In appreciation of my colleagues…..The power of the human spirit is a formidable force to behold.
In recent years, I’ve watched colleagues throw themselves on the fire for their beliefs about what their students need. When they pointed to the undeniable fact that schools with affluent populations consistently show higher test scores, they were dismissed for making excuses for lack of rigor. When they pointed to evidence of learning beyond what can be measured on standardized tests, they were accused of not holding themselves, and their students, accountable for high expectations. When they argued that teachers do care, do put in long hours, do demonstrate skill and artistry, they were reproached for protecting teachers. When they insisted that even financially strapped parents do value education as a part of wanting good lives for their children, that they may not know what to do or we may be interpreting their behavior through our own cultural lens, they were just plain not believed.
While I’ve watched other colleagues rise through the ranks when they’ve learned how to keep their divergent opinions to themselves, enough of the time, I’ve also seen our voices and actions, at times or over time, make a difference. I’ve heard many stories from teachers, administrators, students, whole schools and communities of ways they found to thrive and achieve the goals in their hearts. Even though some of the results of their actions may appear small and unstable, the results are significant for the students in their schools in that moment. We cannot afford to be discouraged.
In each story I’ve heard, educators started by thinking differently about at least one element of how they work and what they are trying to achieve. They looked with an open mind at the individuals and community before them and asked, “What does this community want? What do they care about? What do they need?”
Then, they asked: “What resources exist in this community to address these wants and needs and cares? How are resources accessed? What is in the way?”
Each time obstacles and problems were identified, they asked more questions, which led to another step. And another. They were persistent, like dripping water on stone.
They looked within and beyond usual assumptions and boundaries – beyond the confines of the classroom, school building and personnel – in order to identify a range of supports for the whole person to learn and grow. They explored the role of families, community partners and other professionals in the quality of children’s lives and in building momentum for the changes that needed to occur.
Those who push harder at the edges of the accepted canons of our disciplines and explore the boundaries of what we believe we can accomplish, hold the thread of education for life not just a test and lead the way for the rest of us. So far, we are still here, still questioning, griping, teaching, writing, and studying.
When the work you do is to benefit children, it is hard to give up.
“The essence of… human bravery is refusing to give up on anyone or anything”
Chogyam Trungpa 1978
Photo: McPherson, Peggy. picnicwithcarlcousins883018.jpg. September 2009. Pics4Learning. 17 Apr 2015 <http://pics.tech4learning.com>