The smile on her face was priceless. I am sure her heart is filled with ideas and energy and she cannot wait to teach young adults.
And then reality will set in.
Lately, I have been in the company of many teachers who are months, weeks, minutes away from retirement. They cannot wait. Most have apps on their phones with the countdown.
Others have retired and started the new chapter in their lives.
I think, all young girls, at one time or another, wanted to be a teacher. I did.
Now, when you mention teaching to my teacher friends, they twitch. I guess it is like when folks tell me they want to go into the radio business.
And they all say the same thing, "the kids are great, the parents can be great but the government involvement, is not. Used to be great when I could teach, now I don't".
And it makes me sad.
I had the honor of chatting with a Principal the other day and asked this question, "if you had a magic wand, what would you change in education?"
Her response? "Let teachers teach."
Wow.
When Walker was in kindergarten, his little class was enthralled by the story of Christopher Columbus and those three ships. To Miss Martha's credit, she went with it. She taught those kids all they could comprehend about Chris and his voyage. To this day, when we celebrate Columbus Day, Walker will always say, "You know, he really didn't discover America...." and he goes on and on. He knows all about Columbus.
When the "button" was in third grade, he had a teacher who allowed them to play music while they were learning. He credits his love of music to this teacher and this very simple act.
When Adeline found out about her third grade teacher, she was hesitant. And, after a school year she said, "I loved her, she made me work hard cause she knew I could". Is there a better compliment?
Last Sunday in the car, Walker and Addie were talking about a teacher they both have. It was interesting, "she gets us and just wants to teach and not me our moms", "she is organized", "she makes the most boring subject exciting" and she "is kind and wants you to be kind too."
I listened intently while they spoke about her.
Never did they mention test scores, grading scales or A plus scores.
They also spoke about how the state government decides what is taught in the classroom and how monies are appropriated. I was stunned at how much they knew about state government involvement.
Later in the conversation, Addie said that she thought she might be interested in being a teacher but she is nervous because she hates snotty noses (she is my daughter) and she wants to make "bank" to get a horse.
I explained that teachers are not in it for the money but are in it for the long term rewards.
She said (at 14 years old) "if they want better education, they need to pay more for better teachers. If a teacher is the most important job, why do they get paid so poorly?" Remember, she's 14.
A few weeks ago, there was a series of Facebook posts about our Fourth Grade Class at Delmont Elementary School. Through this series, there were posts about the teachers that taught us what during fourth and fifth grade.
There were discussions about square dancing, Chaucer and his Canterbury Tales, reading Johnny Tremain and Shakespeare.
In first grade, I will never forget Mrs. Cup pulled me aside to tell me she was moving me to the First reading group. Tip and Mitten and Dick and Jane! I was moving to the highest reading group. The joy. She put her arm around me and told me she knew I had worked hard. She was proud of me.
I will never forget that feeling.
I will never forget seeing my cursive writing sample hanging on the bulletin board. I obviously stopped having lovely cursive handwriting, but there was a time.
In sixth grade, we studied South America. Each group had a country. I was in the "Columbia" group. We stood up in front of the class and presented all there was to learn and know about Columbia. We made in idol out of salt clay (homemade) and then painted it gold. It was awesome. The euphoria about Central America quickly died when Mark Kramer returned from Florida with two baby alligators, Bonnie and Clyde for the classroom.
Later that year, before China was ever a place we knew or talked about, our class was intrigued by China. So much so, Mr. Bush, encouraged us to make a giant map of China (the size of the cafeteria wall) and include mountains, the Great Wall, pandas, bamboo, what ever we could find out about China, include it. We were in the newspaper about this map.
When I grade my own life, Miss Mercer will always be in the top ten list of people who had a positive contribution to my life. No doubt.
When I was little and a primary school student, you didn't go places or do things like you do now. So, when you did and you ran into your teacher outside of school, it was like seeing Santa in the summer. You were in awe. You were learning something about them you didn't know. We used to get our report cards and go to the back where the teachers signed, just so we could learn their first names. We held these teachers in the highest regard.
The difference between teaching today and teaching then are two big things, technology and state governments. I can remember the smell of the ink when they would run the copies off on the machine. The ink was always indigo and the smell was addicting. The sound it made, the rhythm, would put a baby to sleep. Technology. The chalk board contraption that held five pieces of chalk so lines could be made, also technology.
I am pretty certain if the state told Mrs. Nobs she had to teach a certain way, she would put her hand on her hip, look over the top of her glasses, that were secured to her nose with a dainty chain and a very stiff, overly sprayed hair style and look at the state official and say, "I have a student who literally came her from Germany, he speaks no English and I still have kids that cannot read well, students that can read great and take away subtraction to master and I don't have time to talk to you."
