Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Reach for the stars!
I'm a big believer in the idea that you can do whatever you put your mind to. You know that old optimistic cliche that they like to throw at you when you are young. At school we have this big banner that says "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right." Call me a sucker and an idealist. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I think that the reason I became a teacher and why a lot of people do become a teacher (besides summers off) is because of this sense that we can make a difference...that we can show kids that there's more to life. While NCLB has tried to turn it into this "learn your three R's, then pass a test about them," I believe that teaching is all about making life better for the future of America. It's our job to point children to the stars and help them get there. A lot of kids that I work with have these defeatist attitudes. They don't realize what lies ahead and what they can achieve if they really tried.
I work with a lot of kids who come from broken homes and dysfunctional families. A lot of them have already given up or resigned themselves to failure. It's really difficult to break the cycle without support from the family. Every once in a while you get those Super Teachers like Jaime Escalante or Joe Clark, but for the most part teachers are limited. We need support from families and support from the community. I don't mean money necessarily, which I'm sure people are tired of schools crying about how they are underfunded (but they are). Everyone should be concerned about what's going on in our schools. We're all part of the future of America.
Ok, well, I don't know where I'm going with all this and I think I've made a post similar to this before, but the point is that you should should reach for the stars. Si se puede.
I work with a lot of kids who come from broken homes and dysfunctional families. A lot of them have already given up or resigned themselves to failure. It's really difficult to break the cycle without support from the family. Every once in a while you get those Super Teachers like Jaime Escalante or Joe Clark, but for the most part teachers are limited. We need support from families and support from the community. I don't mean money necessarily, which I'm sure people are tired of schools crying about how they are underfunded (but they are). Everyone should be concerned about what's going on in our schools. We're all part of the future of America.
Ok, well, I don't know where I'm going with all this and I think I've made a post similar to this before, but the point is that you should should reach for the stars. Si se puede.
