As you might expect, I’ve been very interested in what she has to say about her experiences. Education has been my passion for 20+ years so having my daughter in the field is exciting to me. I also know she’s got a talent for it from watching her teach karate to large groups of children since she was about fifteen. Her dad and her brother would add here that she’s the best teacher in the family, especially when working with their less “focused” students. Let’s just say that we saw her potential and talent long before she did, back when she was focused on becoming an attorney.

So she’s been sharing her experiences, everything from how nervous she gets around the principal (”he could potentially hire me if I show him what I can do!”) to how much she adores and respects her cooperating teacher to her positive observations by her SUNY Fredonia professor. I’m glad to hear about her thoughts and her planned projects and her hopes for the future.

But you know what makes me the most proud? When she talks about her kids.When she makes them more than a name in a grade book, a statistic on a NYS assessment report or a count for state aid. When she’s spitting mad because one little boy NEVER has lunch money and his mother won’t fill out the free and reduced lunch form and ‘how is it fair that he has to grow up like this?!’ And when she’s passionate about all that “her” kids can do and the communities project she’s planning and ‘would I come and watch them for the rehearsal day because they really need an audience?’

When I hear my kid advocate for those second graders and plan for them and dream with them, I know she’s got the heart of a teacher. And when she wonders how she can make it better and ‘why can’t I give one little boy 25 cents for ice cream because his mother never will’–that’s when I know she’ll do her very best every day for each of those kids. And I tell her what I know so well to be true from my own experiences, “you’ll have those kids who get a raw deal each and every year. All you can do is love them more.”

In my experience there are lots of kids who will be successful despite us, it’s those who need us to love them because they’re not sure anyone else does who have motivated me in this life long career. If I can show a child that  she matters to me, that I see him, that I expect the best of her because I know it’s in her–well, if you ask me that’s the most valuable thing I can do in the entire course of my lifetime.

I am so thankful that my daughter begins that same work now, for every kid she encounters who needs her. Nothing could possibly make me happier. Who needs an attorney in the family when I’ve got a daughter setting out to change the world, one kid at a time? Go get ‘em kid.

Investing in our collective knowledge as educators, talking about what’s working and asking for suggestions with what’s not–we’re so much better together than apart. And  I’m delighted that 30 of our 82 teachers signed on for this learning opportunity. That’s a great response right out of the gate. It’s not the way teachers have typically done business with one another. There’s a risk in sticking your neck out and saying “hey, I did this and it was wonderful” and an even bigger risk in saying, “this lesson totally bombed, how could I have made it better?” and I’m loving that 30 RCS teachers are on board. Thank you Randolph faculty, I can’t wait to see what you learn together and from each other.

P.S. –thanks to our dynamic curriculum coordinator, Tiffany Giannicchi, for helping to put it all together and working with our Teacher Leaders to make it happen. Thanks in advance to our Teacher Leaders for your willingness to learn and share–you inspire me to keep implementing new ways of learning here.