Quick reflection on last period....

Have to get this out before I forget. Just spent a good half-hour talking with my students. It was an enjoyable back-and-forth that touched on issues in the district and our school. It's so refreshing to see these students as citizens that want to make changes. We shared ideas on how to make the school better and talked about why it was important to us. It amazes me that they see so much going on that they disagree with but don't realize how much change they can create if they tried. 

When I asked some students if they told any administrators about something that they felt was wrong, one girl replied, "They wouldn't believe us anyway, we're just students. The principal would only listen to a teacher telling them that."

That is exactly what has to change.

Our students need to feel empowered to control their own destiny and to try make a difference. They need to be able to create an environment that they are proud of. My job as a teacher is to show them that it is possible and then get out of their way.

How do you learn to accentuate the positive?

This is one of those questions that I've been trying to answer for a long time. I try to think of myself as an optimist. I like to think that I can find the good in most people and situations. Unfortunately, I find myself dwelling (obsessing?) on the negative more often that I should. The worst feeling is that I know I should focus more on the successes of my students than on my failures as a teacher. There is so much more value in watching a student go through the process of learning and striving to reach their potential than overanalyzing something that didn't turn out the way I planned (wanted? hoped?).

I'm not naive enough to think that I will ever completely master the idea of being a teacher. There are too many variables and changes in education for that to happen. I know that I will get better at what I do. I know that I'm better (at least a little) now than I was 5 years ago. The problem is that I don't tell myself that enough and I let the negative energy take control every now and then. At the risk of sounding cliche, all I want to do is be happy and enjoy getting up for school every day. 

What I really need to do is to find ways to remind myself daily that some of my current students will be following in the footsteps of my former students.

There will be more of: 

• The quiet and determined Valedictorian/Runner/Head of Everything who focused on her work and making herself better while some of her classmates played around.
• The goofy and focused Barber/All-Star Running Back/Sprinter who did what was asked of him for his teams to win and never complained when others received recognition.
• The middle-of-the-pack, good-at-math student who wanted to be an architect but ended up becoming a teacher by way of Drexel, Holland Architects, CGinteractive, NAPCO, NESN, Sports Authority, Finish Line and Drexel again.

Those first two hopefully know who they are and how much of an inspiration they are to me. That last guy, hopefully he finds a way to look in the mirror in the morning and realize that this will work out. The success stories are out there and are being rewritten. Every. Single. Day. I guess I just have to make more of an effort to find them.