Two years ago in February something fundemental happened to me that would forever change my life, I was laid off. So I began a journey that started my evaluation of whether the job that I had or the career that I was in was in fact right for me. This soul searching, gut wrenching, process lasted 3 months until May of 2009. I decided that I was going to go into the world of education and become a high school science teacher, something that deep down I had always wanted to do. It was this decision that has really changed my life for the better, and helped to push me where I needed to be. This has given me a unique perspective into education. I spent almost 4 years in the young corporate culture, and then moved to the world of education. For those of you that are not familiar with it it is an entirely different animal. Tomorrows posting will cover what it is like to be on the front lines.
So, my goal is to take this unique picture of the world and to relate stories to everyone whether they are in education or not. I want to help others understand what teachers get right, and help expose what we get wrong. I ask you to join with me as I share with you the daily life of a teacher, how do our decisions impact children and teachers, what are unions and how do they hurt or help. We hear so much in the media, Fox News, CNN, and everyone seem to have an expert yet I have not seen one of them have a teacher on to talk about the issues. Each day I will post with a topic and a little story from the day to help you understand what it is really like on the front lines. Feel free to comment, as I am working to try and make the system better, through discourse we open ourselves up to new ideas and experiences.
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ReplyDeleteI'm now following you. :o)
ReplyDeleteI would just like to throw in my own perspective regarding teachers. I raised two children, one a perfectionist that had a major melt down if he did not remember to get some of his homework. It was a teacher who gave me his school phone number and let my son and I in many evenings to get “homework” so that the next day might start and continue in peace. I had a second son who had learning difficulties and It was a teacher who held my hand during A.R.D. meetings and a group of compassionate friends who sat around the table with me to try and make a decision about what was best for his future. Not one of these people went home immediately as the last bell rang.
ReplyDeleteI was a Technology Assistant for a middle school for nearly seven years and many nights I was at work well into the evening trying to get a piece of technology to work so that the next day children could learn math and science and the arts. I and the people I worked with cared about childrens’ education. We spent our summers programming computers, learning new technology and going to work shops not laying around the pool and enjoying our summer, for three months. (All a part of our contract).
I see the commercials on television about math and science and how lowly we rank in the world in those disciplines and I can’t help but think we are missing the entire concept. An education is more than what we know. It is more than just shoving information at our children. An education ensures quality of life. It lifts us up and gives us wings. It shows us new ways of looking at the world and promotes tolerance, that helps us appreciate our differences instead of fearing them. It gives our children tools to face life and succeed. It is the difference in a dark future and a happy one.
Change on this planet and in our universe starts with one brave person raising his or her voice and saying “We want education for all of our children and we will stand firm and do what needs to be done to ensure that is made so.”
Our world is hazardous and our situation as human beings is precarious at best. Our tomorrow may depend on one very special person who gets up at 5:00am and grades papers until midnight, who is always searching for a new and better way to impart knowledge, and who at the end of their career has bad eyes and bad feet and has sacrificed all of that to change the world one child at a time.