Teaching 101.5

Teaching 101.5

I had a conversation with a new teacher to whom I was offering some advice during his first week of teaching. [This teacher was thrust into service, as many new teachers are, without a great ‘feel’ for what goes on in high school. Yes, he had had his student teaching experience, and he had had his orientation, and he had had his appropriate dose of mentoring, but ‘feel’ cannot be packaged and bestowed upon the neophyte.] While trying to motivate his tenth graders to work on their writing, I suggested that he may want to do some of the same assignments he gives to his students. I proposed that modeling the process might give him a forum for explaining to students how he made some of his writing decisions and presentation choices.
After giving the advice, I thought that I should probably practice what I preach. Though I have regularly written with my students, and though I have found it to be a great method for fostering discussion of what constitutes good writing, I realized that I hadn’t employed the techniques in some time. As a result, I have created the following personal essay, and I think it complements some of the other pieces already composed.
And so, after a lengthy introduction, here is the subject worth considering and writing about: do we make an honest attempt to practice what we preach? As a long-time teacher, I am often telling students to do things a certain way, or to think about things as I say. Do I successfully demonstrate those same principles as often as possible? I try. In fact, after reflection, I think I try pretty hard, and that I often succeed in following most of my own advice. The connection here to the larger topic is that people, teachers included, often undermine their own efforts by demonstrating hypocrisy. This reluctance to do as they instruct is a prime example.
For instance, I tell students that attendance is critical. Like the Denver Broncos and the Buffalo Bills in the late 80’s and 90’s, I always show up. I don’t always win, but I have a pretty good track record for staying in the game. In checking my number of accumulated sick days, I find that I have missed fewer than two days per year throughout my career. Considering that I missed multiple days when my kids were being born, I would calculate that most years I miss one day or fewer.
I also tell kids that if they are going to do something, they should do the absolute best they can. In other words, regardless of the evaluative grade given by some outside source, the measuring stick for achievement is always relative to what a student could have done on his best day. If the effort has been there,days as far as ultimate performance is concerned, but I do manage to give a good effort a high percentage of the time.
So, do I generally live up to my own commandments? I try, and I think I often succeed. However, I also tell kids to set their goals high, and then exceed them, and I don’t know that I have stayed true to that. Life sometimes gets in the way. Yet I will maintain that I am rarely satisfied unless achievement exceeds expectations. Of course, that just makes me a grouchy old man.
Practice what I preach? I’ll keep on trying.