Teaching = Humility Builder

I think that for several years I have misinterpreted the look that I’ve received when I told people that I wanted to be a teacher. I always thought that the look was condescending and that the giver of the look was implying that I must lack the intellectual capacity to do anything else with my life. Now that I’m in my second year of teaching, I understand the look to be more along the lines of, “You must have an infinite amount of patience and energy, because I know that I don’t have what it takes to do what you do.”

That may sound conceited or arrogant, but I don’t mean for it to. What I’ve discovered is that teaching is an incredible humility builder, and if you can’t take being knocked down several times a day (at least 3 times, and I don’t literally mean being knocked down), it’s a hard career.

It could be that I’m too hard on myself. It may very well be that my lessons are better than I think they are, or that my students could be retaining more information than they express to me. At any rate, I spend a great amount of my day in reflection as to how to make things better- and when I say make things better, I mean make me better.

It’s humbling because there are always areas that can be improved. Even on days where the lessons go well, the students are even more well-behaved than they would be normally, I’m finding areas where I can be more dynamic and more effective to create a better learning environment.

I guess the best way to sum it up is like this: “There’s always room for improvement. It’s the biggest room in the house.”

Thursday Thoughts

“A quality education has the power to transform societies in a single generation, provide children with the protection they need from the hazards of poverty, labor exploitation and disease, and given them the knowledge, skills, and confidence to reach their full potential.”
~Audrey Hepburn

Back to School!

I made it through the first day!

Isn’t that what we all think about our first day anywhere?  Be it a new job or a new school, I think we all breathe a sigh of relief at the end of the first day.  I think we all go into these situations with anxiety, as we’re curious about what to expect.  How will we fit into the environment?  How will the other people in this new environment be?  What will my role be?  Will it meet my expectations?

After my first day at new teacher orientation for my new school, I feel great.  However, I feel great in an apprehensive kind of way.  I’m in an environment where the stakes are high, accountability and responsibility are not just buzz words, and there’s a thread of commonality amongst team members about why we each are there.

Although we didn’t put in a full day of work, we did work hard…and I’m tired!  I think part of what makes returning to work exhausting is the mental aspect, where you really are directing your thoughts and focusing on activities after not having to do so (or not having to do so as much) for a while.  Nevertheless, I feel a good exhaustion; one that results from time well spent being a part of something that matters beyond yourself and your personal interests.

That said, I’ve got some things to do to prepare for tomorrow…and one of those things includes being well rested!  I’m really hoping that I stay awake for the finale of the Bachelorette  (I’m embarassed that I even mentioned that show on my blog, for the record).

Until next time…

UPDATE: Charges Against Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Dropped!

Thanks to one of the comments on my earlier post today, I checked MSNBC.com to find out that the charges against Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. were dropped.

Excerpt from the article on MSNBC.com:

“Prosecutors on Tuesday agreed to drop a disorderly conduct charge against Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. after the noted African-American scholar accused police of racism when he was arrested at his home following a report of a break-in there.

In a statement, the city and police department of Cambridge, Mass., said they had “recommended to the Middlesex County District Attorney that the criminal charge against Professor Gates not proceed.”

“This incident should not be viewed as one that demeans the character and reputation of Professor Gates or the character of the Cambridge Police Department. All parties agree that this is a just resolution to an unfortunate set of circumstances,” the statement continued.”

Well, there we have it.  I’m glad that the charges have been dropped and this situation resolved; however, I do hope that we continue to view this as a sign that racism and racial profiling still exist.  We cannot continue to ignore the persistent role that racism plays in our society; whether blatant or covert.

Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Arrested

Harvard professor, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the pre-eminent African American studies scholar, was arrested after attempting to get into his locked home.

Here’s a snippet of an article posted on MSNBC.com:

“Police responding to a call about “two black males” breaking into a home near Harvard University ended up arresting the man who lives there — Henry Louis Gates Jr., the pre-eminent African-American studies scholar.

Gates had forced his way through the front door because it was jammed, his lawyer said. Colleagues call the arrest last Thursday afternoon a clear case of racial profiling.

