Schools

Dear Thad and Dave,

Today marks one week since I've arrived in India, and three days of teaching in an Indian classroom. During this time I've had a chance to talk to nine different US teachers who represent the gamut of US education from BIA schools to upscale urbanrivate schools. We all share a passion for excellence in teaching, but I'm discovering that that passion takes many forms, from the science teacher who strives to work with her schools English department to the English teacher who brings global education directly into his curriculum.
What I'm beginning to realize is that another component to our teaching are colleagues and administrators who give us the space and support to be excellent teachers. Instead of pushing agends our administrators allow us the opportunity to take risks, and recognize our professionalism and commitment to excellence. There is no perfect school anywhere in the US or in any other country I've visited. Each school faces its own difficulties from budget shortfalls to curriculum expectations, there numerous areas to gripe about or feel frustrated about when it comes to our schools, but what we should focus on are the areas where we can make a difference.
I continue to hear about women in Calcutta who have taken on huge tasks like educating street children or running orphanages in red light districts. These women start their day knowing the odds are against them, that they have few resources to work with and that they will never complete their task. Yet they get up and do their job anyway, and with a passion and grace that is legendary.
I will spend the rest of this month teaching in a classroom without air conditioning and with only a chalkboard. My classes will range from twenty to forty students, yet I know that I will have a positive impact, that I will make a lasting contribution. How do I know this? Because I demand it from myself and not my surroundings.
I will return to Simms in the fall a stronger teacher because I have pushed myself to improvise, to succeed. Teaching happens because teachers and administrators make it happen. Not parents or state legislators or even the federal government. We can bemoan budget cuts and bewail lack of support, but what we most need to succeed comes from the basics, our skills as teachers. Give me a piece of chalk and I believe I can change the world.