Welcome Speech for ICCSD, August 15, 2011
“Standing on the shoulders of giants.” I remember first hearing these words 15 years ago, when I began teaching at Weber Elementary, and I just couldn’t figure out what this saying meant. I couldn’t tell if the giants were a good thing, or a bad thing, and whether standing on them was something I was supposed to do or not! The other night I did a little research on the origin of this saying, and I found out that it has been used by many people, including John of Salisbury, a 12th century theologian and author. In a treatise he wrote in 1159, Salisbury said: “We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants. We see more, and things that are more distant, than they did, not because our sight is superior or because we are taller than they, but because they raise us up, and by their great stature add to ours.”
So fast forward 15 years, as I stand in front of so many dedicated, inspiring, talented, driven, passionate administrators, educators, and staff members, the meaning has become crystal clear. So many of you supported me when it was hard, guided me when I wanted to learn, accepted me when I gave it a try, and forgave me when I messed up. You raised me up so I could see more, and I have had the most amazing experiences and have learned so many invaluable lessons from you. I was asked to share these lessons with new teachers last Friday, and I hope these ideas will resonate with you as well.
Since our district is continuing to focus on differentiation this year, I couldn’t help but think about what to do with you new teachers who heard these ideas just the other day. So, new teachers, I’m going to give you a special extension task: whenever I say something funny, please elbow the people on your right and left if they’re not laughing. So here are The Top Ten Most Important Lessons I Have Learned. An alternate title might be: It’s A Long Way Up Here, Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants, So If You Want To Just Listen To What I Have to Say, I Can Save You The Trip.
Number 10: Piet Hein (Pete Heyn) said, “The road to wisdom? Well, it’s plain and simple to express: Err and err and err again but less and less and less.” So when the first day of school comes around, if you haven’t had any sleep because you were hired just four days ago, and if after the FIRST hour of school, a student wets his pants because you forgot to tell him where the bathroom is, and if after TWO hours of school, you can’t believe it’s only BEEN two hours, and if after THREE hours, you’re wondering when the helicopter moms are going to leave…and YOU’RE saying “When’s lunch?” more often than your students are, and if in the afternoon, you find yourself wondering if it’s too early in the school year for a movie or a study hall, and if at the end of the day, you accidentally send one of your brand new ELL students home on the wrong bus, and then you go cry in the bathroom because you can’t believe you have to do it all over again tomorrow, and you haven’t even had any time to get any PLANS ready for tomorrow, and then you wonder why school can’t be three months ON and nine months off because it’s a lot easier to err less and less and less when you’re sitting on your couch, with your favorite mug of coffee, reading a really good book…but then you do come back the next day, and the next, and the next, and some things get easier, and some things get harder, and you realize that these are just the twists and turns on the “road to wisdom.”
Number 9: Walter Lippmann said, “When everyone thinks alike, no one thinks very much.” Make an effort this year to get to know your custodians, secretaries, para-educators, lunch ladies, etc. Lots of people pass this along as advice to new teachers, but when I say “get to know them,” I want to challenge you to TRULY get to know them…as people…because they deserve your respect as much as the teacher who teaches next door to you or the administrators who hired you. Don’t just get to know them so that you can get the newest desk or extra office supplies, as the traditional advice seems to suggest. I hope you will get to know them because they are people with families, and outside interests, and a lot of knowledge about students, parents, teachers, administrators, and the community. Remember, they see the school from a very different, yet very valuable, perspective. Recognize and acknowledge the gifts that they bring to your school every day.
Number 8: Here is my next quote: “The thing I remember best about successful people I’ve met all through the years is their obvious delight in what they’re doing and it seems to have very little to do with worldly success. They just love what they’re doing, and they love it in front of others.”—Mister Fred Rogers You MUST have laughter in the workplace. This has always been one of Chris Gibson’s favorite sayings, from when she was a teacher at Weber and even now as our FABULOUS Weber Dolphin principal. We laugh…a lot…and our students and parents see it and are a part of it too. Whether it’s because a teammate who is dressed up in a feathery pink boa, huge glasses, and a rainbow wig runs through your room right in the middle of a lesson just because she has some free time…or because while you’re being observed by your principal one of your first grade math students walks in in a full out cat costume complete with ears and tail and it’s nowhere NEAR Halloween…you MUST have laughter in the workplace. Physical benefits of laughter: boosts immunity, lowers stress hormones, and relaxes your muscles. Mental health benefits: eases anxiety and fear, relieves stress, improves mood, and ENHANCES RESILIENCE. Social Benefits: strengthens relationships, enhances teamwork, helps defuse conflict, and promotes group bonding. I can’t think of a better way to share your “delight in what you are doing,” and to enhance the effectiveness of your school, than through laughter.
Number 7: This lesson was passed on to me from my sister Jayne, who is an elementary school counselor. She said: “Always erase the chalk board with up and down strokes so your butt doesn’t shake.” Now you might have seen Saturday’s Press Citizen, where my sister’s quote was one of the first things mentioned in the article about the New Teacher Luncheon. As soon as I saw it, I called her and I was like: Jayne, you’re famous! You’re advice made the paper. And she was like: So was my name in there with it? And I was like: Um…no…but mine was. And she was like: Well, why didn’t you tell them MY name? And I was like: Well, Rob Daniels didn’t ask me what YOUR name was! So since I have you all here, my sister’s name is Jayne Ellen Rouse, and her cell number is….
