What does this mean, Greek! Education does change a fair amount. This change is in pedagogical practices, data tracking methods, types of testing, technology resources, social practices, and classroom management methods along with everything in-between. The tasks/skills/curriculum that we cover as educators are endless and continue to grow. So, what is the purpose of this post?
Education does change, but the core of what we do does not. No matter what happens, we are expected to perform at a high level. Personal life has no place at work. This is what I use to think until my mistake. A mistake that should not have happened, but it did. I started in education after 9/11/2001; on this day, I questioned everything I was doing in life. At the time of this life-altering event, I was working in a local factory, building fans on an assembly line. I did not like this job, but it paid well and included insurance.
My mind changed on 9/11, for the better. Your mortality and achievements come to light in moments like this. I started to wonder what I was doing to better society in my current profession as an assembly worker. I was providing for my family, which is noble on its own, but I was not nourishing my soul. Two days later, I quit my job and started a harsh journey to become an educator. For 13 years, I have worked to better society one classroom at a time, one day at a time, one month at a time, and year after year. I now see my students leave school, graduated, to start their journey in life. I love working with kids and our future, but I made a mistake.
Social Media is one of the "changes," I started speaking of in the first section of this post. At its core, the connections that can be made surpass time and location. I can follow high school friends that have chosen lives to live all of the worlds. This connection is powerful! As Uncle Ben stated, "With great power comes great responsibility." This power can build someone up or tare them down with one post. We have to model responsible use of this power, but we are flawed humans. Posting with emotion can cause significant detriment to individuals, even if that was not your intent.
Teachers change also. They become smarter with years of service. More intelligent in time management, relationship building, and their ability to walk into the classroom day in and day out no matter their current situation. Life can punch you in the gut and make you question why you do what you do; the students are the purpose and the focus. Mistakes happen, but education is based on grace. The key to this grace is that you do not expect it, you hope when errors occur, it will be granted.
I started this career with the hopes of making a change. This change does not happen in a vacuum nor is this change a given, it takes a lot of work. In this line of work, it is hard not to take things personally, I know this first hand. The key to this change is, how do you recover from mistakes? That is the integrity of a teacher. Changes will happen even if you do not want it to, your ability to adjust to these changes is essential in your professional and personal lives.
I am grateful for support and grace. I am thankful for the time and efforts that all teachers put forth for our students. I am thankful for the opportunities public education has given me. These opportunities come gift-wrapped sometimes and in brown paper bags at other times. These learning opportunities are not always wanted.
Enjoy your Summer Break, and I will see you soon.
Doug
