Teaching Moments

“The dream begins, most of the time, with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes, and leads you onto the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth.” 

- Dan Rather

You ever have a day like that? One of those days where the weather is crappy, the kids are a mess, your hair is jacked up and you seem to have lost all control… Sound familiar.

Yep. That day was today.

Here’s the good news: It was not about me.

Because  many teachers I know tend to be secret artists and performers, we tend to take everything a little too personally. The class that would not listen. The student that called us that horrific name that rhymes with “brother trucker.” The other teacher who seems unsympathetic to my plight. The sun that did not come out.

We tend to blame ourselves for all of it.

But you know what? In the field of education, it is really not about you!

Just as you really have little control over a kid who is determined to learn and succeed, you also have little control over the kid who is determined NOT to learn and succeed. It is never about you.

And the really good news? It gets better tomorrow.

I have found that tomorrow is always better than the day before. Today, as my students were tearing apart the class, the class structure and my lesson plan piece by piece, I was able to sit back and realize two things.

1. It is not about me.
2. Tomorrow will be better.

Here’s to tomorrow my little rapscallions. Here’s to tomorrow.

Did some good reading poolside today… 2 great writers: Joseph Featherstone & Kathleen Cushman.

In the second writing Kathleen interviews several students and asked what they considered made for a good teacher. Here is the basic list. For all full list feel free to read her essay, “Respect, Liking, Trust and Fairness” from Fires in the Bathroom: Advice for Teachers from High School Students.

Here they are:

• Let us know what to expect from you and from the class.
• Know your material.
• Push us to do our best – and push us equally.
• Do your part.
• Make sure everyone understands.
• Don’t denigrate us.
• Keep your biases to yourself.
• Don’t treat us like little kids.
• Listen to what we think.
• Care what’s going on with us.
• Don’t betray our confidences.

My favorite quote from one of the kids on the subject of “liking” versus “respecting” the teacher.

There was this guy who coached track. If he told you to do twenty laps and the guys were complaining, he would say: “Okay do five.” If you were tired, he would say, “Okay, you can stop.” He would take you out for pizza after practice. He was a cool coach; they all loved him. But when the time for the meets came, they never won anything. So they got a new coach. The new coach, if he says, “Do fifty laps,” and they say, “We don’t wanna,” he’ll say, “Oh, no? Then do fifty-two!” They hated him because he made them work so hard. But when the time for the meets came, they won every single time. They learned the difference between respecting and liking. – ALEXIS (the student)

Good words to remember as we head back to the battlefield tomorrow.

Thought this might bring some laughs!

In my recent foray into the field of education, I am doing the best I can to listen to as many great teachers talk about their journeys in education as well as read as many books and articles as I can on how to be an effective educator. One book I found on the bookshelf of the rather vacant education section of the Mission Valley Barnes and Noble in San Diego is called “The Bee Eater” by Richard Whitmire.

While I would not consider this to be top writing, it gets the job done and the subject is quite fascinating: Michelle Rhee.

For those who may not know, Michelle Rhee was the Chancellor of the Washington D.C. Public School System, one of the worst school districts in the United States. Appointed by D.C. Mayor, Adrian Fenty, Rhee took over the helm of this school system at 37 years old, without any prior high-profile school administrative experience. Yet, this Teach for America alumni had one mission: to fix the D.C. school system from the inside out by hiring great teachers and removing those teachers who were not producing necessary results. While Rhee had a great many supporters, she made just as many enemies.

This in itself could settle for a blog post, but I want to focus on another aspect of Rhee’s career: her early career teaching.

The book does a great job giving the reader little more than a bird’s eye view on the first days of Rhee’s career. Unbeknownst to most people, Rhee was actually advised to give up a career in teaching after she was first observed handling a classroom. Later, we read how, after heading home for a break, Rhee’s father stepped in to push her to head back to her chosen profession, no matter how hard the task.

Yet, it was in these moments where Rhee’s toughness and perpetual pursuit of excellence was refined. Continue reading →