Skip to main content

The Tides of Change

Following is an idealistic picture of teacher development over years of teaching, as told using the metaphor of an ocean journey.

Were the school year an ocean, and each day a wave, then the end of the year has in the past produced swells that can carry one away. As one embarks from shore on the first day of school, that one looks out onto the blue, glass-like waters and sees calm days ahead: students are focused, paperwork is in order, and expectations are high. Such one places confident grip at the helm of the classroom and peers into a hopeful future.

Still, the waters grow rough rather quickly. A lack of experience fosters growing surges in the waters as uncertainty about curriculum leads to equal uncertainty about the value of what is being taught. Clouds descend onto a bright-lit day to dim one's sunny outlook. Then, by years' end, confidence returns at having navigated the classes through the waves onto the opposing shore. The sun returns, but the intensity of the waves increase as well. Unfamiliar with the need to remain steadfast at the helm, and incapable of doing so at not having created a lasting set of classroom procedures, the discipline created begins to break down as students see land. Mutiny is not a danger, but the waves increase to produce moments of seasickness in crew and captain alike. Without land so evident, one might feel adrift.

Over time, having crossed this ocean many times, the seas remain relatively calm from shore to shore. There are days when waves still breach the deck; and days when one still questions the reading on one's curricular, disciplinary, and procedural compass. Still, such days are far fewer. The last leg of the journey, especially, is much more serene than in the past, as each member of the crew remains steadfast in the job assigned, and loyal to his or her station. Gone are the blue-faced moments of hurt feelings when discipline is assigned to a member of the crew, because crew and captain alike are--as much as possible--held to the same standard. Moments of introspection find one seeing flaws in one's role in the passage, but considering that all have gained and strengthened their sea legs proves that the journey was not in vain.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Savior

This wasteland cold and dark runs free Its fearful creatures speak to me One fateful day one nudged my hand To set my eyes upon a tree He knew I could not understand For I was in his native land His signs became our common speech To lead me through the deadly sand Now stuck I saw him me beseech He could not lift me out to reach The firm foundation of a cave Outside the boundaries of this beach Withal, the beast became more brave To risk his own my life to save To carry me, its life it gave To carry me, its life it gave. This poem was inspired by Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." That poem, like this one, has four four-line stanzas of eight syllables per stanza. Its rhyme scheme is AABA BBCB CCDC DDDD.
Post a Comment
Read more

Evil, According to Republicans and Democrats

Please note that the following thoughts are only my observations. Please consider the evidence you see in the behavior of both parties for yourself. In our politically polarized climate, I was thinking about how Democrats and Republicans are different, and where those differences come from. Democrats seem to place more hope in institutions, and seek to reform those institutions when there is something wrong in society. Hence, there is more willingness to levy taxes to offer more social services as a support to those with less than others. They see the state as a way to equalize society. Thus, evil, to Democrats, seems to be a social issue: if there is a problem in society--poverty, racism, climate change, etc.--it is a problem with the structure of society and must be addressed as such: repair the system, and you will solve the problem. They are generally accepting of a larger state bureaucracy because they believe that increased accountability within a state structure will prevent evi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ghosts

Exercising at a gym seems to be pretty important in our culture, but it's kind of weird to see the social dynamics when you're there. Usually, if you're running an errand, you see others doing the same thing, going about their days and focusing on what's in front of them. The same thing happens at the gym, only everyone is relatively stationary. They don't really go anywhere, except from one machine or area to another. One might think this lends itself to lots of interaction between members, especially since they're all there for the same purpose, but it isn't true. Not only do people generally avoid talking to one another, but they also avoid even looking at one another. It is as though there is no one else there, even though there are dozens on any given day. Most people follow this unwritten rule, unless something in the environment-- say, two people wanting to use the same set of weights-- gives them common ground to interact, or unless they've alr...
2 comments
Read more