WHY do I teach?

Yesterday was the College Station ISD Kick-Off rally where district employees gathered to be encouraged and challenged for the coming year.  Our new Superintendent, Dr. Clark Ealy, challenged us to think about our 'Why.'  Not the 'what' or the 'how,' but the core, deep, soul-centered 'why' we teach.  As the 1500 or so of us filed out, I was already thinking on this.  And when College Station High School convened on our campus, and our Principal, Mike Martindale, again challenged us to think of our 'why,' I decided this would be a great place to talk about my 'Why.'

I teach because I come from a family of teachers, and I married one.  They seem like great people.  

I teach because my high school AP English teacher, Jack Nims, taught me that the right answer is not always the best answer.  He taught me how to think, not just how to regurgitate information. 

I teach because the more I teach, the more I want to learn.  Just when I think I know all I can about a subject, a little breadcrumb promise of something more is dropped, and I chase it down, hungry for more.

I teach because I have seen the difference an adult can make in a child if they just pay attention.  I have seen the faces of parents who were just thankful I took the time to appreciate their child for who they are, and the face of a student who saw an adult besides their parent care.  I teach for those that have been missed.

 I teach because teenagers today impact our culture more than even they know, and I want to point them in the way that makes them the best they can be. I hate the phrase "Children are our future." They aren't.  They are our now.  They are shaping our music, our worldviews, our technology, our approach to life, etc.  Sometimes it is beautiful.  Sometimes it is terrifying.  Students need teachers that do not seek to make them better people- that would be social engineering.  Teachers should guide and encourage students to find who they are.  I teach to point students to find the best person they can be.

I teach history because I love to tell stories.  I teach psychology because I love to try to figure out the way people tick.  I teach them both because the stories of history and understanding people are my favorite way to point students toward that "best person they can be."

I teach because he moment of understanding is the most intoxicating thing there is on Earth.  Whether you teach Math, Science, English, Art, Football, Foreign Language, Social Studies, Philosophy, or Theology - the moment a student's face lights up with recognition or irreverently shouts out that they "Got it!," is the best feeling there is.  I teach because I am addicted to those moments, and want more and more.

I teach because I want my students to know I see them as people, and I care about them succeeding not because it makes me look good, but because it makes them stronger and smarter people.  I teach because I like my students- all of them.

I teach because teachers matter.  I teach because they are needed.  I teach because they are on the front lines of making a difference in the lives of millions.  I teach because I want to be a part of something that truly, positively affects the world.

I teach because it is-  So.  Much. Fun. 

How Do I Know?

When I step out the door, and look around, the tell-tale light of late summer serves as a reminder that the beginning of a new year is just weeks away. Days that were filled with watching TV and swimming and doing nothing are vanishing in the rear view.

To be fair, I also spent a good deal of my summer teaching summer school and attending trainings. And while my official start is next Friday, my days in my classroom are increasing in frequency and volume already.

I say this like its a burden- but it's not. As I sit in my chair and zone in on my latest Prezi for my new course this year, Psychology, I feel an almost rush of excitement. I know what this class has in store for my students, and I cannot wait to share it with them. I even find myself enjoying the tedium of redecorating my class. And I am looking at my class load filled with on-level classes instead of the Honors I so loved last year and seeing a challenge I plan to rise to.

In the midst of all this pre-year excitement, a question has floated up. I have tried to answer it on my own head, and come up with some answers, but in truth, they are not complete. It is question that I really feel each teacher MUST ask themselves regularly. (Side note, I am a huge fan of asking myself questions. Introspective questioning makes me a structuralist, I guess.) That question is this:

"How do I know if I am a successful teacher?"

You might argue that I should ask about bring an "effective" teacher, but I believe it is possible to be effective and still not a successful teacher. You can accomplish all you need to, but is that all it takes to be great?  No, but it meets the criteria for effective.   So, all great teachers are effective , but not all effective teachers are successful. Effective teachers are still doing awesome, but successful teachers do that elusive something "more."

I think.

Rather than get bogged down here, let me share my criteria that I have attempted to measure what makes someone great.

The most obvious is that their students excel. Scores and passing rates are high, success is the norm. But this factor relies on students as well. A teacher with good scores at a traditionally high performing school will measure success differently than a teacher at a traditionally low performing school. And what if a teacher has high scores, but students don't show continued growth?  Is that still success?  Or what if they show improvement, but the scores are still low- is that success?  I believe this measure has to be taken situationally. High performing students should continue to performing at higher and higher levels, and low performing students should continue to perform at higher and higher levels as well. Success may a hundred for one, and passing for another. But then what of those teachers who are able to draw the A out of the student who has never gotten out of the C's?  These are the ones that move beyond even successful to great teachers. I want to be one of those.  But how do  I know if I have become one?

I think one way they are able to do it is by relationships. A teacher who manages to connect with students will be able to get the students to dig a little deeper, work a little harder, push a little further. I feel pretty confident that I did well with relationships with my students this year. I was honest with them- I never cut corners with "little white lies" that made it easier to go my job. I also owned it when I messed up and readily acknowledged when I didn't know something. I also acknowledged when I knew even I had done a poor job. I think it's safe to say I enjoyed some popularity with my students. But that alone doesn't make me successful. There are plenty of "cool" teachers who don't do a very good job. Their students are poorly prepared, but they had a lot of fun. I hope that I was not- nor that I will ever be one of those teachers. I also do not want to go the other way and be the teacher that seems to enjoy making the students miserable. It is my job to challenge the students, and I believe the more they like- no, wait, that's not right. The more they respect and admire their teachers, the more they are willing to put forth their best effort.   These are the teachers that their students will still talk about in  five, ten, twenty years and more. And not because they were "cool," but because they were invested in their students, cared about their students, and their students knew it.   I want to become  one of these teachers. But how do I know if I've become one?

Maybe it's innovation. Successful teachers try new things. Actually, most teachers try new things. Successful teachers are not afraid to try new things and fail. Repeatedly.   They pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and press on. In a  modified direction.   It is not just using new tech or technique in class, it is finding the best way to fit those new ideas with their population. Innovative teachers also create new things- they are on the vanguard of strategies and projects. Some of their ideas are a mashup of other good ideas, some truly unique and original.   I want to become  one of these teachers. But how do I know if I've become one?

Those innovative teachers need support. From administration to the teacher across the hall, the successful teacher needs help. And is not afraid to ask for it. When they offer it to others, successful teachers are not condescending or holier-than-thou. It's easy to fall into the trap of playing "who knows more."  I know because I feel the tug to assert what I know in a prideful way-  and that's just in everyday situations.  To be a successful teacher, you must want your colleagues to succeed as much as you want to see your students succeed.   I want to become  one of these teachers. But how do I 
know if I've become one?

As I go through this year, I plan to repeatedly ask myself how I am doing in these areas. But I can be a bit biased, so I welcome other opinions as well. It can seem a bit self involved to be concerned about being a successful teacher- and hopefully done day a great teacher- but I know that I am one of THOSE kinds of teachers, it is the students who benefit the most.