I have always loved school. Like love loved. The appearance of school supplies each July fills my little chubby heart with infinite glee. Even as an elementary student, I was fascinated by composition notebooks, freshly-sharpened pencils, and three-prong folders (but let's be honest - those prongs were a total joke, and don't ask me to take out a sheet from the front of that folder unless you'd like me to take said sheet and give you a big ole paper cut on the face). It was no wonder that I chose education as a career. When I run into former teachers with whom I haven't kept in touch, the most common response is "I'm not surprised" when they learn of my career choice. I was and still am fascinated by learning, academia, and the brain. But oh, there's so much more than that. There's the way that struggling student lights up with glee when he finally gets it. There's the sound of appreciation in a parent's voice when you call to brag on her daughter. There's the hugs (ok, not really those because math boy doesn't like that), the laughs at the end of a crazy hard lesson when a student makes an off the cuff remark, the sincere thankfulness that a student whispers on the way out because he knows you really do believe in him. These are the things that keep me afloat when I want to throw in the towel, especially near spring break and exam time.
I love reading books about teachers in the trenches. Some of you may remember Tony Danza's foray into teaching a few years ago for a short-lived A&E series about what it really takes to be a teacher. Danza chronicled his adventures in I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had; I'll spare you the subtitle, but it's just as long. Danza does what many "from the field" books fail to do, in that he was completely and utterly honest about how overwhelmed he was every day of the year. Granted, he taught only one class of students for the duration of the year, so I kind of chuckled when I thought about what he would really feel like if he had, oh I don't know 200 students in one school year. Tony (I couldn't help but read it in his voice and expect to read "Moh-nah" at some point!) shares his triumphs: successful projects, the first time he connects with a student in particular; his stumbles: the fights that broke out in his classroom, the time the principal walked in on an unplanned movie; and his struggles: balancing all it takes to teach plus having a family, feeling pulled in every possible direction. With his trademark honesty, Danza paints a beautiful picture of the struggle every public school teacher faces day in and day out while also expressing his sincere appreciation for what we do.
If you are a teacher, you will be reminded why you are in the profession when you read this. If you aren't a teacher, maybe you will be inspired to thank one. We get a lot of bad press these days - testing cover-ups, summer breaks, snow days, promiscuous relationships with students - but please remember that there are a lot of good teachers out there who aren't any of those things. My profession is full of hard-working men and women who get to work early, leave late, wear countless hats for their students, and are truly passionate about their job - not the cash. So why do I teach? Because someone believed in me many years ago and showed me I could change a few lives. I may not be able to change the whole world, but if I can change the way one young person thinks about himself or about math, then it is all worth it.
3.5 (of 4) dusty book jackets.
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