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My new resolution- think big, start small, act now!
Filed Under "At-risk" students, The Way I See It
Happy 2008 to all!
The other day as I was preparing the scalloped potatoes for dinner it came to me: as a teacher I’m expected to make New Year resolutions twice- once in September at the beginning of the new school year and once in January at the beginning of the new calendar year. I have to confess though, I don’t make many resolutions for either new year anymore. My resolutions now are more like New Day resolutions. I make them as I need them. Besides, my memory isn’t good enough anymore for New Year resolutions.
Still it was New Year’s Day, and out of habit I was thinking that I really should come up with some New Year resolutions, but I was in no hurry. I was just enjoying my time away from work and the bells that ring every 75 minutes. To be honest, I didn’t want to think about the New Year. I just wanted to savor the moment. But, there were other forces at work.
You know how sometimes when you hear or see something, you just can’t get it out of your head? That’s what had been happening to me this past week or so before New Year’s Day. Two sayings “Think big, start small, act now”, and “If not you then who; if not now when?” just kept rolling around in my head popping up ever so often in quiet moments. Why these two sayings persisted in active memory when who knows how many other sayings I‘ve heard were forgotten, I really don’t know. But I do know that when I combined these two saying with my passion for teaching kids who are at-risk of not achieving their potential, it made perfect sense. I was being encouraged to think big about helping kids who are disconnected from school, from home and/or from society – me, not someone else; and now, not later. Wow.
I’m not used to thinking really big- I’m a classroom teacher after all. I usually have to think in small, subversive ways. Thinking really big means expanding my vision to horizons outside of my classroom. Talking about horizons, I live in a huge metropolitan area, and often I can’t even see the horizon for all the buildings and expressways that are in the way. Come to think of it, many of my students are like that about their self-worth and their potential. They can’t see it clearly because things are in the way so they don’t believe they can be something other than they think they are – losers doomed to some kind of lesser existence.
No matter how many times I tell them that they are not losers, no matter how many times I get them to do multiple intelligence questionnaires to show them that they have all kinds of talents and strengths, unfortunately often not the ones schools value, many of my students don’t believe me. Why? I have to conclude that it’s because their daily experience leads them to think they’re losers. I’m through telling them that they‘re not losers. There’s no point in that! I’ve been telling them that for too many years now. Instead, I’m going to help them reconnect to school, to family and/or society. How, I’m going to do that? Good question!
Now let me say right off, I can’t do this by myself. I’ll need all the help I can get. I’ll need support from like minded people who know that changes at school need to be made so that these kids who are disconnected from school, from home and/or society can gain a sense of belonging, feel needed, useful and reconnected.
Wow, all that from preparing scalloped potatoes?
Seriously, I’ll be sure to keep you posted on how my resolutions are going. If anyone has any ideas that will help me achieve my goal, please don’t hesitate to share them now or at any time in the future. I’m thinking these goals may be really long term goals, but then you never know.Before I close I’d like to thank Ms. Whatsit for the amazing Teacher Potluck Carnival: Winter Break that she hosted on her site. I went to the Carnival and found absolute treasures. You’ve got to go and see for yourself. You’ll want to participate in the next one.
Also, I’d like to thank Kathy Rollheiser, Matthew Needham , Michael Cruz Tracy Rosen , and Jason Jarrett for taking the time during this busy season to share their thoughts about what was said here. I appreciate the opportunity to have a dialogue.
Just an aside here, I’ve been listening to Jason and Karen’s podcast – A Buddhist Podcast for two years now and have learned a lot about Buddhism from it. Recently, I’ve been really enjoying the podcasts he’s producing of a book called The Buddha, Geoff and Me. I’m hooked. It’s actually kind of funny. I had no idea what to expect before I started to listen to it. I can hardly wait for chapter 12. If you have a moment, take a listen. If you have two moments, check out Jason’s very thought provoking podcast Bring Soldiers Home that played on CC Chapman’s U-Turn Cafe .
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Edublog Awards
Toronto Reading Council
No, thank YOU for your blog. I enjoy your writing because it’s always practical, unpretentious, and often inspiring. Good luck with your resolutions. (And consider submitting a sentence for Day in a Sentence activity)
http://tinyurl.com/yqpu56
[...] Amen of the day Posted in caring, collaboration, community, vision by Tracy Rosen on January 8th, 2008 Now let me say right off, I can’t do this by myself. I’ll need all the help I can get. I’ll need support from like minded people who know that changes at school need to be made so that these kids who are disconnected from school, from home and/or society can gain a sense of belonging, feel needed, useful and reconnected. Elona Hartjes, think big, start small, act now [...]