Teachers see wonders

 Teachers see wonders

At our CCSU Literacy Center our teachers work with parents and children who don't always fit those so-called normal learning curves.
On my first day with our teacher, I usually start with the story about the birth of our daughter.
I was in the delivery room with my wife and Betty her mother. My role was to be a positive coach for my wife, and to cut the umbilical cord.
I was like a deer in the headlights when Dr. Rashid said cut the cord Jesse. I started and stopped halfway. I was worried that this might hurt her. Dr. Rashid said cut silly man, cut it doesn't hurt her.
Then they wrap her in a colorful blanket, put a little pink hat on her, and handed her to me. I put her on Carolyn's chest, we cried a little, smiled the biggest smile, and said does she have all her fingers and toes. Dr. Rashid said Carolyn you have a perfect little girl. We already had her name picked out, and Carolyn welcome to the world Erin.
At that moment that perfect little girl won our hearts. We never wondered what grades she would get, what university she would go to, or what kind of dance she might study. Would she play sports like her father? none of those things crossed our minds. All we really knew was she became our wonder, our blessing, our lottery.
I tell my teachers repeat that feeling of wonder 8 billion times. These children who come to us are not test scores, they are the wonders of their parents. We celebrate their wonders here in our Literacy Center.

Let us teachers begin with seeing their wonder, and the rest will be easy,
Dr. Jesse P. Turner

If you like to listen to the tune that motivated my morning walk this morning its "Wonder" by Natalie Merchant > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zpYFAzhAZY <

 

Not All Superheros Wear Capes

We learn by example; I was a hungry, homeless child once sitting in the train station with my Momma one cold night. She did not earn enough to buy us a room for the night, but she brought us two burgers and French fries from the diner. 

Sitting on the bench next to us was another homeless person. It was clear he was old, hungry, tired, and cold. Momma asked if he would like a burger and fries? I could not believe it; I wanted to shout Momma, let him buy his own burger. She gave him half of our meal; I was angry and young and did not understand how she could give away our food. 

Later on that night, on the bench, she read Matthew: 

"For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, 

I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, 

I was a stranger, and you invited me in, 

I needed clothes and you clothed me, 

I was sick and you looked after me, 

I was in prison and you came to visit me."

"Then the righteous will answer him, 

Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 

When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 

When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?"

Jesus replied, "Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." 

Some superheroes are:

"Faster than a speeding bullet! 

More powerful than a locomotive! 

Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!"

It took a while for me to understand Momma,

Some lead by example,

Teaching lessons that matter,

Momma is my greatest real superhero.

If you like to listen to the tune that inspired my morning walk today, it is the cover of "Let It Be" from Across the Universe. > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gPjGuC6CFQ <

Truth to power: About This Teacher Shortage: Our Policymakers and Reformers Have No Clue

 

Many policymakers and education reformers have little experience teaching. Those policymakers who have experience tend to make their way out of the classroom as quickly as possible. Sometimes I think it is because they never enjoyed teaching. 

They often desire to reduce teaching to some standardization formula. Often the very type of reforms dehumanize teaching and believe teachers are like mechanical parts on some assembly line. In the end, they do more to hurt the recruitment and retention of teachers than almost anything else. 

Dr. Elliot Eisner, Professor Emeritus of Education and Art at Stanford University, who brought a history of teaching in Chicago public school before he passed, describes six teacher satisfaction for teachers. I always love this one:

"Despite the beliefs of some well-intended technocrats, there are no recipes for performance, no teacher-proof scripts to follow. Teaching well requires improvisation within constraints. Constraints there will always be, but in the end, teaching is a custom job within which the teacher becomes an inseparable part of what is taught." 

If you like to read about his six teacher satisfactions? Dr. Larry Cuban's blog is well worth the visit. https://larrycuban.wordpress.com

Truth to Power: These policymakers and education reformers without genuine classroom experience have no clue how to recruit and retain our nation's public school teachers. 

We cannot standardize the desire to teach,

Dr. Turner 

CCSU Literacy Center Director 

Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes gave us a clue decades ago. Just in case you like to listen to this tune that inspired my morning walk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOxoeGL3tTo 

"Wake up all the teachers time to teach a new way

Maybe then they'll listen to whatcha have to say
Cause they're the ones who's coming up and the world is in their hands
When you teach the children teach em the very best you can

The world won't get no better if we just let it be
The world won't get no better we gotta change it yeah, just you and me" 

Teachers, we can do this!