Reflections

These last six weeks have been about who you are as a citizen and your responsibility both as a member of society and as an educator.  Use your final blog posting to offer your reflections on making connections and setting up for success.

These last six weeks have been a whirlwind. :-)

Sometimes I wonder how I am doing it, how I have survived.  But, I have.  And I think it is because I am motivated.

It has been a tough second summer session for me.  I have had to ask myself repeatedly why I am even doing this -- becoming a teacher, getting a masters' degree in less than 2 years, etc.  I have started to forget why I even began.  When I was in the classroom I would begin to see glimpses of it -- the light bulb moments, the joy of kids discovering, the disequilibrium of students, being in front of a classroom and feeling like "I could really do this and enjoy it!", etc.

But I still had lost my way.

But then I read the two assigned articles for class... and it all came flooding back to me.  I got in this profession to make a difference, to teach, and to effect the next generation in a way that matters.

Yes, it is idealistic.

No, I won't reach every child.

Yes, what teachers do matter.

And I want to be a part of it all!  The good, the bad and the ugly.  All of it.

I enjoyed quite a few bits of the articles.  If I thought it was appropriate, I would copy and paste both articles, in their entirety into this blog post.  But it isn't -- wouldn't be all that effective. :-)

Instead, here are few quotes that have excited me, that have convicted me and have motivated me.

• World hunger and the other human tragedies—poverty, disease, tyranny, and war itself—offend a conscience shaped by concern for others. Meeting these challenges today requires more than politics and money; it requires people of conscience who are compelled to act.... Yes, reading and math are important. But what matters most is what kinds of human beings are reading the books and doing the math. - Charles Haynes
• Idealistic and interested in action, students greet inauthentic learning with skepticism but are most willing to rise to a meaningful cause. We know that many causes await them. Our job is to make sure they have the knowledge, the courage, and the habits of heart to take them on.
• Developing students' hearts, I believe, is what educators are called to do
• We want to inspire students to follow their conscience not in spite of what we teach and do in our schools, but because of what we teach and do.

I got into teaching because I think I would enjoy it.  I got into teaching because I love children.  I got into teaching because I am passionate about education, educational policies and educational opportunities.  I got into teaching to make a difference – not only in a child’s life, but in the lives of others.  As these two articles point out, students care a great deal about our world and are willing to do great things – if we teach them authentically and teach them HOW. 

I hope to be that type of teacher.  I know it won’t be easy.  I know I’ll be tired.  I know I’ll fight a lot of battles.  But it is possible… even in today’s educational environment of testing and accountability.  Through integration, through social studies, through staying strong in my convictions and beliefs, it is possible. 

I’m ready to be in the classroom.  I’m ready to have idealistic days.  I’m also ready to have my jaded days.  But most of all… I am just ready.

References
Scherer, M. (2009, May). Teaching social responsibility: Part 1. Educational Leadership, 66(8), 5.

Haynes, C. (2009, May). Teaching social responsibility: Schools of conscience. Educational Leadership, 66(8), 6-13.