Out of the many needs teachers really have, podiatry is probably the most underrated out of any need teachers really have. Yes, we need professional development, we need to talk deeply about the profession in a cohesive and comprehensive dialogue, and introduce new buzzwords every few years just so we sound up-to-date with the sorts of chicanery available to educators and wannabes alike. But really, we need some podiatrists!

Follow my day: I woke up at 530am, the usual, in the hopes that I can iron, shower, eat breakfast, catch up on the news, and stay awake all before I need to catch 2 trains and get to school before 745am, my safe harbor for personal school effectiveness. In the matter of 3 periods, I’ve watched over every 6th grade student to see if they brought uniforms, got 2 social studies teachers entire book sets, and ran to announce and help with the fire drill. 4th and 5th period comes and I flip one hat and pull out my other in one fell swoop: class is in session. Immediately, I’m handing out my diagnostic for the day, reminding students of how much I trust them and need them to stay the exemplary students for the floor and the building (and no, I don’t have the “gifted and talented class”, whatever that means).

All without having left my feet once.

That’s just a sample of what teachers like me have to do, and in a building where 2 flights of stairs become 1, and where I have to be 1 step ahead of 900 other pairs of feet, it seems daunting. After my class, I realized I loved this thrill. The adrenaline pumping through my veins and … my feet still hurt. I get it; my weight and the intense amount of walking I do from and to the train also don’t help, but more than anything, it’s knowing that we have to stand up even when we’re still scrunching our toes to make sure we can see every student and present our material as effectively as possible. I’m not saying you’re a terrible teacher if you’re not standing up, by the way. I am saying you’re … doing a disservice to the material by not presenting it effectively.

But these are just ramblings of a madman at this point. Podiatrists and practitioners of alternative medicines like acupuncturists just should stand right outside my school, and they’ll do better than any of the bodegas in the corner. I really mean it. And I’m pretty sure almost every other educator might agree with me.

Mr. V, who just won Chris Brogan’s Trust Agents from the LATinos in Social Media (LATISM) Group. Life is good.