Sometimes what we think we're teaching our students is not what they remember learning in our classroom ... and that's not always a bad thing.When Sheba called my office this spring I was quite certain I was dreaming. After all, it's been 8 years since I was her English teacher and we haven't talked in about 4. But she tracked me down via the internet and wanted to fill me in on her life story - she's in graduate school for veterinary medicine at one of the best schools in the country.
In my class she was supposed to learn how to write a research paper, read the "best" American authors, and get her grammar straight. But what Sheba recalled learning in my class was how to have confidence in expressing herself.
That's not the stuff that researchers look for when analyzing best practices in raising student achievement, but obviously Sheba learned how to meet those measures as well along her academic path.
What I wish for you as you progress through this school year, is that you recognize and celebrate the moments where you are teaching things beyond the curriculum and standards. For example: I remember a class discussion that veered totally off course and became a class period of students opening up to one another about the social pressures of young men and women. That wasn't in the textbook, but it sure did change the way those students thought about one another.
It's easy to think a day that doesn't follow our lesson plan is a day gone sour. But there is a lot to be learned in between the guided practice, independent practice, assessment, etc. that we try to get through each class period. A successful class period should not be measured solely by how well students do on the test at the end of the chapter. Ultimately it will be measured by something we may never be lucky enough to see or hear about - how well our students do in life.
Or, phrased far more eloquently:
To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; This is to have succeeded.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
