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Maturity, Mr. Holland, and the Stock Market
My name is Becky. . . and I am a workaholic. I know this. I've always been this way. I love it when someone sees this in me and uses it to challenge me to do better. Very few people do this; they see the work that I do as being adequate, good enough, or even better than most others.
Today I learned that my supervisor of the last 3 years is being promoted to a district-level position. I know the typical American attitude is not one of respect and admiration for one's "boss," but that is exactly what I have for L. She's challenged me to think deeply about education and how it should be done. She has shown me how some of the "sacred cows" of education are not so sacred and even helped me develop a grading system less based percentages and more focused on learning and skill mastery. Since day one she has been planting seeds in me and my colleagues to help us grow.
I wonder what next year will hold for me now. Whenever I have a challenge or a concern, I always end up in L.'s office. Maybe next year is my year to become a "grown-up." I can't explain it, but I sometimes don't feel like an adult, like I'm not mature enough to be an adult. That's a bit ironic, since I've been told I was 30 since I was 7 years old. Next year I want to begin my journey to become an expert educator--knowing how kids learn and methods of effective instruction and leadership. Rarely have I had a role model, but she has truly had an impact on me.
Last weekend I caught the last half of Mr. Holland's Opus on tv. I love this movie, although I find it much more plausible for Mr. Holland, a music teacher, to have his ending than for me a math teacher. I can hardly imagine an auditorium of my former students coming to my retirement to show their appreciation. It is a rare occassion when even one former student comes to relay how inspirational that I as a teacher was to his life. Just to know that the extra time that I pour into one student as she develops persistence and tenacity--even more important than the Algebra skills--eventually will pay off with a responsible, wise, and successful adult.
I read in my School Finance book last semester about how education is an investment in human capital. I think it must be like investing in the stock market. Education is risky; what a teacher says and does in class does make a difference. Will I choose in this investment to teach haphazardly or wisely? Will I be like L.--respected and admired by everyone on my faculty for challenging the norm and doing the best thing for the kids?
Today I learned that my supervisor of the last 3 years is being promoted to a district-level position. I know the typical American attitude is not one of respect and admiration for one's "boss," but that is exactly what I have for L. She's challenged me to think deeply about education and how it should be done. She has shown me how some of the "sacred cows" of education are not so sacred and even helped me develop a grading system less based percentages and more focused on learning and skill mastery. Since day one she has been planting seeds in me and my colleagues to help us grow.
I wonder what next year will hold for me now. Whenever I have a challenge or a concern, I always end up in L.'s office. Maybe next year is my year to become a "grown-up." I can't explain it, but I sometimes don't feel like an adult, like I'm not mature enough to be an adult. That's a bit ironic, since I've been told I was 30 since I was 7 years old. Next year I want to begin my journey to become an expert educator--knowing how kids learn and methods of effective instruction and leadership. Rarely have I had a role model, but she has truly had an impact on me.
Last weekend I caught the last half of Mr. Holland's Opus on tv. I love this movie, although I find it much more plausible for Mr. Holland, a music teacher, to have his ending than for me a math teacher. I can hardly imagine an auditorium of my former students coming to my retirement to show their appreciation. It is a rare occassion when even one former student comes to relay how inspirational that I as a teacher was to his life. Just to know that the extra time that I pour into one student as she develops persistence and tenacity--even more important than the Algebra skills--eventually will pay off with a responsible, wise, and successful adult.
I read in my School Finance book last semester about how education is an investment in human capital. I think it must be like investing in the stock market. Education is risky; what a teacher says and does in class does make a difference. Will I choose in this investment to teach haphazardly or wisely? Will I be like L.--respected and admired by everyone on my faculty for challenging the norm and doing the best thing for the kids?
posted by Becky Davis | 8:51 PM
1 Comments:
Woah...that stock market analogy is totally deep. It's true that the risks are many, and yet the payout could be extraordinary. Even if you never see it yourself.
I think that would be the hardest part about being a teacher. Mr. Holland's Opus is so wonderful and moving because in the end, everyone actually does go back to say "thank you." Yet you have to approach what you do with the mindset that that may never happen; even kids whose lives are changed in your classroom may never tell you.
So you leap out and take the risk, giving the kids your best regardless of whether you will ever be given recognition for more than a test score. I think it is very brave. And very important. God bless teachers!!!
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