Tired Is A Good Thing

A new teacher, trying to make use of her psychology courses, started her class by saying, "Everyone who thinks they're stupid, stand up."

After a few seconds, little Johnny stood up.

The teacher said, "Do you think you're stupid, Johnny?"

"No Ma'am, "he said, "but I hate to see you standing up there all by yourself."

Undoubtedly, we are all tired enough to be that teacher at this point in the year. Between exam reviews, relentless urging of students to give it their best, awards ceremonies, concerts and events and end of the semester, we all look exhausted by the end of the week. With just a few days left of classes, we are at the point of realizing that we have just about given it everything that we have to give. If you are tired, then you are probably tired for a reason. You've used the last few weeks to pour your heart and soul into getting the most from your students. You've helped them make up assignments and attendance so that they have a shot at passing the class or scoring proficient on your exam. With one week of classes left before exams begin, I am going to ask you to give me one more week of your very best. Your efforts and enthusiasm mean a lot for student and school performance. Without you, so many students simply would not make it at all.

Thank you for the long days, the longer nights and the frustration you've dealt with along the way. I appreciate you and even though they may not always say it, your students see your effort and they appreciate you too.

Politics

Recently, the social studies teacher in me has been enjoying the increase in political discussion in our school and in our profession. During last week's primary election, we had members of our AP US Government class help man polling places throughout Greene County. They got a chance to see the political process in action and even signed off on the official results from their district. The real win was that they had to register to vote before they could serve. This assignment gets them involved in voting and is something that will continue to inspire them in the years to come. What each of the students found interesting was how few people vote. Granted, they do not see early voting or absentee ballots. Even with those, about 28% of registered voters in Greene County participated in the last election.

Just days later after the primary election, teachers began the discussions surrounding teacher pay and school funding as our state legislature reconvened. As thousands of teachers descended on our state capital and thousands more supported them from afar, teachers also began to include themselves in the political process. The part that I have appreciate most about the teachers is how they are informing themselves. Civic responsibility requires that we inform ourselves on the issues and follow through on them. What I hope for educators is that Wednesday's rally is not a one and done effort. Just like I hope that our students that served at the polls have started a lifelong commitment to voting and civic duty, I also hope that teachers continue to follow the legislation that impacts them and remain active participants in the laws that regulate our profession. Continued involvement will bring action. Stay informed and participate in the political process. Bringing about change is a marathon, not a sprint.

Teachers as Classroom Leaders

During Teacher Appreciation Week I like to watch you all a little closer than normal. I'm not looking for classroom management or expert lessons. Instead I look for those of you that show true passion for what you do. I have often held the belief that something magical happens to teachers after their 3rd year. Something clicks for them and they start to realize what their style is rather than copying someone else. They have their procedures in mind and classroom management becomes easier for them. They don't feel as hectic all the time and develop a focus on what is important. I saw these characteristics this week in Mrs. Gray. Mrs. Gray was asked to speak about leadership at the JROTC awards night. Her message was short but in a few words, she said a lot.

Mrs. Gray said that she has determined that teacher leadership involved conveying three things to all of her students. First, students should know that she cares about them. Second, they should be shown grace when they fail to meet expectations. Third, they should learn something about how the real world works. While I listened to her, I thought about how universal these three things are. They can apply to every teacher, in any classroom, regardless of subject or age. While these three things show students why you care for them, they also remind teachers why they decided to teach in the first place. As teachers we often can be discouraged when students misbehave or don't put their best effort into an assignment. Our vision of what a student "should be" is often clouded by what we remember ourselves as being. We forget that not every student is like us. But when we put Mrs. Gray's three leadership ideals first, we get a better idea of what our job really is.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week to all of you. Thank you for working hard when others do not to improve our future. Thank you for refusing to give up and for inspiring others to not give up on themselves.

Don't Tell Me...Show Me

As we have started the final marking period of the year, teachers, administrators and counselors have been rounding up our students (especially the Seniors) that have issues with grades and attendance that will keep them from passing their classes. There are always a few that wait until the end to try to make up work and attendance to keep themselves just good enough to get by. In my conversations with these students, I often hear great promises from students about what they will do if they just get one more chance to prove themselves. Some of them are genuine and some are not, but any educator knows that. I always end the conversation with a simple statement, "Don't tell me...Show me." I am all for redemption as a part of the learning process. Whether we would like to admit it or not, we have all needed a second (or third) chance at some point in our lives. What we do with that chance shows others our character.

When all is said and done, the majority of students will never use most of the information that they learn in most of their classes. I never needed to know the parts of a cell and not once have I used the quadratic formula since it was on a math test. What we really learn in school is how to produce something when it is asked of us and how to navigate the problems that keep us from being successful in doing just that. For many of us, procrastination can be a problem. Dealing with lost opportunities or having to make up work later for less credit often serves as a teaching lesson that corrects some of that behavior. This builds character.

In these last few weeks I encourage you to exercise patience when students ask for a second chance and diligence when when you expect results from that chance. Make them show you. It will do much more for them than the content of the assignment they didn't complete ever will.