10 Years in the Bank: a reflection to start year 11

As I was driving to work this morning, windows down, a little Zac Brown Band blaring (although I was probably singing more loudly than the radio was playing), it really dawned on me: I am about to start my 11th year in education.  Now I fully admit that in the grand scheme of things, that isn't really all that many, and in fact, I have learned more in my last two years than in the previous eight (which puts into preservative just how minimal 10 years really is).  However, this realization caused me to stop and think, reflect; I turned the radio off, slowed down just a bit to maximize my time before arriving at work, and (probably to the dismay of any driver's education teachers reading this) let my mind drift, to dance its way through ten years of students, curriculum, meetings, athletic events, smiles, tears, laughter, pain, and most importantly, FUN.  So, as I begin my second decade in education (it just sounds so much cooler to say it that way as opposed to year number 11), here is what I have learned.  Perhaps you have learned all this already; in fact, my guess is some (or most of you) learned all this much quicker than I.  That said, I hope that my time, my journey, can be of value to you as you navigate your way through the twisted and complicated maze that is teaching and learning.

1.  We are all the same...because we are all people.
I have worked in four different schools across three different districts representing a geographical stretch of 50 plus miles in the Chicagoland area (thankfully all because of my own choosing), and the one question I would hear the most each time I changed schools or districts was: "so, how different are the students here than your last school?"  The question would always, no matter how many times I was asked it, catch me off guard.  I would subtly pause, think fondly about all my past students, consider my current group of learners, and say, "I don't know."  For some reason that answer frustrated teachers; it was as if they wanted to hear that the kids at the current school, their school were somehow different--smarter, more motivated, better.  However, I have learned that kids are kids, and to that end, teachers are teachers. Deep down, regardless of how we go about our day and what we do or don't share with others, we all want to succeed, have dreams of being great, recognized; moreover, we all have our problems--our issues, our fears, our demons.  These may vary from kid to kid or teacher to teacher.  Some might be fighting depression and others domestic violence, while others are simply trying to deal with the pressures of being "average" in an "exceptional" school.  So, I have learned to get to know people, to truly seek out and listen to their stories.  Because people are people...and we are all people, students and teachers alike.

2. One cannot do this job alone.
Early in my teaching career, I thought I knew it all. I was young, confident, well-prepared, and...STUPID.  I look back at my first few years and I am appalled at how often I worked in isolation (not only worked that way but found ways to avoid collaboration).  I used to tell myself that it was because I was busy (teaching, coaching, and working on a master's degree), that this was easier.  Sadly, those are years I will never get back--despite how much I wish I could.  I am now at the opposite end of that spectrum.  I have been lucky enough to develop a national network of colleagues with whom I am blessed to collaborate regularly.  People like: Barry Saide (@barrykid1), Lisa Hollenbach (@lisa_hollenbach), Val Brown (@ValeriaBrownEdu), Dorina Sackman (@2014FloridaTOY), Kip Hottman (@kiphottman), Brad Clark (@notbradclark), and SO SO SO many more.  These people keep me going, push me to constantly be better, and challenge me to think about education in ways I otherwise wouldn't.  Now, I am not saying that you have to go out and try to create a national network (I still cannot believe how blessed I am to have the one I do); however, I have learned that this job is easier, better for students, and flat out more fun when we break out of our silos of isolation, reach out to others, and work critically together, side-by-side, to help ALL students learn.

3.  Doing this job right sure isn't easy.
Odds are pretty great that if you are reading this, you are a teacher.  So, you don't need me to waste your time explaining this one.  Instead, I want to thank you for all you do.  The countless hours you put in YEAR ROUND to help your students (each and every one of them) don't get the attention, thanks, congratulations, or love they deserve in the national narrative, and I wish I could do more than this simple paragraph.  Alas, thank you--truly from the bottom of my heart, thank you for all you do!

4.  A few bad apples don't ruin the bushel.
With the current national narrative littered with stories of horrible teachers and completely incompetent students (who are beyond the help of any teacher), I have learned this lesson number four.   I have worked with teachers who clearly shouldn't be in this profession, and I have had my handful of students who, no matter how hard I tried, simply and flat out refused my help; however, the overwhelming majority of teachers and students are great.  They work, both groups, tirelessly to improve every day with the goal of learning and sharing knowledge as much as they can.  So, I ask this: if you had a few bad apples in your bushel, would you throw all of them out?  I hope not, and the same goes for teachers, students, and education.