Mrs. Nobs knew her students. She knew who got it and who didn't. No technology and no assistants. Mrs. Nobs.
Mrs. Nobs was passionate about teaching and students learning. But, she was also understanding that all children were not passionate about learning and were more passionate about being outside. We didn't run laps at recess (and we had two of them, it was all about being outside). We played kickball and ran and played four square, whatever. When you game inside form recess, you were happy to sit down. And, yes, we went out in the snow. It was heaven playing in the snow. I don't ever remember being told it was too cold, you went out and you played. Only when it rained did we stay in. Eraser Tag.
When my mom found out that my brother also had Mrs. Nobs, she hit the "Oh No Panic" button. Mrs. Nobs didn't play. She was older. She was stern. She was old school even when I had her. She taught, she didn't play.
My brother was a wild man. He got her. He loved her. He learned. He wasn't bored. And she knew he would rather be outside digging in the dirt but she made it fun.
No technology. No state interference.
I love to see kids find their passion or discover something they really love or are intrigued. Typically, the teacher's can make that discovery and embrace it.
In Walker's fourth grade class, they discovered composting. Soil. Composting. Moms gathered veggies and coffee grounds and sent them to the classroom. It was on. It was a pain but it was on. The kids were into it so into it. And they learned about soil. It was important to them.
You cannot do this when you have a state government looking over your shoulder and then you have to write a report about it.
A few weeks ago, I was in Raleigh, on business. I was in traffic as the state officials were leaving for lunch. I am not sure who was who, or what they did or anything about them but I know this, they were all too old to be making decisions for first graders.
If you haven't been in the classroom in the last ten years, you should not get to vote about what goes on in the classroom.
Students should get to grade teachers, not parents and not elected officials. Students should get to give teachers a grade.
If you have never been taught by that teacher, you have no vote.
Walker's least favorite teacher was a fifth grade teacher with rules. And one of her rules was her "homework headings" and "you need to apply yourself." Walker still goes off about the homework headings.
But, today, five years later, he gets the headings. He understands why she made the class do headings. And he finally gets "apply yourself." In the end, she got the A.
Addie can go through every class, every teacher and tell you what she learned from that teacher. I can too. Walker can do it too, but in five words or less. And in all three cases, the hardest teachers, were at the top of the list. It isn't about who was the easiest. And in most cases, we talked about how the teacher helped us, helped us through a bad time, was proud of us and helped us work on what we needed to work on. And, we had fun doing it.
Never did we mention anything about test scores or gobblygoop. Instead we talk about bulletin boards and things we learned and experienced.
Parents complain about kids and too much technology. They walk into the school and most of the learning is with technology. You cannot get the same reaction from a power point as you can with a teacher telling you how proud she is because you have moved up a reading group. But I understand that technology is needed, for kids who cannot see or hear as well as others, I understand that technology is a great tool. I do. I also understand that it is more than likely a budgetary help. But, what about the human connection, the speaking, hearing a teacher getting excited about what they are saying? Drawing students in, getting them excited, wouldn't that work better? I don't know. I think it would but I don't know.
Have government officials who decide all of this, have they fallen into the same trap as younger students with devices?
And, when government officials pass out grades for schools, and they are just looking at test scores, aren't they missing some very important things?
Over the weekend, Walker was at a wrestling tournament. There was a moment when his two coaches were standing there talking to him and I was in the corner on the floor. I watched both of these men, both of whom are close to retirement, speak to Walker about his match. Both of these men were away from their families and wouldn't be back until late that night. And neither have kids on these team anymore. The devotion, not just to the sport but to the young men.The hours, the commitment. Seriously, how is this measured?
And maybe the inability to measure what teachers really do and really mean to a student is what burns teachers out? Adults grade the teachers. Students are not asked, only tested.
Walker and Addie had the same first grade teacher. Every year at Christmas, I smile at her. The picture below is the reason.
The teacher who let her students embrace Columbus Day, she also let embrace snowmen.
I think about Mrs. Cup and Mrs. Nobs, elderly and still teaching back in 1966. I wonder what kept them teaching, the love of children, the love of teaching or both? I wonder what they would say if they walked in the classroom today? Would they be sad? Mrs. Cup would not be able to pass out her homemade cookies that is for sure.
I think about my sweet friend who started who new job. I hope she stays as energized and insightful ten years from now as she is today. I hope she inspires others to teach. I hope she has the courage to make changes in the system.
Those who teach, I hope you know that you are appreciated and most parents and students grade you in our hearts. Not only for what you taught and what we learned, but how you made us smile long after we leave the classroom.
Kids are up, another school day. I hope they learn something today. I hope they make someone laugh. I hope someone makes them smile. I hope they thank their teachers for the gift of education.
