Discipuli Saepe Rogant...

     Every year, students will eagerly ask me who's my favorite student and which class is my favorite class period. This is a delicate question. When I first began teaching, I remembered how teachers answered such questions when I was a student. Not one ever gave a definitive answer, but they all had their various diplomatic responses. And we had our hypotheses on which students were the "favorites" regardless of our teachers' careful answers. However, my 8th grade US history teacher's response really stuck with me.

     "Of course I have a few favorites," she answered.

      To which one of my classmates responded in an accusatory tone, "But teachers can't have favorites!"

     Her reply was the most honest answer I had ever heard, but also indisputably fair, and it made me see how human, relatable, and even fallible my teachers were. Her reply was a challenge.

    "You have favorite teachers, don't you? Ones that you connect well with and whose company you really enjoy? Why do you think teachers are any different? We're people, too. Does that mean that you treat the teachers who aren't your favorite with less respect? It shouldn't. You can have favorite teachers and still be fair and courteous with all of them." She never told us who her favorites were, of course.

     I've used a similar version of her response each time I've been asked. I make sure to add that while I have favorites, I like many different students for many different reasons, and that all too often, each one brings something unique into my classroom that gives it a little bit more flair. Because even if a student isn't a favorite, they're still valued.

    I'm often amused by students' hypotheses on who my favorites are. They tend to think that because a certain student is particularly well behaved or especially gifted at Latin, I must prefer him or her. While I am naturally appreciative of students who are quick learners, mannerly, and studious, these alone are not the defining attributes I have for my favorites. I like the ones for whom I know I make a difference, and who, without even meaning to, make me reconsider my own preconceived notions as well.
   
     The student with whom I had the strongest relationship ever was a good Latin student, but not one of my best. I wrote him more referrals than any of the other students that year--combined! He would push me to the limit of my patience (I'm a middle school teacher so the high patience thing is already present!). But the defining attribute was easy to identify: I knew that I was really making a difference with him, not just in terms of academics, but on a deeper, more life-altering level. Conversely, he challenged the way that I perceive people and ultimately the world. You can label a child (or any person really) as "bad" or you can dare to evaluate a student's perception of reality to such an extent that you are able to approach them directly through their specific lens. And when you have that break through, you're expressing the bottom line of creating an ideal educational environment: I care.


   

Prima Sententia

   I've had it in mind to begin a blog about my experiences as a teacher for a while now. Looks like I'm finally getting around to actualizing that notion!

   The theme of each blog post will be a reflection of my experiences on a given day. For example, I may be inclined to post an amusing anecdote or quote from a student one day, but find myself experiencing revelations or struggles that are a bit more heavy-handed on another day. Ergo the tone of the blog is a matter of my particular experiences or musings in a given moment. I also intend to be very honest about my experiences, thoughts, and opinions with regard to my classroom, education as a profession, the national dialog surrounding education, etc., but courtesy and tact will factor into that honesty as well, of course. Names of students and colleagues will be altered. That just seems like the safest and most reasonable course of action. 

   To provide a bit of context, allow me to mention that I am a 7th grade Latin teacher at a private school in Florida. Yes. Latin. Latin,the dead language of the Romans. Consider yourself informed.
    
     My educational doctrine can be boiled down to a single word: care. When teachers, administrators, parents, students, and the general educational culture all care about the success and personal achievement of the student as an individual (i.e. as a whole person, not just as a vessel for receiving and interpreting information), everyone sitting at the proverbial table is approaching the situation with the best intentions at heart, and that's where it starts. Students thrive when they feel that they have an advocate, and this allows them to become advocates for themselves. How we demonstrate that we care is in the details.