Is there anything more inspiring than the unbridled enthusiasm of youth? Three cheers to whoever decided to have recent former RRISD students speak at the end of day one. Those kids believed they could walk on water. Why can't they? Why can't we?
Each of those young people reminded us of the fire we can still summon. Why should confident idealism be wasted on the youth? We are the ones actually doing the work, making the difference. They're still donning togas and painting their chests at football games - not that there is anything wrong with that.
But, they also reminded us that we made them. They spent more hours of the day with us than their families so let's take due credit. I never laid eyes on any of them before this afternoon, but I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment as they spoke. We are a team after all.
I'm most inspired because only four spoke. How many more like them are there? There must be hundreds, maybe thousands. We did that. We're creating 18-year-olds that can stand up in front of hundreds of educators and demand more attention than professional speakers. Did anyone check their cell phone while they were speaking? Did anyone drift into a side conversation about summer vacation?
Why can't we all be young? Maybe it would not be fair, I don't know. For now, let's listen to our favorite French romantic Victor Hugo who tells us that, "Forty is the old age of youth; fifty is the youth of old age."
There is a pond out back, let's go for a walk.
It was genius to begin the first day of our retreat with inspiration from Dr. Chavez and Damen Lopez--and then to end the first day with real-live RRISD graduates. What a thoughtful touch to bring the day full circle. Having been a classroom teacher for 17 years, I learned that the results of my work would often be intangible, at least to me. If I had been a doctor, I would know which operations were a success. If I had been a lawyer, I would have known exactly how many cases I won. If I had been an architect, I would be able to stand in front of every building I designed. Instead, I chose to be a teacher. In most cases, I wouldn't know which of my second graders remembered me as someone who made an impact on their lives. Which of my fifth graders would tell their children about an instant when what I said or did made a difference? I learned that I would never know which of my students I influenced the most. This made each and every student that more important. As much as I tried to guess or wonder, unless our paths crossed again in the future, I would never know completely the results of my labor. What I did come to learn, when every now and then I got a letter from a former student thanking me for being their teacher, that although I might never know all of their names...they were out there. What a gift it was to hear four incredible former RRISD students rattling off the names of many teachers they remembered in their journey to graduation the way someone talks about a family member or friend. I walked away from the Retreat yesterday smiling, feeling a kinship to all of the students I have ever worked with. You have to have a little faith if you're going to be in education. Thank you for restoring mine and helping me to believe that I do make a difference!
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