• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

July 22, 2019 Instruction & Curriculum

Keeping Your Head Down?

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Sarah Mattie

Sarah Mattie is a teaching artist exploring options outside of the traditional classroom after 10 years. She has a soft spot in her heart for middle schoolers and is particularly passionate about diversity and equity in education. She lives with her husband and four rescue cats, including a tripod kitty, and loves to listen to podcasts.
  • Job Requirements are Changing. How Can Parents and Students Adapt? - September 3, 2019
  • Keeping Your Head Down? - July 22, 2019
  • The Importance of Cuts in Educational Theatre - July 6, 2019
  • Career Clusters Should Not Limit Students - May 23, 2019
  • The Life of a Theatre Teacher: Twelve Jobs in One - April 19, 2019
  • The Problem with Alien: A Teacher’s Perspective - March 28, 2019
  • The Shakespeare Paradox - November 19, 2018
  • Our Kids’ New Normal - November 14, 2018
  • More than a Warm Body: You Are Not Replaceable - August 18, 2018
  • Janelle Monáe: Our Students' New(ish) Role Model - May 5, 2018

Today, a listicle came across my Facebook feed, asking people what the worst piece of career advice they had ever received was. They ranged from the well-intentioned and seemingly sensible, to the outright insane. It made me think, What would mine be?

“Keep your head down.”

In all careers, I’m sure, but especially in teaching, we seem to be told to keep our heads down. Don’t make waves. Don’t draw attention. Don’t call people out. While it is absolutely true you should choose your battles and recognize that not everything is a real problem or need, there are times when we should not be afraid to speak up.

I started my teaching career as an English as a Second Language Aide. I was 22 and had no idea what I was doing. I worked with a fantastic staff who supported me as I learned and gave me space to grow. I was lucky.

Then, one day, this substitute came in. I was assisting in a math class he was teaching that day. I stood next to him at the front of the room after the lesson, looking for those tell-tale looks of confusion on my scattered charges’ faces, when he says, “Why are there so many Mexicans here?”

I think I said something about how people, in general, tend to move to where their families are, so many of our newcomers had done that. A poorly phrased question, I told myself. Nothing more.

Then, he continued. He started talking about how he didn’t understand why all of these people came to the same place. Why all of these people were taking up space in classrooms or taking jobs.

 

Why all of these people were taking up space in classrooms or taking jobs. Click To TweetI tried to come up with responses that both shut him up and made it seem like I was keeping my head down. 

Then, he said it. “How many of these kids are illegals?”

This was 2008, before we had any kind of script for this conversation. This was not a topic on the internet or for the (all too rare) multicultural education professional development sessions. I was looking at the students when he said this, and I saw several faces glance up, at least one with a face of abject terror. 

It was time to stop keeping my head down. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but it was something along the lines of, “I don’t know, and I don’t care. They are children, and I am here to teach them.”

He looked flabbergasted and fell quiet. I thought that was the end of it, but then he said something along the lines of, “I don’t tend to care for the Jews.”

I just walked off and helped my students at that point, and then I reported the conversation to the office.

Weeks later, I walked into my ESL classroom--and there he was. He was substituting for my second language students. Now, I don’t know what this guy’s deal was. Not only did he not remember me, but he would not believe that I was the aide for the classroom. He first insisted that I was an eighth-grader, then that I was a high school volunteer, and would not believe my badge was real. I finally agreed that I “was” a high school volunteer, just to get him to stop.

The day went on, and we had our in-class reading session. My students did a stellar job. Some were mostly fluent by this point, while others had been in the country for less than a year. 

“Some of you don’t read good at all.” Yes. Read good. I cut him off and told the kids what a great job they had done that day. Then, I returned to the office and reported him again.

I never saw him back in a classroom at our school.

I was lucky that I worked in an environment where I felt safe enough to not keep my head down. It made me feel like that was an option in the future as well. Admittedly, I did not always practice what I am currently preaching. No one does the right thing all the time, especially if you’re in a place where keeping your head down could equal keeping your job. 

Keeping your head down is good advice to a point. But, at the end of the day, we need to sometimes not just put our heads up, but stick our necks out. For our kids, for us, for what is right.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

My Favorite Videos Four Reasons Why I'm In Love With Chromebooks In The Classroom Don't Be Tooled by Your Technology COVID-19The Ideal School Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
« Professional Development Reflections: Embracing the Margins
The State of the Demoralized Teacher »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • Ask The Educator's Room: I'm dating a student's dad. Should we tell the school?
  • My Union Showed Up for Me, and I'll Never Forget It
  • Your Students Deserve a Diverse Classroom Library. Here's How to Set It Up.
  • You Don't Have to Watch the Tyre Nichols Video, But Be Ready to Talk About It

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.