It is that time of year again. Time for school. The years of my life are marked by the beginning of school. In the beginning I was a student anticipating a new year in a new grade with a new teacher. Later as a young adult this time marked moving into college dorms with roommates....and trying to figure out who we were and what we wanted to be or do....and who would we partner our hearts with to create a life. Finally I became a teacher...and for many many years taught first grade in a corner of an elementary. Now I roam from school to school teaching the gifted....and helping out other teachers. I am not sure I even know how to exist without this month marking the "new year" for me. It is my January 1st.
It is also a time, in Texas at least, that the newspapers release the academic ratings of the schools. I am not a big fan of such ratings....but for now they exist. In the last few years I have taught at an elementary that has carried the stigma of being "that school"....the one you didn't want your kids to go to. It is the school in the area of town that houses most of our families of poverty ....those kids. This year....those kids showed 'em! They became an exemplary campus! It was historical and emotional. I have never felt so proud and so inspired by a group of educators in my life.
On Monday the principal greeted his staff with a lump in his throat...He began by saying that he was not sure if those that were guests realized it....but we always begin every faculty meeting with a prayer. He said we have always prayed for the same thing.....help us to always do what is right for the kids. He added....we also promised that when we achieved our success we would remember to give God the glory....so we began with a prayer....perhaps not politically correct....but perfect. He spoke of the high expectations.....and the motto...."no excuses". A chair was placed up at the front with a plaque in it and he shared the story of how in an effort to motivate the kids before TAKS he lined up chairs across the stage.....with all the plaques that the school had achieved in the last 10-15 years. Lots of empty chairs......he told the kids that most folks didn't believe that the chairs could be filled. He said he saw their little eyes flicker.... it made them mad! From then on students would walk by him in the hall and say...."Dr. K....we are gonna fill that chair!" The empty chair became a symbol for them....he hadn't known it would...but it did. SO.....Monday morning when the kids walk in.....they will see THE chair.....filled!
He went around the community, to their homes... to the boys and girls club....with a camera.....taking candid shots of the kids playing in their yards....sitting on their old front porches....playing in the streets...all of the shots reminded us of their environment....and their poverty. It reminded us that these faces were why we do what we do........it was all about flesh and blood......regardless of where they are from.....who their parents are.....so inspiring!
Teaching gets wearisome...and we joke about longing for summer each year. But the truth is our profession is such an amazing opportunity to touch and shape lives. It is a magnificent honor and a tremendous responsibility. We can never underestimate the power we have to alter a life with a hug, a touch or a smile.....a word of encouragement or instruction. I am ready for a new year.....I am anxious to begin once again.....to see new faces and be a stepping stone for future generations.
