I’ve never thought of my life as a journey to affect others. I suppose that my life as a journey of purpose to some specific goal was never exactly on my radar. Rather, I’ve always felt like I’ve been on a journey to discover myself. At a young age and even as a 45-year-old, I’ve been searching.
Life has never been about finding my purpose, and yet I feel like it reveals itself to me weekly.
54
That is the number of teachers that I have worked with this school year as they complete their clinical practice teaching and apply for their teaching license.
This month, I will have ended another three classes of clinical candidates. These are wonderful humans who have decided that teaching children is their passion. It is a mix of those new to the career and those who have credentials that far outweigh mine.
Throughout the past fourteen weeks, I have been blessed with the chance to connect with them, learn from them, and (hopefully) guide them to be teachers who radically change the lives of those around them.
I never pretend to be an expert. I am honest and transparent with all of the candidates I teach. I have my experiences that make me knowledgeable to give advice, and they have their experiences that allow me to learn from them and grow in my own way. I don’t pretend to be an expert art teacher, P.E. teacher, or high school math teacher, and yet I’m afforded the opportunity to guide these candidates as they impact others.
The three cohorts I am just finishing with have expertise from pre-K to high school government. They work with students who are just in the beginning stages of learning English and students who are fluent in multiple languages. These teachers are teaching global issues through art education, conflict resolution through physical education, and architecture through fourth grade math.
They are phenomenal.
Most of them are juggling a full time teaching position, a full graduate work load, and a family and personal life that is sharing their time with the professional responsibilities that come with a program like this.
I am PRIVILEGED to spend an hour a week with these humans who change lives daily.
When I left Arizona and decided to leave the classroom for “a year”, one of my parents told me that they hoped I would return to the classroom soon. They said something to the effect of me having a gift that needs to be shared. (I will never forget that heartfelt comment, Marie.)
I hope that in choosing this different educational path, I have not disappointed. I hope that I have affected many by my choice to influence those who hold the future in their hands.
I will never forget the life changing moment in my career that led me to the desire to work with teachers.
It was relatively early in my career. I was teaching third graders in a community that already battled teacher transience in the classroom. When my principal approached me about an academic coach position at the school that they were trying to fill, he said (relatively verbatim as best as my memory serves), “You can remain in this classroom and affect these 30 students, or you can leave this classroom and affect 800 students.”
That perspective rocked my world.
At that moment, I chose the 800. I left my third graders mid-year (which ripped my heart out), and I took the position as academic coach to support other teachers. To this day, I don’t doubt that decision.
Did I impact 800 students that year? Most likely not. Did I make an impact on enough teachers and students to make a difference? I pray that I did.
That position gave me the confidence and the perspective that allows me to confidently log into a virtual platform each week and guide teachers from Beijing to Seoul to Washington state and everywhere in between as long as technology reaches.
After spending fourteen weeks with these teachers, it is honestly hard to let them go. It doesn’t matter that they are adults. It doesn’t matter that I’ve never even spoke to them in person. They have played a part in my growth, and shifted my perspective in countless ways.
While the summer doesn’t bring a break for me from classes, it is a break from supervising candidates as they complete their clinical practice teaching. I will use this time to reflect on my own teaching practice, develop better class slides, create more engaging activities, and consider the ways I can be an even better instructor for my future candidates.
I will take a bit of time to follow my own advice to them as I rest and reflect on another year. I will be thankful for all 54 candidates and the rich experience they afforded me. I will pray that I was able to positively influence their teaching practice, and that they, in turn, influence countless student lives.
Ripples.
We will make ripples together. And then? We will drink coffee. Lots of coffee.
Be grateful (for teachers), water your own grass,
…and drink coffee.