When Teaching Gets Tough

The new ASCD book, When Teaching Gets Tough: Smart Ways to Reclaim Your Game, by Allen Mendler, gives us what so many need: information about how to deal with difficult students, difficult parents, and difficult colleagues while being “expected to get top-notch student achievement without adequate support.” No one except a teacher knows how much patience and time it takes to run a successful classroom. However, every teacher should remember that there will be times when not everyone agrees with how you are teaching, grading, and interacting with students. A growing number of parents today scrutinize everything their children’s teachers do. Instead of working with teachers as a team to help children, some seem to work against what teachers are trying to do. Teachers may also feel underappreciated by administrators and colleagues and don’t feel that they are given the chance to be truly professional. Mendler’s book focuses on encouraging teachers to take care of themselves, to remember the big picture when problems arise, and to put to use crucial self-help advice.  The world of the classroom may not be perfect, but teachers can make the best of imperfect environments and situations.