Courage Doesn't Always Roar: A Teacher's Quest to Be Better Each Day

When I was a new college student, I got a job at a retail department store near my house. I quit the other retail store I was working at because I was starting to feel pressure from managers about not opening enough store credit card accounts each month. I was 18 years old and just not comfortable schmoozing people into opening up a store account when they didn't want one. So, I left one sales position for another. I hated it almost instantly. At my other job, I worked in the costume jewelry department. I was allowed to go to the ladies room when I needed to without asking permission. I was trained to handle transactions with the register. At my new job, I was stationed in the sock and handbag department for hours on end. I was not on the register. I was not allowed to go to the ladies room if I needed to without a complicated permissions procedure. There are only so many socks one can fold for hours on end without going crazy. I knew right away that this job was a mistake. M...

I used to give homework packets to my five year old students and not let them play centers on Friday if it wasn't completed.  Now I don't assign traditional homework to my 3rd graders and want my students to look for learning opportunities all around them. And read- always, I want them to read. (Write, too). But I'm not checking a log or counting sentences written in a notebook.  I used to have elaborate clip charts that announced to the world who was "on green" for being a good listener and who fell, yet again, to red because he couldn't behave.   I used to give points and Dojo dollars to students who could focus and attend and take points away from the kids who couldn't get it together. Now I work to build relationships and community and try my hardest never to shame a child, never to publicly put a clothes pin on a sign that announces a difficult day or a poor choice. I speak of our classroom community and not behavior management.  I...

How lucky I am to be a teacher. How lucky to have a job where each year, I get a clean slate and a fresh start. How lucky to have a job where I can restore my energy each summer, enjoying precious moments of time with my own children. How lucky to have a job where I walk into an empty classroom and then make it come alive with the special touches I bring. How lucky to have a job where I get to know children from all cultures and backgrounds and ability levels. How much there is to learn from all of them. How lucky to have a job where I can dance and laugh, be silly and wacky. How lucky I am to read aloud stories that captivate the hearts and minds of young people each day. How lucky I am to share my passion for writing and help young students believe there is a writer in them, too. Their words are worth sharing. How lucky I am to share my own struggles and mistakes and let students know that there is no learning without taking risks, falling down, and getting back up ...