READY! SET! GO!

As the beginning of a new school year is about to begin or has already begun for some, it is now time for some self introspection. What do you hope to accomplish this year? How will you make a difference? Let me ask you: Where are you going? How do you plan on getting there? 

I can't help but to think of the movie "Ruby Bridges". There are so many lessons to be learnt that can truly impact our practice. Ruby had no idea what she would encounter as she embarked on her first year as the only black in a desegregated school. 

Likewise, as we prepare for the beginning of the school year we may not be cognizant of all that lies ahead of us. However, by preparing ourselves emotionally, physically, and mentally and with the right support we will make it through the year. Ruby showed "remarkable resilience" (The Movie,Ruby Bridges). This is a choice! The manner in which we respond to the unknown is a reflection of our character and belief. This year, moving forward, do we intend to conform to the "status quo" or do we persevere despite the challenges to achieve our desired goals? What will we do in the face of opposition? Do we run or stay? 

Day after day Ruby was subjected to vehement rejection, yet with support she was able to overcome and exceed expectations. Her mother, though aware of the turmoil her decision caused was determined to make sure that her child got the best education there was. In her own words: "My children are gonna have more and the only way things are gonna get better for them is if we make em better. We can't be afraid." 

Ruby's success could not have been possible without her teacher, Mrs. Barbara Henry. She championed the status quo and valiantly advocated for her student. Ruby adored her. Despite the odds Ruby managed to "love" school. Similarly, let us strive to do what's best for our students. 

"Don't look back".... were the words of the Marshall as they escorted Ruby to school. Let us 'look straight ahead", focused on our goals for the new school year.

READY! SET! GO!

Have a great year!!!!

The Heart of Teaching

Recently, there was an article in the Wall Street Journal about the 10 best paying jobs of 2014 by Adam Auriemma. While I perused the article, it suddenly occurred to me how flawed societies views are when thinking  about education. In fact, there are some people in the teaching profession who may be high on that list!

People in the past and even presently look down their noses at teachers. Worst yet are those who will blatantly tell you that teachers make "no money". BINGO! This is the problem. We can never put a monetary value on teaching because teaching is more than dollars and cents. I am not implying that money is not important. It will come but it is not the driving force for being an  EXCEPTIONAL teacher.

After writing my first blog, The Marvels of Modern Education, my student from fifteen years ago contacted me to share with me the impact I had made on his life and how he is now living his childhood dream. He recounted that as an eighth grader I had given him a "pile" of information about engineering after expressing that he would like to become an engineer. This brought tears to my eyes. On reflecting I thought... I must have been crazy..... yes crazy! The fact is that I believed in this student and all my students. I have high expectations for each of them.

Teaching is not a job. It is a passion. Teaching is more than facts, figures, memorization, and test-taking though they all have a role to play.Teaching is all about the HEART. It first begins with LOVE for children and your expectations for them to succeed despite the odds. It is instilling the values and attitudes of working hard, being disciplined, love for others, celebrating successes and failures, and most of all having fun! 

Inspiring a love for learning and a spirit of inquiry will supersede the need to artificially engineer college and career readiness. To all my teachers who have positively impacted the lives of students....... I say THANK YOU because you may not hear it enough. Congratulations! Continue to be EXCEPTIONAL. We can do it one child at a time......the cost PRICELESS! 

Indeed the classrooms in which we stand whether traditional or modern will have an EXCEPTIONAL TEACHER.

What's your story? Please share.

The Marvels of Modern Education

Thinking back to the time when the school was just one room and comparing to the classrooms of today, one would have thought that we would have seen a dramatic increase in student performance. In retrospect has anything really changed?

The teachers back then had to be creative with the meager resources they had to further their students' education. They were faced with large classrooms, varying learning abilities, and in most cases were often the only teachers to be found in their vicinity. Today, we have the wealth of technology, educational supports (both inside and outside of the classroom), numerous researches on how children learn, a vast selection of professional development for our teachers, innovative curricula, as well as the option to choose a public, private, or charter school based on their model and if it is the best fit for our children. This begs the question: How well are we doing? Are our students experiencing success? Have we surpassed the achievements that were made in the past? Is it even possible to compare?

Though the problem still exists where teachers of today in some areas are still experiencing a scarcity in supplies and access to technology, they manage to provide exceptional education to their students. The fact that these students also succeed at subsequent levels despite the odds defy the norm and triggers the question: What does it mean to be educated? How does academic success look?

How were the teachers in the one room schoolhouse successful? How would they have fared if they had been evaluated by today's standards? Have we missed the entire concept of education? 

I am curious. What do you think?