Chapter 11 - The final chapter
5′2″, I sometimes feel that I have to speak loudly so that people will listen. We, as educators, must be resilient to all of the challenges that come our way in our profession. We are truly at the mercy of legislation, taxes, etc., but we truly can make a difference if maintain our “focus on your students” (p. 241). As we begin a new school year tomorrow, I am sure that we will face many obstacles and challenges. However, we must not get bogged down in the administrivia of the daily grind. Instead, we must “remember that the work they (teachers) are doing is changing lives, and in many cases they (teachers) have more impact on the children in that classroom than any other person in their lives” (p. 241). We must be passionate about our work and maintain our hope for the future of these children. We have a great challenge, but I guarantee that working together and having a little (or a lot of) fun along the way will make us all more resilient to life’s curveballs.
Thanks for reading along with me this summer and chatting - sharing your thoughts, memories, and stories has been insightful to me. As a matter of fact, my former high school World Geography/AP History/Yearbook Advisor emailed me on Friday. She was headed back to school, saw a great friend of mine who mentioned my blog, and responded. Her email recollection of my high school class and friends brought tears to my eyes. I shared this email with my teachers on Friday to show that we do make a difference….not just in the lives of children, but in the lives of teachers, too. I printed out a copy of her email and saved it in my “Sunshine File” for days when the times get tough. Being resilient is the final message that Ron Clark shares….a meaningful and serious one. I look forward to a great year!
Ginger,
Enjoyed the blog. My child began school today (he is in 5K, so this was his first time ever in a school). Your thoughts on how important teachers are hit home with me, especially as I turned him over to the public school system. His teacher will help mold him in ways I could only dream of doing.
Best wishes and peace to all of the Doby’s Mill family.
Morgan
Chapter 11 Well here we are on chapter 11, all eleven qualities are indeed excellent, and it will take some discipline to be mindful of each regularly, to the point we integrate each as close to flawlessly as we humans can. Resilience, I think, can be the saving grace for all concerned. No matter where one is in life, a stiff and stifled attitude will eventually be a detriment to everyone within this environment. Life changes, and daily we all must deal with numerous personality types and situations and in order to come out on top, we must be resilient. The Martin Luther King Jr. quote about the measure of a man being seen in times of controversy and challenge is great, as we all know, it is easy to stand up in good times, but our true character is definitely seen in times of trial.
I think most valued to me in this chapter, is to be always mindful that we have chosen this profession, because we have a desire, hopefully a passion, to provide excellent education to every student that we come in contact with. In order to make such a contribution to our students, our world, we will have to experience both positive and negative extenuating factors, whether it be governmental, parental, co-workers or whatever, so having a positive and resilient mindset is a necessity for our success, as well as that of our students. I think knowing this, will help ensure that we do not burn out. Remembering to refuel ourselves is also something we all must remember to integrate, because our jobs are so very demanding that we will wear out, if we do not remember that part of this privileged career choice must be taking care of ourselves, so that we can give our best over the long term.
~Teri~
Resilience…Can I get an extra helping of that? Having just worked a 13 1/2 hour day and now I’m at home finishing paperwork, I sure could use some extra umph if anyone has any to spare. I really do love my job and take pride in doing it well and mostly on time. However, all that said, I too can suffer from burnout through out the school year.
Thankfully though I have a wonderfully supportive husband, collegues, and boss who remind me why I do what I do. My kids. Past all the paperwork, emails, and meetings there is a rainbow. The secret is that I get to have a hand in helping to paint the colors. I am helping mold the next generation.
I have so enjoyed reading The Excellent 11 and blogging and reading my fellow teachers blogs. Thank you for your ideas and insightful thoughts.
With Love,