Cambridge police say they responded to the well-maintained two-story home after a woman reported seeing “two black males with backpacks on the porch,” with one “wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry.”…

He was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge after police said he “exhibited loud and tumultuous behavior.” He was released later that day on his own recognizance. An arraignment was scheduled for Aug. 26. Police refused to comment on the arrest Monday.

Gates, 58, also refused to speak publicly Monday, referring calls to his attorney, fellow Harvard scholar Charles Ogletree…

Ogletree said Gates had returned from a trip to China on Thursday with a driver, when he found his front door jammed. He went through the back door into the home — which he leases from Harvard — shut off an alarm and worked with the driver to get the door open. The driver left, and Gates was on the phone with the property’s management company when police first arrived.”

Hmmm…I must say that it will be interesting to see how this turns out, and how Harvard University and Cambridge respond to this incident.  I can most definitely understand Gates’ perspective in this situation, and what bothers me most is that there is the automatic assumption by the caller that these two black men must be breaking into a house.  At no point does it ever cross the caller’s mind that this person might live there, that their door might be jammed.

Would there have been the same action taken if the only thing different about the scenario was that it was two white men seen at the house?  While I’d like to say yes, my experience has taught me that the answer would be no.  But I guess we’ll never know.

The bottom line is that when it comes to race in America, we still have a ways to go.

Thursday Thoughts

“We are now at a point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday, and prepare our schools for what no one knows yet.”
~Margaret Mead

Yes, We Need HBCUs

I suppose that it’s a bit strange for me, a proud alumni of both the University of North Carolina and the University of Georgia, to write about the necessity of historically black colleges and universities.  But in these struggling times, it seems that historically black colleges and universities are facing extremely difficult times.  I recently posted about how the recession was affecting schools such as Morehouse College and Spelman College.  But, it’s bigger than that.

The major question that seems to be floating around is somewhere along the lines of, “Is there a need for a historically black college and university?”  People use all sorts of reasons to justify, citing the recent election of Senator Barack Obama to the office of President of the United States.  Or people will argue that racism isn’t “that bad” and having separate schools will only perpetuate the problem.  Regardless of the reason, historically black colleges and universities are important beacons of higher learning that are still needed today.

There was a time when African Americans could only dream of attending the universities that I attended.  Unless we were planning to work in the kitchen, on the grounds, in housekeeping, or some other servile position, African Americans were not welcomed.  HBCUs were established to provide African American students with the higher learning that they desired, as well was instill a cultural pride and tradition.  Students were encouraged to take what they learned at Howard, Hampton, Fisk, North Carolina A&T, or North Carolina Central (just to name a few) and go serve their communities.

Students who attended these universities will tell you of how the experience changed their life.  And while I will be quick to say that I loved every bit of the time I spent at UNC and UGA, there’s a different spirit that envelops the campus of an HBCU- from the administration, to the professors, to the homecoming celebrations, to the family lineage of attendees.  Its a spirit that celebrates being African American, and all that it means, in its various forms.

Historically black colleges and universities gave African American students an opportunity to achieve when there was no other avenue available.  And that is still so today.  Many HBCUs still hold on to their access mission; hoping to bring in as many of the best and the brightest that they can.  And while there are a number of African American students who are now able to choose between Johns Hopkins and Johnson C. Smith, we’re still finding that some will choose the Johnson C. Smith because there’s something special there that makes it a better fit.

Two articles, one in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the other from MSNBC.com detail how the financial recession is affecting HBCUs.  It’s not the first time these institutions have faced hard times.  It’s not the first time that they have been critiqued.  I believe that the schools will be able to overcome this situation, by cutting back (as several schools are doing), and hopefully with increased donations among students, faculty, and alumni.  It’s imperative for it to happen.  And honestly, I can’t see the landscape of higher education being the same without historically black colleges and universities.

4.5 minutes from the Southern Part of Heaven

I know you love your alma mater.  But I’m sure your alma mater doesn’t hold a candle to mine.  Here’s one of the many reasons that UNC-Chapel Hill is such a special place:

It’s nothing like the streakers that we had…but you got love change.  A rave in the UL during finals…that’s definitely change that I can believe in.  Hark the sound!

