• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

October 23, 2013 Featured

The Veterans of Education Matter

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Whitney Kaulbach

I teach High school and middle school students World History, AP World History, Reading Instruction, and Literacy Specialist.
  • Emergency Preparedness Distance Learning - October 18, 2016
  • Educational Renaissance: Veteran Teachers Vest in Change - October 10, 2016
  • Breaking out of the Norm with Breakout Edu - April 29, 2016
  • Mini Thought Bubble on Performance Assessments - April 12, 2016
  • The Sensibilities of Mind Mapping - March 15, 2016
  • Pioneering Nearpod - January 28, 2016
  • Classroom Work Flow Before the Holidays - December 15, 2015
  • Surviving the Doldrums of Education - December 1, 2015
  • E-Sub Plans for Educators - November 17, 2015
  • Presenting Missing Histories - November 2, 2015

greatteachersLast night I was flipping through old photo albums, reminiscing about my first years in teaching which seem so sunny and bright. I know that I have gained efficiency, patience and organization since I first began.  Yet forced changes in education have me questioning my confidence and expertise. Change insinuates that everything I have been doing was somehow wrong. Or it means that the vision I have promoted is suddenly coming to fruition.  I often regard warily those who institute change because they are likely to move on in their careers without looking back. It makes sense to turn some attention to the veterans of education who still arrive to work with smiles, take on new challenges and converse without cynicism.

These veterans of education have also been coaches who  took me under wing when I was still a high school student. I adored them as individuals could not tell you where coaching began and where the teaching ended. They devoted endless time to us. Later, under their tutelage I began my career with them, drinking coffee late through nights, designing lessons and fun activities. I learned how to fund athletes without a budget and to praise students brave enough to ask questions. Our mantra was, "triumph is just try with a little umph."  Many of my mentors, coaches and fellow educators are closing the gap on 30 years of education. I honor their integrity by collecting stories and accomplishments through interviews.

This first interview starts with Fred Griffin. I met him when I was racing for Rossignol Nordic and coaching a high school girls team in Stowe, Vermont. I had no experience except for my own fond memories for what my high school coach had inspired in me. Vermont has long winters and great skiing but the pool of Nordic athletes attending collegiate or national level competition was incredibly small. Private ski schools tended to dominate and the expense of skiing kept many athletes away from the sport. Fred helped launch a New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA) to provide a social network for all skiers young and old. Through NENSA I received coaching instruction from Olympians and other prestigious athletes. I learned how to navigate the rules and regulations of national competition. I brought public school skiers into racing and developed a championship level ski team. Throughout the experience, Fred provide guidance with a focus on the importance for the love of learning. Recently, I took up coaching cross-country running and was invited to a costumed race at the neighboring school. Of course Fred was the mastermind behind this event. More than 700 runners had showed up in elaborate costumes that they wore over the terrain of a 3 kilometer relay course. I realized that it was time to understand the story of  this man who long ago inspired me to devote my life to working with kids.

Fred Griffin began teaching in 1973-74 but  explored careers as diverse as farming, writing, grocery store management, and building contracting. He returned to teaching after pursuing a Masters at Dartmouth.  Currently Fred is completing his tenth year as an English teacher in Fairfax, Vermont after experiences teaching drama and special education. Coaching was always part of his repertoire. He began ski coaching in 1988, assisted in running and started a girls' tennis team. In 1994, Fred started NENSA and became the executive director a year later. His wife's ministry gave them opportunities to move throughout New England before settling in Fairfax.  Fred turned a ski club into a ski team and added girls' ultimate as a spring sport.

 What is it that you do that inspires students to want to engage?

It starts with the teacher. Individuals will come in passionate about a class, but they are few and far between. When a teacher loves what he/she is doing, loves the material, loves the kids, it is infectious. Exuberance is contagious.

In other words, what do you believe is your gift that you bring to teaching?

I make the classroom fun. Kids say my class flies by. They say they never know what to expect, not in terms of material under study, but the way it is presented, or the theater I bring tp the classroom. Yesterday we began class by playing eggplant baseball. One fearless child held it by its stem and I exploded it all over the floor, walls, etc. Then we settled down to work. Unorthodox, yes, but fun. Learning can be, should be fun. Creativity has to be part of the curriculum and part of the class room protocols

 What change in education/ coaching really helped make a difference for the greatest number of students?

Hmmm... I know I like block scheduling because I see the kids longer, have a 80 minute block of time to be able to read/write/discuss every single block . My years in voc ed taught me that unless applied, virtually daily, learning has little traction. We have lab of some sort daily

 What method of teaching has consistently helped more students succeed?

Removing the "front" of the room; ending lecture, empowering kids, allowing them to collaborate; digital tools aid in this. Every child in Fairfax has an iPad. Research papers are no longer text researched, but video, photos, music..anything relevant to the topic in addition to words must be drawn in to create a multi-disciplinary presentation instead of mere text. The ability to do this transforms education

 If you could have more of anything what would that be?

Hours in a day

 Can you describe an outstanding moment in the history of your career?

Whenever I have made something that didn't exist before I was there. NENSA, two running teams in two different schools, One tennis program, one ski program, a drama program, a 4K set of woods trails, an Ultimate program. I gave them life. They are my children.

 What does it take to help every student succeed?

Someone to believe in them so they can believe in themselves. Every kid has a story. Let them tell it to you.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

Coaching the Coaches: the Benefits of Instructional Coaches Default ThumbnailFulfilling The Interdisciplinary Dream Default ThumbnailInspirational Educators: Jeff Charbonneau, 2013 National Teacher of the Year Default ThumbnailSupplemental Education and the New SAT: Part 2
« Trick or Treat! Tolerance in Public Schools
Say No to Columbus Day And Yes to Indigenous Peoples' Day »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • My Union Showed Up for Me, and I'll Never Forget It
  • Your Students Deserve a Diverse Classroom Library. Here's How to Set It Up.
  • You Don't Have to Watch the Tyre Nichols Video, But Be Ready to Talk About It
  • "Let's Make This Happen": Following Student Interests to Interest-Based Mentorships

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.