My thoughts weren't on "Be Prepared", even though it is one of my favorites from The Lion King. My thoughts were simple: Why do I do it? I looked at the car next to me and I couldn't tell if the lady driving it was bobbing her head to the music or trying to stay awake. I shared the feeling with her- like I was mindlessly heading home almost as though it is programmed into my very nature. It was about quarter til six and already dark, and my thoughts weren't sunny, either.
So why do I go to work. Why do I labor until 5, when school is out before 3? Why do I stay after to participate in a webinar for the DOE? Does it even matter? I mean who really cares about my Twitter presence or how I use it to grow my PLN, other than those twenty or so people who listened to the webinar? Most people don't.
After a nice dinner with a friend and her new baby, I check said Twitter feed and see another teacher sharing similar thoughts. You can read his here. My thoughts turn to something I read from a student a couple weeks back. For conferences each year, students select a piece of work from each subject area to share with their parents. They attach the sheet you see below to the work and explain why they chose it. Here is what one of my students wrote:
This is why I do it. This is why I have worked so hard this year to leave the "sage on the stage" role and become the "guide on the side." I have spent hours and hours creating my curriculum on My Big Campus so I can spend class time working with students. I want to teach them, not lecture them. I want them to embrace learning by fixing mistakes. This note was exactly what I needed today. No matter how I might question myself at times, I know that I'm teaching students how to learn and to enjoy the process.
That, my friends, is why I do it. And it is kids like this one who care that I do.
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