I was listening to The Moth, a show on NPR (yes, I listen to NPR) with live storytelling in front of a microphone without notes. Ordinary people stand up and tell extraordinary stories about seemingly ordinary things.
Tonight, a flight attendant got up to tell the story of an insubordinate passenger who didn't sit down when the seat belt light went on. It's a pet peeve of stewardesses, but she decided not to judge, but to talk to the man as he stood there waiting for the bathroom.
"Business or pleasure?" she asked him. "Neither," he replied. The gentleman explained that his son was a first responder at Ground Zero, who never made it out alive. He had flown from California to New York to pick up his son's uniform, which was now in the overhead compartment, now the only thing he had left of his son's!
This flight attendant went on to reflect on why she loves her job so much. "Every person who flies somewhere is going somewhere. The flight is a small part of their story, and I get to be a tiny part of that...We flight attendants think about crowds. 'Stay away from that Fort Lauderdale crowd...That LAX crowd is ugly!' But I like to remember that crowds are made up of lots of individuals--individuals with stories of their own, and I get to be a minor character in their stories for a little while. For that I am thankful."
Tonight, a flight attendant got up to tell the story of an insubordinate passenger who didn't sit down when the seat belt light went on. It's a pet peeve of stewardesses, but she decided not to judge, but to talk to the man as he stood there waiting for the bathroom.
"Business or pleasure?" she asked him. "Neither," he replied. The gentleman explained that his son was a first responder at Ground Zero, who never made it out alive. He had flown from California to New York to pick up his son's uniform, which was now in the overhead compartment, now the only thing he had left of his son's!
This flight attendant went on to reflect on why she loves her job so much. "Every person who flies somewhere is going somewhere. The flight is a small part of their story, and I get to be a tiny part of that...We flight attendants think about crowds. 'Stay away from that Fort Lauderdale crowd...That LAX crowd is ugly!' But I like to remember that crowds are made up of lots of individuals--individuals with stories of their own, and I get to be a minor character in their stories for a little while. For that I am thankful."
How true! We teachers are the same way. We catch a glimpse of our students and are a part of their lives for a short time. However, when they look back on the stories of their lives, how will they remember us?
Are we their heroes that taught them to love to write, who made them forget what they weren't good at, in front of whom they were brave enough to sing out loud, who were maybe the first ones who paid them a compliment on the way they read? Are we the ones with whom they connected in a way that made them love school, that made them know that although they are "partially proficient" on some piece of paper, they have important things to say? Are we the characters that made them understand that a reading level is just a step on a journey instead of a label that follows them forever in a comparison to their friends? This is what we need to be.
Are we their heroes that taught them to love to write, who made them forget what they weren't good at, in front of whom they were brave enough to sing out loud, who were maybe the first ones who paid them a compliment on the way they read? Are we the ones with whom they connected in a way that made them love school, that made them know that although they are "partially proficient" on some piece of paper, they have important things to say? Are we the characters that made them understand that a reading level is just a step on a journey instead of a label that follows them forever in a comparison to their friends? This is what we need to be.
Some heroes are a group of principals in New York State who have decided to step up for kids in this Age of Common Core. You can see some of their work at the site http://www.newyorkprincipals.org/letter-to-parents-about-testing where they write to parents about testing.
They have a similar letter to their students that says that the strangers who scored this test only have very limited information about them.
"They don't know how talented you are at playing an instrument, at the improvement you've made in reading through thousands of hours of practice, or what a good heart you have...They just have this one snapshot of you that one day answering some very challenging questions. They don't know all the things you've done that have really mattered." (I'm paraphrasing.)
Such heroes!
They have a similar letter to their students that says that the strangers who scored this test only have very limited information about them.
"They don't know how talented you are at playing an instrument, at the improvement you've made in reading through thousands of hours of practice, or what a good heart you have...They just have this one snapshot of you that one day answering some very challenging questions. They don't know all the things you've done that have really mattered." (I'm paraphrasing.)
Such heroes!
I think of Sara, a student who was in my 3rd Grade class years ago. Sara had learned to dislike writing, because she was continually reminded of how weak her spelling was. She decided at a very young age that writing was not her thing, because she couldn't spell.
However, Sara had voice! She always had something to say, and it usually had great depth at its heart. I think that Sara really turned her attitude about learning around that year.
I visited her room in 4th Grade. She wrote this beautiful poem in her writer's notebook (with some words spelled wrong, but you can't really spell anything too badly if you write it with your soul...).
However, Sara had voice! She always had something to say, and it usually had great depth at its heart. I think that Sara really turned her attitude about learning around that year.
I visited her room in 4th Grade. She wrote this beautiful poem in her writer's notebook (with some words spelled wrong, but you can't really spell anything too badly if you write it with your soul...).
COURAGE
I peer out of my
green hat
onto a frosty, white
lake.
My feet are wobblye
like a foal when
born.
But my smiles soon
turned into a
frown.
I fell on the
hard bitter
ice
with a thud.
My mom
glidded twards
me
and put out her hand
sending me a little more
courage
to help me
keep going
on.
I peer out of my
green hat
onto a frosty, white
lake.
My feet are wobblye
like a foal when
born.
But my smiles soon
turned into a
frown.
I fell on the
hard bitter
ice
with a thud.
My mom
glidded twards
me
and put out her hand
sending me a little more
courage
to help me
keep going
on.
I kept in touch with Sara and her parents for a few more years. Sara enjoyed her writing, but it soon was replaced by other passions. However, her parents told me that it was 3rd Grade that gave her the desire to find passion for learning, because it wasn't about what she couldn't do.
I think about my role as a character in the story of Sara's life, and realize there is nothing common at the core of it. Like those New York principals told their students, there was something there that really mattered in our time together.
I think about my role as a character in the story of Sara's life, and realize there is nothing common at the core of it. Like those New York principals told their students, there was something there that really mattered in our time together.
So as you look back and reread the story of your life as a teacher, think about which other stories you have a cameo appearance in. What role do you have in these other stories that are a tapestry of story? How will you be remembered? Will you the one who honored what made each student special? Will you be the one who brought the joy of learning by celebrating what kids can do well? Will you be the hero who sent kids a little more courage to keep going on? Will you be the one who took the time to ask, "Business or pleasure?" Think about this in the choices you make each day, because these choices really matter!
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