Gray – Do I have a choice?

This is not my official blog for this week, but just a thought based on today’s class. I'm going to rant for a minute. I’m thinking about this idea of living in gray. I think as teachers we don’t really get the “luxury” of being black or white about anything. While we can establish our beliefs and write down our principles, at the end of the day my administrator, my school, my school board, my community, the state and federal government, even the parents of my students all have a say in how I do my job and what I am “allowed to teach.” I don’t get to be patriotic, I don’t get to be religious, I don’t get a “soap box.” I can believe that mathematical understanding is a slow and deep process, yet some parents will complain that their child hasn’t memorized the multiplication facts or that their child already “knows” multiplication.  Or I can believe that service learning and passage portfolios are essential to a well-rounded education and metacognition, but some parents want class time, homework and report cards. I have seen the gray. I love the gray. I love seeing my students grapple with the gray - question their own thinking and wonder about other possibilities. We learn from gray. But sometimes, just sometimes I wish I could scream, “THIS IS THE WAY IT IS BECAUSE I SAID SO!!”  Ya know? : )