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10 January 2005: Just Next Door (2 of 3)
Really, the other teachers at my school are the only ones who know already the students I�m talking about or the tone from my principal. They�ve experienced it for themselves. Together, we can build effective coping mechanisms. While I am so grateful for the teachers at my current site who provide this for me now, there is something about this relationship that just doesn�t sit well with me. It�s the relationship by default that makes professional friendships awkward. Even when I had my own cubicle, before I became a teacher, I observed the strangeness of a friendship of convenience. The thing that makes it so powerful in teaching is that no one who is not a teacher can really understand what our days are like. And so, we end up with default friendships; people who teach next door or down the hall, who we maybe have very little in common with except for our work address. But on a daily basis, these friendships are invaluable. Though they may only exist between 8 and 4 or in the hallway during prep, these friendships are often what make the job bearable.
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teaching quote of the day
Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand.
- Chinese proverb
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