Dear Teacher, Don't Give Up!

Dear Teacher, When you got your first job, did you get the most undesirable position in your department or grade level? What about passed up for a position because the other applicant had more seniority? Have you presented ideas at meeting only to get shot down? If this sounds like you, I’ll wager that you have looked at your situation and wondered, “Am I valued?” There were many times in my career when I have shared my ideas because I thought they would make the situation at my school better. I would get one of several responses. Sometimes, I was Ignored, but this was rare. Usually I was acknowledged for the idea on the spot, but that's as far as it went--when there was no follow-up, I suspected they did not place much worth in my words. Other times, I was flat out told "no" and given the kinds of reasons that led me to believe that they wanted to maintain the status quo. Our guest for this episode of Dear Teacher, Don't Give Up! is National Health Teacher of the Year,