During a grade level faculty meeting last week, my principal shared some of the upcoming (and current) challenges that we face in the education profession. Our class sizes are large (my science classes have 29-32 students), yet we are expected to meet the individual needs of each child. In Georgia, teachers will soon be paid for performance with our performance based on an extensive process including classroom evaluations, student achievement, and student perception of our abilities. We start in earnest GA’s Race to the Top initiatives in the fall as well as begin implementing the Common Core Standards in math and language arts. But of course, budgets are tight; resources seem to be decreasing while what is expected of us – and the size of our classes – increases.
So Mr. E. inspired us by showing this clip of JFK’s famous speech.
(I was super excited to watch this – my Space Tweep geekiness evidenced by the fact I could quote some of the most famous lines.)
We discussed some of the things that could have distracted the U.S. from reaching the goal of landing on the moon. However, everyone working on the space program was focused on that singular goal – to land man on the moon and safely return him to Earth.
So we must be the same. We must all focus together on our singular goal: teaching children. We cannot let all of the stuff and change and paperwork get in the way. And just like going to the moon, we choose to do this not because it is easy but because it is hard.
I became a teacher because I feel passionate about teaching, learning, and inspiring students about science. I also knew it would be a challenge, and that is exactly what I want and need. This was a great wake up for me. If I crave challenge, I shouldn’t be upset when that is what I find!
So I choose to go to the moon. Do you?
(By the way, when will we choose to go back to the moon?)
Thank you for sharing this. I think I neede to be reminded of that fact that sometimes we choose to do something because it is hard and to remain focused on the goal–to teach children. It goes along perfectly with the book I just finished reading, Lorraine Monroe’s Nothing’s Impossible: Leadership Lessons from Inside and Outside the Classroom.