There are many, many wonderful accomplishments to celebrate here in Berwyn when it comes to our schools. Kids in our community are doing extraordinary things! Teachers are working hard and witnessing small moments of victory every day in their classrooms, moments that build on each other one after the other and make that hard-to-measure difference in kids' lives. This is what makes education a wonderful calling and what makes the job fulfilling. Parents are struggling to provide the support necessary at home, to prioritize their family values when trying to manage the overwhelming opportunities that are presented in our modern American lives. My child said those dreaded words a few weeks ago, words I suppose every child mutters eventually. "I hate school" I don't think he really meant it because he is generally happy and engaged at school (though I fear I may have had a glimpse into his adolescent years). It happens that he said this in the same week that the little girl in Pakistan was attacked for encouraging girls to go to school. You can imagine that the juxtaposition of his declaration and her incredible sacrifice made for a less than sympathetic response from me. Our kids are so very very lucky to be growing up here. And, as with all youth for so many generations, they don't know how lucky they are.
I am grateful this Thanksgiving for all of the teachers in my life for not only imparting knowledge onto my children, but for helping them to become good citizens, respectful collaborators, and encouraging them to make a difference in the lives of others. Teachers nurture the moral character of a generation and, since that is not measurable, we rarely include such efforts in our evaluation of effectiveness. Educators consistently instruct children in fairness, friendship, responsibility, respect, perseverance and honesty. And yes, they teach them to read and write and do math, too! The same child who "hates school", loves to go to the younger classroom where he is a reading buddy to a special needs first grader. On those reading buddy days, school has meaning to him. Teachers make that happen. Kids are working together on projects, learning about the academic subject but also how to negotiate, divide up work, listen to each other, revise based on feedback, respect each other's opinions. Teachers make that happen. Students are writing their opinions about current events, making connections to their own lives and struggling to understand the world. They ponder questions by their teachers...questions about why WWII happened? why food that is bad for you is so cheap? why people lost their jobs during The Great Depression? how choices affect our environment? why a 2 by 4 is not 2 by 4? Their answers will change the world. Teachers make that happen!
I am grateful this Thanksgiving for a country that provides a free and appropriate education for all children. We spend a lot of time discussing the need for reform, how to make education more equitable, how to raise achievement scores, how to manage social issues outside of schools that directly impact the classroom. All of those are legitimate, important questions. But for today, I am thankful for what we take for granted: warm classrooms in the winter, books and computers, professional teachers, social workers and support staff, music and arts education, extracurricular activities and UNIMAGINABLE opportunities for our children.
What are you thankful for? Do you know of some small victory that happened in a Berwyn classroom? An educator that made a difference? A program that should be recognized? Send us your story to info@berwyncares.org. We will post some here in the next week.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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