Number 6: Aristotle said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” Go to your professional development classes, meetings, and workshops with the mindset of being an active, respectful participant, and have the goal of taking away at least one new piece of learning each time. As we all know, there are all kinds of professional development…sometimes it inspires you to try new things, engages you as a learner, and has really good snacks…and sometimes…well…it doesn’t. But even if it’s not as exciting as Oprah’s Favorite Things, remember that someone put in extra hours and is giving you his/her best, so give that person your best right back, and take the initiative to learn new things, make connections, and set a good example for your colleagues.
Number 5: “ Great minds discuss ideas, mediocre minds discuss events, small minds discuss personalities.” Eleanor Roosevelt Try not to gossip about your colleagues. Ok, I could go along and act like I’m really good at this “not gossiping” thing, but I actually was just gossiping out in the hallway before we started. I struggle with this one because sometimes I just feel like I need to vent. But, I can tell in my gut when it’s crossed the line from venting to gossiping…I get that little stomach ache. So vent to someone you trust when you need to, and then detach from the negative feelings and move on…aka…get back to work. You will be a better teacher, colleague, and person for it.
Number 4: (SOCKruddies) Socrates said, “Wisdom begins with wonder.” Read good, highly recommended professional literature. The more you read, the more knowledge you will gain, and the more your students will learn. Have the courage to try some new things in your classrooms and let new learning motivate you to think differently about your students, parents, and colleagues. Keep your interest in learning alive, so that you can keep close to what you expect your students to do every day. If someone suggests an excellent book, article, or website, take a look at it. Make it a priority to read and learn with your colleagues. A strong district and school will build that into its professional development, and a strong teacher will read whether the professional development calendar tells her to or not.
Number 3: Mother Theresa said “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” So get involved…in your team, school, district, and community. Volunteer for a committee, help with your school’s professional development, sign up to help with the school carnival, go to a sporting event, join the union, go to school board meetings, become part of a district initiative, stop at a student’s lemonade stand, or drive through the music auxiliary car wash. You will learn about students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community leaders, sometimes more than you ever wanted to know, but you will also get to see how the pieces of this puzzle fit together. You are more than just one teacher teaching your students in your classroom, so make the effort to see how your drop in the ocean ripples out to affect the greater community.
Number 2: Carol Ann Tomlinson said, “Excellence in education is when we do everything that we can to make sure they become everything that they can.” Push yourself to differentiate your instruction so that you can push your students to the highest possible level of achievement. Figure out WHAT your students know, understand what they NEED to know, and PLAN OUT how you’re going to get there. Will this be the same for every student? No. As many of you know, Carol Ann Tomlinson has done wonderful work with differentiated instruction, Carol Dweck is a great resource if you’re interested in fostering a “growth mindset” in your students, and a book I’m currently reading, NurtureShock, by Bronson and Merryman, challenges much of our “common sense thinking” about children. All of these authors, and many others, are crying out for educators to realize how important it is to teach children differently. It’s not easy, but it’s essential.
Number 1: Gabriela Mistral said, “Many things can wait. Children cannot. Today their bones are being formed, their blood is being made, their senses are being developed. To them we cannot say ‘tomorrow.’ Their name is today.” Look your students in the eyes every day, when they walk into your room, and when they leave, and listen to the chatter of your students before the teaching starts. That careful observation will tell you who is having a birthday, who lost a tooth on the bus, and who missed breakfast. You’ll know who is dating, who is breaking up, who made the team, and who got cut. You can learn so much from your students when they don’t know you’re listening, and you can use that to your advantage. You can use that to build relationships and to get students to “buy in” to what you want to teach them. If they know you care about their lives, they just might care about yours.
Finally, in closing, I want to tell you about two students who have changed me as a teacher and as a person. First, there’s Sophia. Picture long, curly, unruly, red hair, all smiles and freckles and happiness and butterflies and rainbows. And sitting next to her, there is a student who is fighting every demon imaginable…a student with severe anxiety, learning issues, anger issues, and every other issue you can think of. Sophia was the only one that could reach him on a regular basis. His anxiety would start to build, and using a soft, calm “teacher” voice, she would talk him right down. Sophia could get him to do things I wouldn’t even dare try. And the amazing thing was that she knew what she was doing…she knew how her little drop of water affected the whole ocean.
Equally inspiring is my other young friend and his struggles with Tourette’s, which was finally officially diagnosed half way through the year. He was a very bright child in terms of his illness, very aware of what he was up against, and many times he would verbalize his concerns, needs, and struggles to his parents. Thank goodness for a very open, caring relationship between his parents and those of us working closely with him; it was truly necessary for us to work as a team to best serve their son. I watched videos about children’s struggles with Tourette’s that brought me to tears, learned about the anguish and pain his parents were going through, which kept me up at night, and watched as my classroom became the most loving, compassionate, safe learning and living environment right before my very eyes. Helen Keller said, “The highest result of education is tolerance.”
So those are the lessons that inspire me and challenge me. They push me to create a classroom of compassion, hope, joy, laughter, learning, and friendship that will ripple out into the bigger school, community, and world, one drop at a time. I hope, in this new school year, that you will get to experience those moments in teaching that take your breath away. I hope that you will recognize those students who are there to make you become a better teacher, and I hope you will even meet a few students who are there to make you become a better person. Dr. Ernest Boyer said, “You can’t have an island of excellence in a sea of indifference.” Whether you are the giants, or you are standing on their shoulders, now more than ever, we need to raise each other up to make sure our drops in the ocean make a difference. Thank you.
