Week 2 Reflection – What matters?

What matters? That is such an easy question to answer right? The kids matter, they are our future. Right? Ok, we agree. Kids matter, no argument there. Where this “simple” question gets a little complicated is when we throw public education in the mix. I bet if we surveyed 100 teachers and 100 parents, asking them what matters in public education, we would get answers all over the board. Skills, critical thinking, values, knowledge, test proficiency, grades, love of reading, understanding of math, college readiness, differentiation, equality, supplies, money and on and on and on. So how are we as educators supposed to take all that and fit it into 170ish hours of instruction a year? Is this what really matters?

What matters? This makes me think of my vision for education. That all students can achieve. That is what matters. That is what I work 60+ hours a week trying to do. That is what keeps me up at night. That is why I am a teacher. Every student can achieve. Please keep in mind that I did not say every student will achieve, but every student can. I tell my students all the time, no matter their age, “There is only one person that can give you an education… yourself.” You can lead humans to knowledge but ya can’t make them think.” That’s what matters. My job is to lead them, give them the tools they need, the time they need and environment they need to achieve. This is not a warm fuzzy vision that sits out in the land of abstract. This is a rigorous process, one that often goes through a trail of tears and frustration before reaching self-discovery. Giving kids a chance, that is what matters.

What matters? I would love to say that it doesn’t matter what the “outside world” thinks about teachers and public schools. It doesn't matter what politicians do or say. All that matters is my four walls and my 25 students. But it just isn’t so. It does matter. Community matters. Relationships matter. Our voice matters. There are 2 sides to the coin of teaching, our role in our classroom and our role in our profession. I used to think that being a teacher was a profession of solitude. That it would just be me and my kids and the work we did would be for us. That we could quietly go about our business. I now know that you have to be a “lion” to be a teacher. You have to stand up for your students, for your school, for your community and also for yourself (although fighting for ourselves usually comes last on our priority list). Being heard matters. Involving our communities matter. Letting the world know what we do matters.

What matters? What matters is we are here. We are here to do our very best. We are here to stand up to judgment, to make sense and consensus of what everyone else thinks matters, to help our children learn to write their name, get along with others, solve a problem they didn’t think they could solve, to defend an argument, to have a voice, to make a difference. That is what matters.