As we reach the mid-point in the school year, let’s enjoy a well-earned holiday respite while also taking some time to reflect on what thus far has been a truly outstanding school year!
We began the year with the plan of Trinity functioning without any Covid protocol restrictions. Reviewing the first months of our school calendar, I am elated that we have been able revive school events that we had to modify or cancel the past two years like last week’s 5th Grade Nutcracker performances, Monday’s EED Holiday Sing-a-long, and tomorrow’s UED Holiday Program at Trinity Church. It’s been so enjoyable and important to come together as a full community once again and for our students to perform in front of in-person audiences!
Despite being back to pre-pandemic normality, this year like any school year brings with it inevitable fatigue, stress, and frustrations. Teachers on the whole are perfectionists and idealists, and we tend to dwell on what we haven’t been able to do and not enough on our many successes. Yet regardless of the ups and downs of a school year, we most significantly make a difference in the lives of others. For me, that’s why teaching when all is said and done is so rewarding: we positively impact others and we help shape the minds and character of the next generation. I feel fortunate to work in a school with its eternal optimism and hope. Yes, there are struggles and downtimes, yet whenever I reflect on my chosen career, I picture the thousands of students I’ve helped guide and support!
I’m even more grateful to work at Trinity. I’ve taught for over 40 years in many different schools (Pre-12th Grade, Pre-8th Grade, Quaker, Episcopal, non-sectarian) across the country (New York, Oklahoma, Indiana) and after ten years at Trinity I still arrive each morning as excited as my first day back in 2013. I’ve learned a lot from all of you, been in awe of your dedication and professional expertise, and made lasting friendships. Despite seeming serendipitous, Trinity is an intricate, interdependent organization with each and every one of us fulfilling our duties and responsibilities. Daniel Pink and others write about how professional fulfillment comes when one feels he/she is part of something bigger than themselves, and that’s what education is. Daily I feel a sense of pride working with all of you. I put my trust in you and you put your trust in me. It’s this mutual trust in one another that undergirds our positive school culture.
This week’s article summary The Best Advice I Ever Received From a Teacher is a celebration of the impact of teachers on their students. It’s about simple yet wise phrases from teachers that continue to influence students as adults.
Thank you for all you do for our students! Enjoy holiday break with family and friends!
Joe
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Effort beats skill: You don’t have to be the best or the most talented, you just have to be willing to work the hardest.
Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it: And as much as my 17-year-old old brain was at the time, that clicked. I immediately felt wiser and grateful for that information.
Keep reading: Read all you can. From my senior high school in British literature teacher.
Greatness requires sacrifice: My grandma (and teacher) told me this. She said that when I understand that, I have the basics of understanding life.
Take the next step: It wasn't what he said, but how he taught. Everyone had a place and was always challenged to take the next step
Changing: When the pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain of change, you will change.
Writing is rewriting: The fun is in rewriting!
There’s good in people: While she wasn't my direct teacher, my mom's 30-plus year career as a teacher gave me such respect and admiration for the profession. As a teacher she was always so kind and respectful to any student she had, no matter their background or how well they fared in her class. So in a way her advice was shown through her actions of being patient with people and knowing there's good in them.
Be an active world citizen: Discover new things about the world and the people in it.
Don’t read bad books: Life is too short to read bad books. A bad book is any book you think is a bad book. My teacher had a personal policy – he'd give any book 125 pages and if it didn't work for him, he tossed it and started a new book
It’s okay to break the rules once in a while: It’s OK to break the rules once in a while, as long as you know the rules like the back of your hand. With this advice, she taught me that it’s OK to be creative. It’s changed my writing and reporting process for the better, and I’ll always be grateful for her guidance and advice.
Smart people don’t know everything: But they know how to find information.
Many things aren’t so black and white: I had a government teacher in high school who, in the face of my fixed and certain political views, told me, 'You will find that many things aren’t so black and white.' It was probably not the most profound advice I have heard, and I think about it a lot.
Find the joy: Feel whatever you need to feel, just don’t stay there any longer than you have to. Find the joy.
When presented with an opportunity: Say yes and then figure it out
No such thing as a free lunch: Be prepared to work hard and never expect anyone to hand you what you haven’t earned.
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