A lesson in what a teacher does daily

Jeremy M. Christensen, Las Vegas

Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013 | 2:01 a.m.

Have you ever been the only adult in a room with 35-45 children?

Do journalists, politicians and other random citizens constantly criticize your entire profession?

Do they suggest a multitude of ways to improve the way you do your job when they have no experience with what you do?

Imagine that you are in a classroom and you will have five or six different groups of 40 students during your day.

Some of the light bulbs have been removed from the room to save electricity, and the students are asking why the room is so cold.

You will be teaching two or three different subjects. You have 55 minutes a day to plan and write your lessons, grade and record work, write tests, contact parents, fill out paperwork, check your mailbox, confer with colleagues, etc.

You are going to be teaching them something that many of them have no interest in learning, and some don’t have the prerequisite skills to learn. Many of them did not do their assignment the night before or bring any materials to class.

Good luck trying to spot the ones using their cellphones in the sixth or seventh row.

There might be a student with an ankle monitor that may go off during class. If it does, you will be required to verbally verify that the student is actually in class.

Some of your students have thick discipline files.

You can use the restroom during your 30 minute lunch, but those 40 students will want to go more often than that.

Consider doing a good job for 17 years and realizing that you may never get another raise in your career.

The only raises that you may get will come from politicians.

The only choices you have are to move, quit, contact your legislator or write a letter to the newspaper.

If you have a college degree and can pass a fingerprint clearance, this could all be yours.