Schools = Hope

Families today are not the same as they were in the past.  Today many families are living in poverty often with parents working multiple jobs.  After a recent conversation with a parent in this situation it was evident that she was placing her hope in the school to provide her son with the knowledge, resources, and skills to be successful.  Families have changed, but I still believe that parents want what is best for their children and often hope that their children will have a better life than the one they have.  Many parents drop their kids off at school each day with the hope that they will be taught the skills that will lead to a better life in the future.  In a sense, the local school is the hope of the community.  For kids in this situation education is the number one factor (apart for a relationship with God) that could impact their future.  As an educator this is heavy!  There are a few things that teachers can do to insure that the school is that hope for kids:

BRING IT – Teachers must do their best; not most of the time but all of the time.  Our lessons have to be relevant and meaningful.  Kids have to see the meaning and the point to what they are being taught.  49ers coach Jim Harbough in a locker room speech once said, “We must attack the day with an intensity unknown to mankind.”  In the same way we must be willing to attack our lesson planning and teaching with an intensity unknown to the school setting.  Continuous improvement needs to be the way of doing business in the classroom.  Our teaching tomorrow has to be better than it is today.  The lives of children are depending on it.

UNLEASH THE LIMITS – To often limits are placed on students.  I say it is time to get rid of them.  If a bar is set high or low the students will most likely hit it.  So, why not set high expectations for students?  The worse that could happen is they fall short.  Developing a growth mindset with students will show them that learning is a process and that even if they miss the bar they still made growth and improvement.  When working with high expectations the key word is going to be “yet.”  If when students fail to meet a bar and react by saying, “I haven’t met the goal yet” they are on the path to success.

INVEST IN INDIVIDUALS – Each child needs someone in their corner routing for them.  As a teacher I push myself to not only know the kids as students but also as people.  I strive to know enough about the kids that I could have a deep and rich conversation with them about something other than school.    People desire to feel known and understood and kids are no different. 

GRIT – Kids are going to mess up and do things that frustrate us.  It is important that we not give up on them.  I am always having to forgive my students for: lack of effort, misbehaving, being immature, etc.  It wouldn’t be fair to hold grudges against the kids.  I am not saying that there shouldn’t be consequences for behavior but instead that we shouldn’t condemn them for their current actions (Wow, if teachers would have held a grudge against me for the things I did in school it wouldn’t have been pretty).  Students are going to test and push our limits.  It is at these times that we have to dig deep and find the grit to keep moving forward.

Teaching is a high calling.  Parents are often trusting us to provide students with the skills and abilities to have a successful future.  Often times these parents are unable to provide these skills to their own children.  Instead, they place their children in the care of teachers at school.  So, why do teachers need to BRING IT, UNLEASH THE LIMITS, INVEST IN INDIVIDUALS, and have GRIT?  Because to many children and families we are the hope of future!