How I Offended Librarians Everywhere and One “Guidance Counselor”

This time of the year is hella busy for anyone in education. End of the year assessments, wrapping up graduation requirements, administrative stuff I don’t pretend to understand. Students who’ve been statues since September suddenly come to life with concerns about their grades. Those statues’ parents begin making phone calls. Everyone feels the pressure. It’s like an episode of Oprah but instead of passing out free blenders, she’s yelling: “YOU GET AN ULCER! YOU GET AN ULCER! EVERYONE GETS AN ULCER!”

I’m not so naive or arrogant to think teachers are the only stakeholders who feel the end-of-the-year stress. I do believe, however, the stakes are highest for classroom teachers because the educational trickle down effect means most things fall squarely on us. And we’re cool with it. We roll with the punches and do the best we can because we love our jobs. But sometimes, man…sometimes it’s so super hard that we dream of getting out of the classroom yet somehow staying connected to the world of education.

So much so that I wrote about it for We Are Teachers. 10 Teacher Jobs That Will Get You Out of the Classroom but Not Out of Education. I was ecstatic when my editor reached out on Easter weekend (a notoriously quiet weekend for websites) to let me know my article had been viewed more than 70,000 times in just a few days. WEEEE!

But the party ended there.

Turns out I offended librarians because I downplayed their job, which is to say I complimented it. I was also told the article was lazily written because there’s “no information in it.” And one “guidance counselor” (I have to use quotes because I was informed they should henceforth be referred to as Professional School Counselors) privately contacted me to give me a passive aggressive tongue lashing. Fortunately, one reader actually understood it was meant to be a short, humorous article, and if anyone wanted more information, they could simply click the links within it. I mean, who’s lazy now, Mr. Can’t Click a Link?! And to the librarians I riled up, it wasn’t intentional. I’ve got nothin’ but love for anyone dedicated to education in any capacity. That said, notice who had the most spare time to comment on the article and send me nasty emails? Not the teachers. Just sayin’.

Also? I’m willing to bet the majority who clutched their pearls started their careers in the classroom, then were like AWWW HAYLE NAW, and subsequently jumped into a job that got them out of teaching but not out of education. And it would appear there are more than 70,000 others who are thinking of doing the same.

Seems as though we’ve come full-circle, no?

If you’re interested in reading the article, click HERE.