Week 5/13 – 5/17
Many of my articles revolve around teachers and students, and I fear that I am redundant at times. But then I have to remember that I am writing about school experiences that include teachers and students; among whom there is never a dull moment. One thing I am sure about when it comes to being redundant is that teachers feel as though they constantly repeat themselves, and the students often feel the same way. Most times, teachers have to repeat themselves because the young children of tomorrow do not listen to us. Many of us teachers do mean well when we try to explain to the young people that what they do now will affect them in the future. If I could go back in time, there are so many things that I would do differently. However, as a Christian, I believe that God has ordered my steps, and in Christ there is no such thing as coincidences or untimely decisions; rather there are appointments. That belief fuels my philosophy that while we have choices in our lives, the choices we make are the ones we’re destined to make. It is like the situation that came up in the Matrix Reloaded.
At the climactic moment of the movie, the lead character, Neo, reached the Architect – creator of the matrix – and he had a decision to make: either save Zion (the last remaining city of humans) or save Trinity, the love of his life (I apologize for the Matrix reference for those of you that never saw any of the movies). The Architect said to Neo that he had a choice to make but that they both knew what decision it would be – to save Trinity. The insinuation was that Zion would be lost because of Neo’s “selfish” decision to risk the lives of many for the life of one, rather than do the inverse. Neo’s choice ultimately did not cost Zion: he eventually saved Zion, but it cost him his life. In the same way, our students make decisions, that may be selfish, that don’t necessarily prevent them from the opportunity to accomplish something, but it may cost them more. Had Neo saved Zion initially, he may have lost Trinity, but he would have been able to enjoy a liberated Zion. Instead, although he saved Zion, both he and Trinity died in the process.
Moment of the Week
One of the good things that my school district provides students is SAT prep for our high school sophomores and juniors. Our district pays the Princeton Review to come to our school to teach the SAT prep classes and administer 5 diagnostic test so that student can track progress and mark their improvement; of course all of this is so they can do well on SAT. Many of the students work hard and take these diagnostic tests seriously and some do not. I was doing lunch duty this week and one of my students showed me her scores and she was upset that some of her scores went down. I tried to encourage her and she responded in a positive way by being negative regarding a few of her classmates, if that makes sense. She told me that a number of students had low scores: 200 level scores in various sections of the SAT. I didn’t believe it until I saw it for myself.
I was absolutely disappointed in those students. A number of those very students are in my U.S. History class in the mornings, so on Thursday, I decided that I would address the class on the issue and I did so; you could hear a pin drop as I was talking. I essentially told them that if any of them had an “I don’t care attitude,” they really ought to discard that way of thinking. I asked them to look at their parents and families; specifically their mistakes, and their frustration and displeasure towards them for how they (the students) pay for the mistakes of their parents and families in the struggles they face from day to day… I told them that if they didn’t start caring soon, they would be in serious danger of repeating the cycles of poverty and devastation in their lives moving forward and in the lives of their future children. I hope the message wasn’t a redundant one.
Lesson of the Week
I am guilty of having that very attitude at times; the “I don’t care” mindset where I’ll just do what I think is best and deal with the consequences later. I had that attitude in high school until something went off in my brain and I decided it was time to get serious. I suppose that has to happen for all individuals. Yet when you grow up in a messed up situation, your environment can depress you into giving up and no longer caring because it is thought that no one cares for you. The same can be said true for growing up in even the best of circumstances. You can know that folks care about you, but it feels as though they care more about who you become rather than who you really are. Not caring may feel good at the moment but it could be very detrimental. Whether you are a student or a teacher, having that attitude does nothing for your progression. If no one else believes in you or motivates you, you must believe in and motivate yourself. Your survival depends on it. That is not a redundant message, it is a necessary one.
