Who Do You Know?

A very quick story before I take someone to the airport. The other day I had an HVAC technician in the house fixing the fan motor on my air conditioner. Anyone who knows me knows that I cannot stand the heat and would most likely turn feral in the summer without air conditioning. As he was running my credit card, the technician asked what I did for a living. No doubt he was wondering why I sitting at home in jeans and an old t-shirt at 2:30pm on a Wednesday. I told him I taught fifth grade and that my summer vacation had just started. He said, “Oh, that’s awesome!” Then I waited because I knew what was coming next. “My mom teaches kindergarten.”

There it is.

Any time someone is impressed by what I do, they inevitably reveal that someone they know is also a teacher. Almost always someone that they love and respect. I have heard legends of a time when teachers could say “you know, this job doesn’t pay a lot, but at least I get the respect of the community.” Now everyone thinks that they can do my job. I often tell people that teaching elementary is the hardest job everyone thinks they can do.

So, complaining is over. How do we fix it? How do we remind people that ours is a job that makes all other jobs possible? How do we show people how much work our job entails? I honestly don’t know right now. But I am going to be thinking about it.

Why “Empty Beds”?

I teach in Indiana. One of the many, many standardized tests that students here have to take is called IREAD3. In theory, you pass this test or repeat the third grade. More on the foolishness of retention in third grade is coming later. In the county where I teach, and possibly throughout the state, the Department of Corrections is very interested in the number of students who fail this test every year. They use it to predict how many prison beds they will need in ten years. So, if you are even just slightly below the standard of reading skill in third grade for any reason, they start making a prison bed for you. The way I see it, my job is to make sure those beds are never occupied. That’s my passion. That’s why I get up at the ungodly hour I do every day, that’s why I put up with all the judgement from people who don’t know what I do, and that’s why I love working with the “bad kids.” That’s why “Empty Beds.”

Something New

What are you going to do today?

Right now, my mother is in London and to stay in touch with her grandson I got her on Voxer. She has free texting, but four year olds are notoriously poor spellers. She sent my son a message today and asked him what he plans to do today and his reply changed my plans for the day. He told her, “I don’t know, something new.” I decided that I would do the same thing, something new. Namely, I’m starting this blog. Not going to lie to you, I was not going to do this earlier today. I’ve always had a blog on my to do list titled “someday.” I guess today is that day. Here’s what you are going to get reading my blog:

Stories about my journey into educational leadership
Reflections on education in the 21st Century
Jokes (some of them funny)
My opinions on education in America

A promise.

I make you one promise. It is the same promise that I make to my students every single year. I will always tell you the truth, I never lie to children (or adults). I may not answer your questions, you may not like what I say, but I will always tell you the truth.

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