One Little Word for 17–18
On the eve of the start of my 20th year as an educator, all in the Chandler Unified School District, I am nervously waiting for that first bell. A signal that another amazing, awesome, epic, legendary, phenomenal year is underway. And just like the first day 20 years ago, I worry (maybe “wonder” is a better word) if and how I can be an influential person in each of my student’s lives. This is not an admission of self-doubt. Rather it’s an acknowledgement that each year brings new challenges, new faces, new successes and failures. And most importantly, this profession is not about patterns of repeating lessons and digging out old worksheets. It is one of uncertainty, wonder, excitement. It’s a journey, not a destination.
Over the past few weeks, former students have reconnected with me on Instagram and Facebook. It’s amazing and humbling to hear stories of their journeys, their successes, their failures. Then I’m energized by the deluge of compliments, not that these fuel my ego. In fact compliments make me even more fearful. Fear that I have to live up to perhaps unrealistic expectations. Nonetheless, I start out each year with the same idea of making students’ experiences the most important in their lives on that given day.
Over my career I’ve done many things well. I’ve received numnerous awards and accolades. But I’m certainly not perfect. And I do some things pretty poorly. Like feedback. I do an adequate job of providing feedback to students in the moment. Our face-to-face conversations are deep and menaningful…I hope. But when it comes to written feedback, I suck at it. And each year I tell myself that I’m going to do a better job writing with my students, asking deeper questions in my comments on their digital documents. But something always gets in the way. It’s NOT time. It’s NOT other obligations. It’s NOT an inability. It’s FEAR. A fear that I’m not saying the write thing. It’s fear that I’m not as good with feedback as my colleagues are.
So by being public about my professional goal — WRITTEN FEEDBACK TO MY STUDENTS — and acknowledging my fears, hopefully I have set myself up for success and am allowing others (students, parents, colleagues, my PLN) to call me to the carpet when I am falling short of my expectations. I don’t have any metrics for tyhis goal yet. But when I do, I’ll be sure to publish them. If any of you reading this have suggestions, I’d greatly appreciate them.