5. There is nothing I would rather be doing with my life.
I feel like there is a growing sense among educators that if they were just now getting ready to go to college there would be no chance they would go into education knowing the current dynamics of our landscape.  This saddens me because, more than anything else this last decade, I have learned that there is absolutely nothing I would rather be doing with my life.  Education is amazing; it is this rare balance of intellect and acting, reading and writing, caring and crying, laughing and encouraging.  It's the butterflies we still get on the first day of school and the sorrow on the last.  It is the challenges thrown our way and the way in which we triumph over them.  It is staying up all night before grades are due and going out for a drink with colleagues the next day to celebrate.  It is the phone calls home to push those struggling students and the calls home to brag about the rock stars.  Simply put, education is the perfect yet simple juxtaposition between frustration and success that, at the end of the day, allows our future to have a future.  So, would I go back in time change my path: not a chance!

Tips to a Terrific Year

"I think there is a profound and enduring beauty in simplicity; in clarity, in efficiency. True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation. It's about bringing order to complexity" (J. Ive, Apple Designer)

I recently stumbled upon this quote, and while I would say that most of my blog posts don't necessarily fit into the mold of this philosophy, Ive's words have inspired me to post my most simple post yet.  So, here are my Five Tips to a Terrific Year (just in time for the start of school) because let's be honest, having a terrific year should be simple!

1.  Go in with a plan...and be prepared to blow it up after the first week.

It is almost comical; we spend all summer, grinding away reading new books, exploring pedagogical shifts, researching technological additions, and planning the year...only for that plan to be blown up within the first week.  I am not saying don't plan; however, this is your friendly reminder that you can't really know if your plan is going to work until you know your students and dynamic of the class(es).  So, don't get upset or frustrated when you need to adjust your plan.  Instead, view it as a chance to be constantly reinventing yourself in real-time as the best teacher possible for each of your students.

2.  Let your students ask you questions, too.

So often we start the school year by asking our students lots of questions (their interests, passions, dislikes, family dynamics, etc.); however, not often enough do we let them ask similar questions of us. I firmly believe that, while teaches are dying to get to know their students, our students are dying to get to know us even more. Want to be their guide to understanding as opposed to their "teacher", then let them get to know you; let your students ask you questions, too.

3.  Reach out to a colleague you haven't collaborated with before

It is very easy for us to do one of two things: continue to collaborate with those whom we always have, or not collaborate at all because we never have and it has "worked" for us. My challenge is this: reach out to a colleague with whom you have never before collaborated and ask if you can do so this year. It doesn't even have to be someone from your grade-level or even your department. But go seek someone out with whom you can and will spend 50 min. a week (one prep period) or even every other week talking about teaching. Share your journey with that person and listen closely to his or hers.  It will do nothing but make both of you better!

4.  Find a passion-based project for the year

I feel very strongly about this and have begun to encourage the teachers in my department to do it.  We all have areas in education about which we are super passionate. For some that might be union leadership/policy work, for others it could be educational research.  For me, it has become developing and collaborating with my PLN via Twitter and my blog.  Whatever it is, having this passion-based project in your work life will give you something to pick you up when the chaos of education has knocked you down. When I am having "one of those days", I know I can turn to Twitter for encouragement or advice or even clear my head through writing on my blog.  So, find that project for yourself and invest in it: you will be a better teacher for it.

5.  Have fun
If you have read any of my blog posts before, you probably aren't surprised to see this one listed.  I FIRMLY believe that we must have fun.  We must take risks, we must embrace our failures with a smile and open mind, we must cry when things get really tough, we must laugh when things are funny...but we must do all of this WHILE HAVING FUN.  Teaching is more than a job or a profession, it is a way of life; in fact, it consumes our lives (who out there doesn't struggle with work/life balance).  So, if that is the case, we might as well have fun doing it. So, no matter what else, I challenge you...no I encourage you...no I IMPLORE you to have fun this year.