So officially, my new grad program doesn't start for another two days. But realistically I have been preparing for this first class to start for a little over a month, when I first made the decision to go back to school. I have missed being a student, missed the structure that comes with it, the focus that I take from being busier and needing to meet deadlines. I am a procrastinator by definition, I thrive under the pressure of needing to have things done, and now! But in my own way, I spend forever preparing for these times, planning out what I am going to do when I am down to the wire, rather than just getting things done early. This whole program will probably play out like that.... seeing as each class is only five weeks long. I am constantly down to the wire and needing to have things done yesterday.
But even though school hasn't even started yet, I have been hard at work all day. One of the nice things about this program is that all of my textbooks are covered by the school and mailed to me. My first book, for my first class arrived yesterday, and I have been looking forward to diving in. Imagine my surprise when I start to read, and find out that the book is all about three CHARTER SCHOOLS! As soon as that realization sunk in, I had to put the book down and take a deep breath. I am a public school advocate, I am a proud and active member of my union, and the first book they send me for my program is about charter schools?!?!?! Immediately, my walls go up, and I am starting to form arguments in my head for when the inevitable conversations come up about how amazing charter schools are.
I want to take a step back here and clarify something. I don't feel that teachers are better or worse for teaching in a charter school. Students and their families have the right to decide where they want to go for their education. My issue really comes in when charter schools lecture to others about how wonderful they are and all of the amazing things they can do, when they take money away from public schools. They are allowed to kick students out if they don't feel like educating them. If there are minor behaviors or learning difficulties, the student can be sent back to their neighborhood public school so that we have to "deal with it". I value every child that comes into my classroom. My students are the reason I go to work every day, and I serve every child that walks through my door. It doesn't matter if that child can't read, picks a fight with others on a daily basis, has emotional trauma, or if they love to be there. I serve every child that walks through my doors. My issue with charter schools is that they get to pick and choose who they serve, and then use their skewed data to say that they are better than us.
Okay, enough with my rant. Anyways, I push on, through the first chapter of my books, just telling myself that it has to get better, and its not going to be a whole book all about how these charter schools are gods gift to education. As we dive into more of the content of the book, I find I have really enjoyed reading about how these three schools are integrating character education into their schools. I am enjoying learning about the science behind what the rest of the book is going to cover. When I take a minute to sit back and reflect on my gut reactions with the book, vs what its turning out to be, I had to laugh at myself. What I just did with this book is exactly what we try to teach our students not to do when they get to something unknown. Don't just assume the worst, don't assume you can't do it, don't assume its going to be awful based on the first 5 minutes.
I am hoping that this first experience will be a reminder for me, and hopefully can serve as one for you as well. Take a moment, breath, reflect, and then keep pushing through. Things are rarely as they seem on first glance. Take a moment to get to know the situation and process, before jumping to incorrect assumptions. And with that idea firmly planted in my head at this point, I feel even more ready to begin this process. School officially starts in about 36 hours and I am ready to give it my all and begin the process of learning once more.
Comments