Over the years, I’ve seen the good, bad, ugly, and wonderful parts of education. However, these toxic trends in teaching are among the most pernicious and problematic. As I was putting together this list, I looked for a few criteria:
- First, the trend had to be truly toxic, not just annoying. (For example, bitmoji is tacky, but I don’t think it’s toxic).
- Second, the trend had to be something individual teachers can combat. There are plenty of systemic problems in education. In fact, these trends might be a symptoms of a larger problem.
- Finally, I focused on toxic trends in teaching that have affected me. I wanted to share some of my personal experiences and strategies that have worked for me. There are countless other problems in education, but these are topics about which I have some experience.
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Toxic Trends in Teaching #1: Prophecy
I decided to write this post after several different teachers said, “Oooh, just wait for next year’s freshmen! They are the worst. They caused X number of teachers to quit.”
This sentiment is what I call toxic prophecy. It’s the idea that, in education, as students move to higher grade levels, they somehow become worse. Toxic prophecy is problematic because it just accepts a group of students as terrible. Toxic prophecy argues that each group of teachers these students encounter is doomed.
The problem with toxic prophecy is it ignores a school’s greatest asset: its teachers. There are difficult classes of students, and it does seem to go in waves or cycles. However, rather than shouting prophecies, we should pursue vertical collaboration.
It seems like something is lost when students leave their middle school building and move to high school. Technology should allow teachers and schools to bridge that gap. Even if I can’t speak with a student’s former teacher in person, I can hop on a Zoom with her or send her a Google chat invite. A digital contact log (like this freebie) makes sharing year-to-year student insights a breeze!
Toxic Trends in Teaching #2: Nostalgia
Toxic prophecy is the cousin of toxic nostalgia, the idea that our best years of instruction are behind us. Nostalgia is always dangerous: it plagues Gatsby and Taylor Swift (“I Hate it Here,” anyone?).
In the context of education, we tend to fall into the trap of looking back on the past and sighing longingly. I have fallen into the trap of thinking, “Gosh, this group is so much less mature than my previous group or students.” Or I’ll catch myself thinking, “Why can’t this group master the semicolon? What is wrong with them?”
Nothing. Nothing is wrong with them.
Instead, nostalgia has amplified all the good characteristics of the past and erased all the hard work it took to help a class of students mature and master the semicolon. In some ways, nostalgia may be what tricks teachers each summer into thinking that we can do it all when we return to school in the fall.
For me, keeping my lesson plans and daily agendas from year to year has been the best weapon against toxic nostalgia. When I’m struggling with a group of students, I can look back to the past and see if the previous group also struggled. I can see what interventions I tried and what worked. Similarly, keeping data from previous years (even with names stripped away) can help me track trends across student cohorts.
Of the toxic trends in teaching described here, nostalgia is one individual teachers have the greatest chance to fight.
Toxic Trends in Education #3: Martyrdom
Of the toxic trends in teaching, martyrdom is the one I’ve probably spoken about the most. Afterall, I am a recovering teacher martyr. Teacher martyrdom is the belief that teachers have to sacrifice every part of themselves for their careers. In part, this expectation of sacrifice stems from gendered attitudes toward teaching. Here are some signs that you’re being expected to martyr yourself:
- Meetings are scheduled before/after contract hours without compensation.
- You are expected to purchase their own supplies. When you bring receipts to the front office, they laugh at you.
- When you are asked to join a committee, to pick up an extra duty, or to sponsor a club or team, the offer doesn’t come with a stipend, and you’re expected to say “yes” anyway.
- You feel guilty when it takes you a few weeks to grade student essays even though you’re grading them at home because there’s not enough time during your plan period to do it all. (Or, really, you don’t recognize your plan period anymore because you’re always subbing.)
If any of these characteristics sound familiar, you are in danger of falling prey to one of the toxic trends in teaching. But don’t worry, you can lay down the mantle of martyrdom. Here’s how:
- First, focus on sustainable habits. For me, the laundry approach to grading has been a big help.
- Second, become comfortable saying “no” or speaking truth to power. Martyrdom is such a toxic trend because it’s often unspoken, but if you see an injustice, speak up. Acknowledging the problem is the first step in rectifying it.
- Finally, recognize that it is okay to step away. Sometimes it’s best to set everything aside and take a step back. Is there a risk in that? Sure. But is there also a risk in killing yourself for a job? Yes.
What other toxic trends in teaching stand out to you?
