true.
That solved this dilemma for me, but I’m still conflicted about what to do as, say, a first-year teacher. What do you think? Comment or vote in the poll below.
January 11, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Welcome to the teacher’s lounge! As a veteran teacher I send the snopes link if I recieve an email that is not true. If there were 100s of teachers in the lounge the snopes printout would work–but if there were a few people she might have figured out who was contradicting her.
I hate the lounge at my school–all teachers seem to do is complain about kids. At least in my old school I had a few friends I could talk to about current events, books, etc. Now I just don’t eat.
January 11, 2009 at 8:59 pm
That’s true; I hadn’t thought that perhaps it would be apparent to this teacher that only someone in our lunch period would have left the printout, and there are less than a dozen of us who eat in the teachers’ lounge during A lunch.
And ugh, I hate exactly what you refer to – what on earth is the point in complaining about kids? It’s not proactive, it doesn’t solve any of the real problems of the classroom, it doesn’t express a desire to help that student succeed…it just fosters an attitude where teachers are pitted against students rather than working toward their best interests. I can’t blame you for not eating in that sort of environment, though it certainly is lamentable that it exists.
January 11, 2009 at 9:10 pm
I’m amazed that there seems to be so many people in education that don’t like kids!! Most teachers in my building are disgusted with the demands of NCLB and high stakes testing. I, myself, have always thought it was a great job. Where else can you work 186 days a week, have 2 weeks at Christmas, a week in the spring and can be home before the rush hour. It was especially nice when I was raising my kids. Just remember the good things and don’t get bogged down with some peoples’ negativity. Have a good week, N.
January 12, 2009 at 5:29 pm
I think that there is a way to say anything so that it doesn’t make you look young and bratty. If it is just casual conversation you could just mention something like, “Hey, I think I’ve heard that before and it might just be a rumor. I could look it up for you.” There are definitely stigmas about student teachers “knowing their place” but if she sought you out for discussion, she probably doesn’t operate under those.
The other thing I would say is that it will become pretty obvious which teachers are positive/good to be around. It is easy to get caught up in the gossip but not wise for any teacher of any age. Join in, talk, and build yourself a reputation for being eager to learn and share. It will serve you well for future lunch rooms. 🙂
January 12, 2009 at 7:04 pm
The urban legend didn’t exactly come up in conversation; the teacher said it loudly enough that I overheard, and it’s a small teachers’ lounge. But the remarks are well noted, especially your latter comment. 😀
January 15, 2009 at 7:08 am
What a dilemma! I’ve never thought about this, but I imagine it will be a problem for any new or student teachers – regardless of whether you avoid the teacher’s lounge. I liked the suggestion of saying…”I’ve heard that rumor also…” Bottom line is that I think teachers and professors have an obligation to correct mistaken facts. It’s one thing if interpretations of facts vary (ie different opinions), but I would want someone to correct me if I was disseminating inaccurate information.
January 19, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Depending on the situation, I’d correct the rumor-monger. BUT – and this is a big “but,” if you will – I’m not young so I don’t fear looking “young and bratty” as someone up there said! I’ll look middle aged and bratty instead.
And maybe that’s it. While I’ll be a first-year teacher (I hope!) come fall, I’ve done something else for almost 20 years and in that time I’ve learned how and when to jokingly say things like “I’ve heard that rumor, too” or to just keep my mouth shut. I was an IT manager for part of that and sending out a link to snopes seemed like part of the job description!
Now, the teachers who don’t seem to like kids…that really bothers me and I’m going to have to get my head around that before I get a permanent paying gig.
January 19, 2009 at 7:43 pm
No way you say anything. It’s like any organization, there are ways to get your point across without ticking people off. At least most times. Then again, sometimes you just have to speak up. But this isn’t one of those.
You can find out who in the school has the real authority to say something to people who are out of line,and approach them. But beware… not everyone is honorable.
By the way, I heard that… just kidding. Sometimes people step in it all by themselves, and we have only to wait for it to happen.
January 19, 2009 at 8:08 pm
[…] January 10 G Broaddus was Reflecting on student teaching , week 1. He also writes about Myths in the teachers’ lounge. Some good reflection, and some not-so-good reflection happens in there! Wish him […]
January 21, 2009 at 2:26 pm
These have all been very good comments, and I guess my whole dilemma has been that it seems that miseducation is one of those things that I feel like I ought to stand up for in my school. Whether or not it’s my place is another issue, one I’m not entirely sure about. Of course, I intend to err on the side of caution in the future (as I did here), but I get this sneaking feeling that I haven’t heard the last of this problem. Let’s hope I have.
March 12, 2009 at 10:39 am
I wouldn’t STATE anything; rather, I’d ASK, “really! wow! where did you hear that?”