Finding the Simple Victories

So, I figured that the better way to look at what I do and the challenges that I face is to find the simple victories every day.  Yesterday’s simple victory was that I finally got keys to my classrooms (yes, that was classroomS…I teach in 3 different classrooms, and do advisory in another).  Today’s simple victory was actually AGAINST the students…in that I wrote up four students for discipline.

In the giant scheme of things, I don’t consider this to be a victory at all.  Consistent discipline problems affect classroom performance for the student who is misbehaving, as well as the other students in class.  No one likes to be distracted.  However, it’s a constant struggle to remind them that we’re not peers, and one way that is done is by not tolerating behavior that is disrespectful and distracting to others.  ‘Nough said.

Perhaps the biggest simple victory would be that I’ve recently been reminded as to how AWESOME God is.  On Friday, I transitioned into the grown folks club as I celebrated my 25th birthday.  People who know me, know how much I LOVE birthdays, and this one was truly special.  As I reflect on life, I’m so grateful for the ways that God has blessed me, because I know that I am SO undeserving.  Being able to see 25, in the midst of living my dreams, with a wonderful family and a host of friends is so awesome.  Seriously, if God never did ANYTHING else, He has already done MORE THAN enough.  Yet and still, I know that the best is yet to come.

I must confess that things with the job had been getting me down; however, I’m hanging in there.  There’s a purpose and a plan for me to be here, and I will see it through.

Let me tell you something…

I’ve had to begin more than my share of sentences this week with the title of this post.  Why?  Well, think about when you were in the 6th or 8th grade.  Do you remember how much you thought you knew?  Probably not.  But ask your family- if they are honest and love you enough to tell you the truth, they will probably tell you that you NOT ONLY thought you knew EVERYTHING, but you probably had an attitude to go along with it.  I don’t know what it is about middle school that makes them feel that they have the right to tell you EVERYTHING they want you to know, and furthermore, to do so in a way that is completely rude and disrespectful.  But since, they do it, I have to counter with the “let me tell you something.”

Deep down, I believe that 8th grade is such a good age.  What’s interesting about it is that by hanging with 8th graders, I have recognized that most of us never mature beyond the 8th grade way of handling things.  And what exactly is that?  Let me see if I can explain it.

As far as I’ve observed (from working with 8th graders now and prior to this, once being an 8th grader, and being the older sibling to 3 who have just recently gotten through 8th grade), it goes like this.  Essentially, there’s a constant state of emotional vomit.  People are expressing how they feel about EVERYTHING whether it’s appropriate to or not.  Even if one learns how to contain it, it’s only a matter of time before they get to a place where everything spews out.  Other people in the person’s life are responsible for either cleaning up the emotional vomit, or receiving it.  In some cases, they (other people) are what pushes the person over the edge to the point where they are emotionally sick enough to spew every thought that they’ve ever had in life out.  And we see how contagious it is- after one person has released their emotional vomit, others feel the need to do so as well.

Healthy adults have learned (and hopefully healthy adolescents will learn) what makes them emotionally sick, and how they should handle it so that they are not puking EVERYWHERE all the time.  But there are some of us who haven’t learned, and thus we still handle problems as if we were 8th graders, although we are adults with adult problems.  And in case you didn’t know–that doesn’t really work.

As I said before, deep down, I really believe that 8th grade is a good age.  It’s also a defining point, and I think it’s very important for students to gain their confidence and be sure of themselves before they go to high school and are at the bottom of the proverbial social totem pole.  I love 8th graders because in most cases, they know enough to have an intelligent conversation, but aren’t offended if you correct them or disagree with them.  I love their excitement about relationships with others, when it is in a controlled manner.  And like most of us, I love that watching how their world is changed by a hug, or encouraging words such as, “I’m proud of you” or “You did very well today” or “Hang in there”.  We all need those things, but I feel that particularly you see how much it VISIBLY makes a difference in what’s going on with them.

The moral of this story?  I’m not sure if there is one.  But I’ll say this- I’ve learned more about LIFE through teaching 8th graders than in many other situations.  And if you don’t believe that 8th graders can teach you something, I know quite a few that you can come hang out with.

Until next time…