Debate: Should teachers live where they teach?

NEA Today, Oct 1995 by Lloyd-Booker, Mary Nicholas, Bell, Karen

YES

For many years I didn't live in the community where I taught. Now I do. So I speak from experience when I say that doing so enhances a teacher's relationships with students and parents both in and out of the classroom.

When I meet my students with their parents, siblings, and other family members in stores, at community functions, and in other informal settings, we have relaxed, friendly conversations. We become comfortable with one another, paving the way for better parent cooperation in the future, on anything from helping with a class project to dealing with a problem involving their child.

These public encounters also provide me with the opportunity to see how parents handle their children when they misbehave. Often I've come to better understand why a particular child acts a certain way in class. For example. when parents bribe, threaten, or make outrageous requests of their child, that child will often rebel at home and at school.

It's true that when you live in your teaching community, you become a role model. People observe your relationship with your own family and expect you to be a positive, trustworthy, creative, dedicated influence in their educational and community life.

Many educators choose not to live in their school community because they fear that community members will be into their business. But it's been my experience that what goes on behind closed doors is usually private. Families have their own lives and see no problem in allowing their child's teacher to have a personal life, too.

The way I see it, teachers who live outside their teaching community are sending mixed messages. Students often get the impression that these teachers feel they're superior because they choose to live elsewhere.

As a teacher, you say you're concerned about the community and that you want to be available for activities above and beyond the call of duty. But when you dash out the door each day to start that stressful 40-minute ride home, you send a different message.

Those of us who live in our school community can more easily attend local sports events and fairs. We can participate more readily in local fund-raising projects. We frequent the same library as our students and walk our dog on the same streets.

My students often see me riding my bicycle. I feel that the fact that I adhere to all safety regulations, including wearing a helmet, can't help but have a positive effect on them.

At this year's NEA Representative Assembly, the Reverend Jesse Jackson offered a five-step formula to ensure school success for our children. I'd like to point out how those same points relate to me, as a teacher who lives in her school community.

Take your child to school. When I see parents bringing their children to school, as I arrive in my car, bike, or on foot, I know by their actions that they care about their kids.

Meet vour child's teachers. I live in the neighborhood so I've already met my children's parents. In fact, I was introduced to grandma and grandpa at the neighborhood restaurant.

Exchange telephone numbers. Because I'm a community resident, my telephone number is accessible. Parents can feel comfortable calling me when they have a school or personal concern.

The first call I ever received was from a student's parents, asking to join us on a field trip the following day. My answer was an exuberant yes!

Encourage families to turn off the TV for three hours each evening. Once again, because I'm a community resident and have the same TV schedule as my students, I'm well aware of the shows that might distract kids. I can redirect their attention to constructive school involvement.

Pick up your child's report card every nine weeks. I can remind parents when I see them at the neighborhood bakery or the dentist's office.

Living in the community where I work allows me to take advantage of many informal teachable moments with parents. I can initiate stimulating discussions about life situations whether enjoying a class project or waiting at the automobile repair shop.

Mary Nicholas Lloyd-Booker is a preschool enrichment teacher at Central Elementary School in Pontiac, Illinois. A member of the Pontiac Education Association, Lloyd-Booker has worked with children for 28 years, 17 of them in Cleveland, Ohio.

NO

Early in my teaching career, my then husband and I moved to the district where I was teaching. We were strongly encouraged participate in the life of that small town of 4,400.

One of the first things we did was register to vote. The registrar was pleased and surprised when we indicated our political party of choice. She said that most teachers decline to do so, preferring to be "neutral." She encouraged us to urge other teachers to do as we'd done. But many veteran teachers said it wasn't worth the trouble it caused with some people in the community.

Two years later, I interrupted my career to raise my children, and my husband began teaching in the district. We dove into community life. Eventually, he was elected to the city council.