The guilt of wanting to be a CRT.

I have had a couple of quite worrying conversations of late.  The topic I'm about to discuss has always been there but has remained veiled for the longest time.  Now it's getting to the point where people are being quite direct about it:

Being made to feel guilty for wanting to be a CRT.  Not actually being a CRT or needing to be a CRT because of other life commitments but wanting to be one.

In the past this has come from many classroom teachers in the form of "don't you want a classroom of your own" often meaning, of course, "don't you want to be a real teacher?"  Yep, both bold and italic for that one.  Dealing with this sort of passive aggressive attitude has always been a part of our job to some extent coming from the cultural view that CRTs are "lesser teachers" and we shuld all be striving to be something "better".

Lately there is a new trend in that it's coming in from other CRTs whether they really intend it or not.

Many people are just using CRT work as a holding pattern until they get a "classroom of their own" and this is effecting CRT culture.  It is effecting attitudes, it is effecting ethics and it is effecting what is being discussed.  I suppose the best way to describe the situation is my experience early this year at the AEU CRT KickStarter conference (a great experience for you new grads if you are in Victoria, I highly recommend it!). 

We were sitting in front of a panel of prins that the AEU had brought in so that, rather than just listen to the speakers for the day and interact with them on those selected topics, the CRTs in attendance had an active arena where they could get answers to their own specific questions.  The vast majority of these questions revolved around "how do I not be a CRT anymore"; predominantly answering Key Selection Criteria in applications for classroom positions.  When talking to CRTs afterwards, some felt that asking the Prins about how to be a good CRT would actually be intruding.

Talking about how to become a good CRT is becoming rarer by the minute with those wanting to be a CRT, rather than have a classroom of their own, becoming a small minority.  This brings with it a whole new kind of pressure.  In perhaps one of the most ironic turns in recent education history in Australia, those who actually want to be CRTs are beginning to be pushed to the fringes and being made to feel like outsiders by those who aren't actually in the role by choice.

A bunch of CRTs are talking about KSC and interview strategies for classroom positions?  The one who wants to stay a CRT is now an outsider...

So, I just thought I would take the time to say:

There is nothing wrong with you!

Wanting to be a CRT is not a sin and you have every reason in the world to enjoy what you do and respect yourself for wanting to doing it.  Without people out there striving to be excellent CRTs....  Who will work while those guys in classroom roles need a sick day?  Where will their release time come from for reports and student meetings?  How is their school going to send them off to that PD or other training day if you're not there to step into their classroom?  How could they take stress leave?  Go to a friend's funeral?

Relief teachers are the reason students keep learning.  We are the reason Teachers can keep learning.  We are the reason schools function as smoothly as they do.  What we do not only has an effect on the students while we teach but also afterwards when that stress leave has worked, a colleague can fully recover from accident or illness in peace or that PD they went to puts more valuable learning into their classroom for their students.

When you think about it... there's an awful lot riding on the role we willingly take on.  What relief teachers do is valuable and important and those who want to do this job deserve a medal, not to feel guilty for wanting to do it!

Regards,

Mel.

Career CRT and proud of it!