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Artist: Quiet Riot
Album: Metal Health
Song: Metal Health (Bang Your Head ) (1983)
When I was a kid, I locked my bedroom door, cranked my stereo and jumped on my bed. It was KISS, White Snake, Quiet Riot1, AC/DC, and Motely Crue. I like what the music made me think about. Dreams, goals, the future, fame, and I’m not going to lie — Tawny Kitaen. Come on, I have a heartbeat. How can you not think about her cart wheeling back and forth from one jaguar to the other?
Out of breath, tired, and sweaty, I left my room alive — Completely alive. Was it the exercise or the music? It was definitely the exercise, but the music was the power source — the energy.2 I still do this when I run. And when I run before school, I’m completely pumped for the day. Ready, player one.
Teachers love their students and will do anything for them. They stay up late and get up early. They skip lunch and work through specials. School is going to kick your ass. It’s going to drain you, suck the juices from your skull, and not even say, “Thank you.” You are constantly “on.” That’s why…
Teachers need two types of power. The power to teach and the power to forget about teaching.
Watching a movie gives me rest and short-term memory loss. School is not even on the same planet. Power to teach? Nope. Tennis does the same thing. I’m thinking about hitting that yellow, fuzzy ball and the type of beer I’m drinking after the match. Not teaching. Cruising around town on my beach cruiser brings me back to my childhood. Not teaching.
Jogging with my music cranked gives me teaching power (Bang Your Head). I’m thinking about my lessons. Not forgetting them. Some of my best lessons were birthed from a long jog or even a drive with the windows down, speakers throbbing. The shower. Sprawled out in bed, awake. Lessons and ideas flood my brain (Sometimes a bad thing because I can’t sleep.)
If you’re hurtin’ and bruised, maybe you’re not doing this. Do you have both? You need both. You know, like yin and yang, meatballs and skettis, peanut butter and jelly, and a cutlet sandwich (long-hots and sharp provolone).
I know this sounds like self help. Listen, you’ve heard enough of that shit. Your school district is not going to really help you with this. Their intentions are there, but can they really do it?3
For me, school is the battle ground, the tennis court, trail, the blank page. A lot of the energy to perform and forget about performing doesn’t happen in the arena— it happens before battle.
And if nothing works, you can always go see the bartender4.
How do you Power Up?
How do you Forget?
"The teacher says that I’m one big pain.” — Quiet Riot. If I don’t get my heart pumping in the morning, it feels like the world is one big pain. How about you?
You are drawn to people who think like you, have the same interests, have the same soul. In 2007 I attended the Pennsylvania Writing and Literature Project at West Chester University. Now it’s called the West Chester Writing Project. This was a career path, life changing experience. I can’t even call it PD. I can call it LD - Life Development. I fully connected with all of the teachers and professors (That’s saved for another chapter). I also discovered many books and authors that I adore to this day. One is Stephen King. “You know, Stephen King writes to loud rock and roll music.” That’s all I needed to hear. He immediately became my hero. So, here it is. If you like music, real, everyday language, no bullshit — read Stephen King. Begin with On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. You’re welcome.
How can a school really support the mental health of teacher? What do teachers want? What makes them happy? That’s a humongous question. With a galactic sized answer. It all begins with moral. That’s vibe. How do you keep teachers coming back day after day to teach? (1) Trust and Freedom. Teachers need to be treated like professionals and trusted to deliver the curriculum in their own style, but also have the freedom to change to how their students learn. (2) Time to get ready. Teachers need time to think. Teachers need time to create. Teachers need time away from their students, but in the classroom. A school is the most peaceful place in the world when it’s empty. When the kids aren’t there, the number #1 request from teachers would be time alone. It’s easy for me to write a couple sentences, but for an administrator to really do this in a school? Seems like it would be hard, but, is it really?
"One drink to remember and another to forget.” —- Dave Matthews