After an Ending Comes a New Beginning

Pre-Service Training @ TEACH Charlotte

This summer has been a blast professionally. I had the privilege of being a Teacher Development Coach to 12 (which then later became 9) adults on their quest to become a teacher in our school district’s neediest schools. I learned so much about leadership and quality teaching. I am forever grateful for the opportunity.

This past week, our participants graduated the TEACH Charlotte program and accepted jobs in our Title-One schools. It was a bittersweet moment for many of us- a goodbye to the summer family and the strong bonds that long hours on the job create, but also a hello to the moment that all the hard work led up to…Teacher status!

At closing ceremony, two participants gave speeches on their perspective of the program and their experience of becoming a teacher. They reflected on students. Even after all the long hours, lengthy lesson plan requirements, and last minute schedule changes, none of these factors played a role in their hindsight reel. Every sentence was dedicated to specific students in summer school that changed them as a person and a future teacher. These individuals were going to be great teachers because they realized it’s all about relationships.

In fact, we even had two guest speakers from the school district. The principal of the school that we took over for the summer, mentioned in his speech to first year teachers that success in life and the classroom is all about relationships. I smiled knowing the two participants that spoke before him were successful before even hearing this nugget of wisdom. He also mentioned, “Scholars deserve the best version of ourselves” and “Every child that takes a breath has a gift. It’s your job to find out what that gift is.” Students in our neediest schools need love, a sense of belonging, and a role model. That is much more than teaching requires, but somehow the strong and dedicated embody it all with ease. We cannot give up on these children. They can overcome the harshest living conditions and toxic home environments to become noble, educated citizens. But, we must allow and require them to do so.

After the speeches, it was time for participants to receive their certificate of completion and give shout outs to their coaches and instructors who helped them along the way. Participants shared video clips, photos, sang songs, and even put on skits. My participants creatively rewrote “Oh, the Places We Will Go”:

“Hip Hip Hooray!

Today is our day.

We’re off to Great Places!

We’re off and away!

We have plans in our head.

We have tools in our shoes.

We can steer our students

any direction we choose.

We’re on our own. And we know what we know.

And YOU are the gals  who helped us go where we go.

We’ll  scan up and down rows. Look ’em over with care.

About some you will say, “I need 100% there”

With our heads full of lessons and our shoes full of tools,

We’re too smart to go down, acting like fools!

And we may not find any roads

we’ll want to go down.

In that case, of course,

we’ll head straight out of town.

It’s opener there

in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen

and frequently do

to people as brainy

and footsy as we.

And then things start to happen,

we won’t worry. Won’t stew.

But just go right along.

We’ll start happening too.

OH!

THE PLACES WE’LL GO!

We’ll be on our way up!

We’ll be seeing great sights!

We’ll join the high fliers

at differentiated heights.

None will lag behind, because everyone is at speed.

We’ll scaffold the whole gang and we’ll soon take the lead.

Wherever we fly, we’ll be best of the best.

Wherever we teach, we’ll outscore the rest.

Except when we don’t.

Because, sometimes, we won’t.

I’m sorry to say so

but, sadly, it’s true

that off-task

and no-SLANT

can happen to you.

We can get all hung up

in a prickle-ly perch.

And our gang might fly on.

We’ll be left in a Lurch.

We’ll come down from the Lurch

with an unpleasant bump.

And the chances are, then,

that we’ll be in a Slump.

And when we’re in a Slump,

we’re not in for much fun.

100%

is not easily done.

We will come to a place where the objectives are not marked.

Some students are daydreaming. But gone is their spark.

Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find,

for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

…for students just waiting.

Waiting for what to do

Directions, corrections,

Something clear to do

NO!

That’s not for us!

Somehow we’ll get them back

from all that waiting and anticipating

We’ll find the bright places

where bright minds are engaging.

Oh, the places we’ll go! There is fun to be done!

There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.

And the magical things we can do with that ball

will make us the winning-est winner of all.

We’ll get stressed out, of course,

as you already know.

We’ll get mixed up

with many strange birds as we go.

So we’ll look when we step.

Step with care and great tact

and remember that Life’s

a Great Balancing Act.

We’ll never forget to be dexterous and deft.

And never mix up our right foot with left.

And will we succeed?

Yes! We will, indeed!

(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

HEY, WE’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!”

They also wrote a group card with each participant contributing one sentence.

As if that wasn’t enough, they even bought me a gift card to Staples to get ready for my own classroom!

But, there was one additional gift that really pulled at my heart strings. One of my participants struggled throughout the program with meeting deadlines and thinking on his feet (he had to translate my coaching tips into his native language, then problem solve in his native language, to then spit it out in English to his students…phew!). There were many times I thought he might quit or not reach mastery of the teaching techniques which meant not graduating from the program.  I provided a lot of “tough love.” It’s my pleasure to say he passed and took the moment to thank me for not giving up on him even though he could have slipped through my fingers at any moment.

So, it was my turn to return the favor. I wrote them the following letter:

It has been a wonderful experience that was so fun I could not believe I was lucky enough to call it my “job.” I love what I do!! Thanks to this group for going on the journey with me:

Thank you TEACH Charlotte for an amazing summer of fun and learning!

What summer job has been the most rewarding for you?