“For these are all our children, We will all profit by, or pay for, Whatever they become.” James Baldwin
While the pressure is on to prepare students for tests, the reality is we have to prepare them for life.
This reflection from a second year teacher participating in a pilot project to implement an international studies curriculum framework inspires me every time I read it.
“In my own schooling, I was never really afforded the opportunity to do work that impacted the world beyond the classroom. I was very successful completing worksheets and studying for tests, but this did not prepare me for real-world collaboration, and it certainly didn’t instill the belief that I could affect world. (It took me almost 10 years, after leaving grad school, to land in the profession of teaching.) So I want to do two things: I want to give kids the tools and skills they need to succeed in the world, and I want them to believe—I want them to realize for themselves—that they have a voice, and that the reach of their voices isn’t limited by their age, or their background, or anything else. I want students to have the kind of full, rich, and empowering education that I never did.
Why else would you be a teacher?”
David Cohen
Thanks for your words of inspiration every day! This year I have made it my goal to handwrite a positive note to a child in each of my middle school classes each week. My favorite was a note I got back that said, “sometimes it just takes a teacher noticing me to make a difference.”
What a great idea–confirmed by a student! Adults probably need that too–maybe a good idea for school leaders to consider? Or we could do it for our colleagues.