I have also personally witnessed the irreverent behaviors of teachers just as you have stated. I see it as perhaps they are not happy in many walks of life and feel they have earned some sort of entitlement. As for me, I share your sentiment in the fact that I refer to everyone as fellow colleagues. The sum of the parts makes up the whole, and I honestly believe that we all need each other in some capacity. This reminds me of an experience I had several years ago when I was looking for a few classical pieces to play on the piano for a wedding ceremony. I was speaking to a colleague of mine who was a custodian at the college where I teach, and I arbitrarily mentioned my dilemma regarding the music. I had known him for many years and always enjoyed the short conversations we would have from time to time. It was on this search for classical pieces that I discovered he had earned a Ph.D in classical music performance many years ago and he was able to provide me with the sheet music and audio of several appropriate pieces. It turns out that he had retired long ago and really didn’t need to work, but he found enjoyment in being able to stay active working with his hands and interacting with other employees during the day while he continued to perform occasionally on weekends. Sounded strange to me then as it probably does now, but who was I to judge? I wonder if I had treated him with any less respect than I did if the result of his actions in helping me would have been the same. Probably not!
And, thank you for your dedication to education. It is always inspiring to hear of other educators taking on the philosophy of helping students with their “hopes, dreams, and achievements.” I make every attempt to do the same. I try to always introduce something that makes my students go – Hmmm! One of my favorites is when I share with them the eye tricks of 3D stereograms. I share these fun elements as a way to encourage students to look far beyond what they initially see and think of, and learn to develop something I refer to as infinite vision.
Chapter 5. Leading from Any Chair: We’re all leaders. How can we make a difference in the people will influence each day? How do we listen to those who help us make our dreams become reality?
I have only been an educator for a handful of years and when I started I didn’t clue into to the social pecking order. Some teachers outright abused support staff and aides and didn’t treat them as valuable team players. Just like chapter 5 illustrates, anyone can lead and have an influence.
At my school, I refer to everyone as fellow educator, from the lunch lady to the principal. Each of us influences students each and every day and has an impact. We all (hopefully) help students with their hopes, dreams, and achievements.
Chapter 6. Rule Number 6: Don’t take yourself so seriously. Life is a journey–enjoy and learn along the way. Live, laugh, and love!!
There is an old Yiddish proverb, מענטש טראַכט, גאָט לאַכט and since most of you don’t speak Yiddish, myself included, it translates into: “Man plans, God laughs.”
Control is an illusion.
Each and every one of us has limited control over our life and we should treat it as a serendipitous journey then learn to “be present” and “be loving.” So many try to will things in life, everything from relationships to having children to job promotions. Seemingly unattainable goals make us unhappy in life and ruin the gifts that are present all around us.
Chapter 7. The Way Things Are: Sometimes settling for the way things are is a lowering of expectations, sometimes it’s finding a starting point so that one can make things better. Where are you in this continuum?
Often times when we are presented with overly complex stimuli, we shutdown and accept things as they are. Acceptance can be a good thing since it reduces stress and anxiety in our lives. However, there are some situations in life where complexities need to get sorted out. The only way to change these situations is by taking baby steps.
If you had to clean up 10 square miles of garbage, would you try to do it all in one day? Certainly not, you would set smaller goals and maybe work on 100 square yards per day. This is a baby step. An attainable goal, and this is how I tend to work to make things better.
Chapter 8. Giving Way to Passion: Control says that the only way to avoid disappointment and frustration is to not care at all. No hits, no runs, but most importantly, no errors. What are you doing in your daily life that expresses your passion or the things you are passionate about?
What does it mean to care? Is caring an outward act? Is it an emotion? Is it both? In my daily life I express my passion by showing that I care through outward acts. Spending time with a person, or idea, or project and focusing on it to help change it for the better are how I show that I care.
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