Perry/Griggsville Teacher’s Institute
April 2011
Absolutely nothing in this speech that fits the state goals and plans….Perhaps every child will be left behind.
It’s April….It’s too late to get any smarter this year. You don’t need advice on testing. You don’t need any more instruction on special needs children since by current standards, all children are now special needs children. Instead: special needs teachers…us.
What did I need every April? I needed an attitude adjustment. I taught for 20 years across the hall from a teacher who I couldn’t stand. I won’t tell you why, because that would just be my side of the story…wouldn’t be fair. I was wondering if principals were like Methodist preachers…we just weren’t getting the pick of the litter. Attitude adjustment… My bird feeder….squirrel…squirrel feeder. Today…not about kids…just about you…about me…about our attitude toward our school, our job, ourselves.
1870….two fastest boats on Mississippi…Rbt E Lee and Nachetz.. Bad attitudes.. captains hated each other.. (story)…the good news: the only thing the world remembers about that race is the song….Robert E. Lee (something good came out of it)
Take it from a semi-retired teacher…10 years from now, the only thing you’ll remember about this school year is the song you sing. The joys…. I can’t tell you how many times a student of twenty years ago will thank me…not for something specific I taught them, but for how they felt when they came into my class. Brian…clowns. Two days ago…Arenzville convenience store…Darren.
At a Pike Teachers Institute I shared this story...our teacher’s institute…. A mental health institute.
Facebook has it’s critics, but oh the joy of seeing what those troubled students become. In short, every correction…every discipline problem…every step you took to correct them, becomes justified in their minds. Bob Slavens.
What seems a huge problem at the time so often turns out to be one of our greatest joys…. A song I used to hate…. Mom would play it every Sunday morning in my bedroom… pump organ… now it’s probably my favorite because it reminds me of her: Just a Closer Walk. When you leave teaching, you will miss many of the very things you dread now.
It’s simple…assign a number, 1-10 in your head. ---What are the chances of you changing the attitude of that one student that drives you crazy? ---What are the chances of you changing that one faculty member that rubs you the wrong way? ---Well, that leaves only you. Three states…Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin… all had the same problem at one time or another… compromised… Lichtenstein Polka.
So much of teaching is simply learning how to overcome…overcome parents who don’t care, overcome communities who don’t know your test scores but they know the score of the Pittsfield ballgame… Overcoming.. Les Brown…Doris Day…Sentimental Journey.
So…how do you get the determination to keep it up in this occupation? Where do you get your inner strength? You find it…you look for it. I could go around this room and simply ask you for your stories…stories of your success…. You all have them. Every day you have a choice of reminding yourself of your problems or your successes. Some days we make the wrong choice.
Cherokee Indians…..Amazing Grace…
A song about Griggsville’s newest business. … Carpe Carp.
This Little Light… But do more than perk up your attitude…spread it around.. be an encourager. Helen Dickens… Soldiers Home, Quincy..nearly blind. Sue Scott…potato lady