I had a hard time organizing my thoughts on this one. I know what I've observed in my time in the schools and I know how I feel as a person more inclined to introversion, but there seem to be so many different facets to the issue that I couldn't pull them together well. What I have come to realize, is that there are really two parts to this topic - personal introversion and professional cliquishness - both of which have been covered on their own in tons of blogs and articles already, but don't seem to have been covered together. (If I were more so inclined, I would include a Venn diagram showing the lack of overlap here, but I'm not, so you can just imagine that in your own head.)
Popular culture portrays introversion as something just short of the the loner goth kid who hangs around with his earbuds blasting Eisenfunk while he shoots dirty looks at people and carves lopsided inverted pentagrams on his Invader Zim notebook, when really it is just a slightly less company-centric view of the world. Real introversion is a more internal focus, a contentedness with being alone, and a need to recharge after social interaction. EDUtopia's Elena Aguilar wrote a piece called "The Power of Introverts: An Essential Understanding for Teachers" where she discusses the need for educators to understand the intro/extroversional needs of their students, as well as those same needs in themselves.
Popular culture portrays introversion as something just short of the the loner goth kid who hangs around with his earbuds blasting Eisenfunk while he shoots dirty looks at people and carves lopsided inverted pentagrams on his Invader Zim notebook, when really it is just a slightly less company-centric view of the world. Real introversion is a more internal focus, a contentedness with being alone, and a need to recharge after social interaction. EDUtopia's Elena Aguilar wrote a piece called "The Power of Introverts: An Essential Understanding for Teachers" where she discusses the need for educators to understand the intro/extroversional needs of their students, as well as those same needs in themselves.
"my introversion simply wasn't compatible with teaching 70 kids each day. Teaching always exhausted me -- by the end of each day, I felt like I'd been run over by a truck, and by Friday evening, I'd crawl into bed at 7:30 and be unable to form a sentence for at least 18 hours. That was what I wanted to do, but ... I couldn't. "
I feel the same way when I have had long-term classroom jobs! I love teaching. There is nothing better to me than the moment when a student finally understands how a concept relates to something they already know and how to use that concept to enrich their lives. But when I am in charge of a classroom of 20+ kids, I feel hampered by teaching to the crowd. I feel that my own introspection doesn't fit in with their needs. Should I become a full time teacher, I am sure that same introspection would focus more on me keeping my job by fulfilling state requirements that I don't necessarily agree with than it would on me reaching each individual student in the way that fits them best. That sounds absolutely exhausting! This aspect of my introversion is a huge contributing factor in the decision to become a private tutor and not a classroom teacher. For others, though, it may not be this way. Self reflection can open up a deeper understanding of the subject they are teaching, which can translate to finding new ways to relate it to their students. Introversion without reticence can create a classroom of calm, a safe haven for others who process the world in the same way. Those who can mesh their introversion with their teaching styles and classroom needs can find teaching to be an enriching, rewarding experience, if they can handle the social aspect of it as well as the educational. Those social aspects have rarely been my forte. Up until recently, I wasn't able to separate my shyness from my introversion - two different afflictions, with two different ways of being handled that can result in an increase in anxiety and stress if done poorly.
I have desperately wanted to be more outgoing and much less reserved for most of my life. Since conversation with strangers or those that I don't know well doesn't flow naturally from me, I've studied how to carry on social interactions. I've watched videos on social engineering. I've read articles and books that teach body language and communication skills to people with autism and social blindness. Still, while I have a genuine interest in others, I am hesitant to ask questions of them or draw them out. I don't want anyone to feel that I am prying where I have no business. I either talk only about me and leave openings for others to jump in and share their own experiences or I don't say anything at all. Since I am so self-conscious about talking too much, I tend to err on the side of caution and not speak unless spoken to. As you can imagine, that doesn't help me promote myself as a sub, advertise my services as a tutor, or befriend the local soccer moms. |
Those who have been in high school know that it is rife with cliques. As a teenager, you are trying to find who you are and explore your interests. To do that, you align yourself with those who seem to already have those same interests figured out. When you pull so many quasi-experts of anything together, you are bound to run in to superiority complexes and attitude problems with those both within and excluded from the group. Many an adult has been frustrated to find that those politics and little dramas don't stop at graduation. The new cliques can be divided by department, subject, or grade, extracurricular activities, or professional status. Substitutes, school aids, and paraprofessionals are treated as a social caste below classroom teachers, despite many having equal (and often more diverse) degrees, coursework, training, and experiences as a full-time hire, all the while suffering with fewer benefits and less pay than that of a Wal-Mart cashier. Elementary teachers are looked down on by secondary because their degree is seen as an easier one to get, lacking as they are in in-depth subject classes. Coaches and P.E. teachers can be seen as "cake-walk" teachers, as someone who doesn't care about their classes, as long as they get to play ball at the end of the day. From personal experience, it is truly intimidating to walk in to a school and be not only ignored, but treated as someone "not quite good enough" because I chose a path in education other than classroom teaching. Does this cliquishness (and childishness) deter excellent teachers who happen to be introverted or shy? As I mentioned above, it certainly played a part in my decision, but even if I had been welcomed with open arms during my field experience and student teachings, my personality would have demanded the alternate route anyway.
Now, not all schools' cultures promote educators closing ranks against one another. Many teachers understand that we are all in this together for the good of the students. I have worked with some excellent SpEd educators at my local high school that give nothing but respect to me when I am in their room and who, frankly, deserve more respect than they get from others. But when it is enough of a problem that the NEA publishes an article that basically says, "Be nice to everyone, don't expect to make friends for a few years, and look outside of school for friendships", I feel that there is a genuine issue. This kind of environment does more than scare away new teachers. It makes working conditions uncomfortable for anyone who doesn't thrive in an extroverted environment, thus depriving children of the wide range of experiences, teaching styles, and coping mechanisms that would be absolutely invaluable for any one of them who doesn't yet have a firm grasp of society and their own reactions to it. In the current environment, unless you have a school that is far and away more mature and has a much more evolved social hierarchy than any I have ever been to, I really don't see introversion being a valued trait in a teacher. And with all of the good that can come from it, that's a crying shame.
Now, not all schools' cultures promote educators closing ranks against one another. Many teachers understand that we are all in this together for the good of the students. I have worked with some excellent SpEd educators at my local high school that give nothing but respect to me when I am in their room and who, frankly, deserve more respect than they get from others. But when it is enough of a problem that the NEA publishes an article that basically says, "Be nice to everyone, don't expect to make friends for a few years, and look outside of school for friendships", I feel that there is a genuine issue. This kind of environment does more than scare away new teachers. It makes working conditions uncomfortable for anyone who doesn't thrive in an extroverted environment, thus depriving children of the wide range of experiences, teaching styles, and coping mechanisms that would be absolutely invaluable for any one of them who doesn't yet have a firm grasp of society and their own reactions to it. In the current environment, unless you have a school that is far and away more mature and has a much more evolved social hierarchy than any I have ever been to, I really don't see introversion being a valued trait in a teacher. And with all of the good that can come from it, that's a crying shame.