I'm guessing that the last few did not make it to your radar, but that is my battlefield. I didn't get an update on your battlefield either, but I can imagine you have your own tales to tell.
Like Justice Kavenaugh, teachers are the recipients of a lot of commentary whether substantiated or unsubstantiated. (I know many felt Kavenaugh's accusations were on point and I know that many others did not feel that way. In any event, it does parallel teaching whichever viewpoint you share.)
Mrs. Teacher gives too much homework. Mrs. Teacher goes too fast. In Mrs. Last Year's class I had better grades than I do with you, Mrs. Teacher. It's the day before the quarter ends, Mrs. Teacher, can I do extra credit? And the comments go on. For me, my school just mandated the amount of homework that can be assigned per night. I'm fairly sure I don't give too much homework. Given the grades of some, they don't get enough experience and practice to find much success, so, I feel that I don't give enough homework. Nonetheless, the comments rush in.
As a teacher, if I go any slower, I don't know if we can finish Algebra or Geometry in two years, no less the one that is allotted. Even if I streamline everything, students still need to master certain things to find success going forward. Sometimes this means we have to move along. The truth of going too fast is that students need to speed up as I have slowed down to the point of jeopardizing finishing the course. No one wants to hear that though, at least not in October. Maybe in May when they need to pass an entrance test, but not now.
And for the record, Mrs. Teacher does not believe in extra credit as mentioned in the syllabus. Mrs. Teacher values the learning that took place every day. Your C is a result of skipping homework, goofing around when you should have worked, and missing days of class when you didn't really have a valid excuse, but your parents made one for you. Mrs. Teacher does not want to minimize the work of Every Day Faithful student by permitting you to do a few meaningless activities in place of the real work you should have done every day and stating that you now have the same grade as Faithful. Nope. Not on my watch. I don't give extra credit. You earn timely credit by giving extra effort. Period.
I don't let the comments I hear move me from the goal because I know what is right and good and what will give each student the opportunity for greater success and long-term success.
Yet, I know, in the big picture of things, the Kavenaughs and Dr. Ford and others would probably see my tiny battlefield as such a small thing in comparison to their experiences.
Today, we are looking at Hurricane Matthew and the surrounding devastation. We pray for the families who are scrambling just to get the basic needs met for their families and neighbors. I feel for their loss and know that as I sit in my air conditioned home they are in the heat and have no place of respite from the elements. We are praying for them and are looking for ways to assist. And for those who lost a family member, and for those who are still hanging on to a shred of hope for their missing loved ones, we continue to pray for the best outcome for them.
My battlefield is tiny compared to theirs. Maybe yours is too. And yet, it is our battlefield. Other battlefields more grand or expansive or important or more valued do not change the reality of your battlefield.
The devastation in my battlefield has students who don't know the prerequisites needed for my course, and yet, I still have to plug it in and carry one. My battlefield has students who don't seem to care about their daily behavior and choice as it affects their immediate future and their long term future. My battlefield would gain so much if students would persevere rather than protest what is required of them. My battlefield has lawnmower and helicopter parents. If it weren't perceived as disrespectful to those in the hurricane's wake, I would quantify them as hurricane parents, violently mowing down everything in sight, destroying the good and bad without regard to the results for them and their child. My battlefield has had parents complaining about the work load because their kids have other obligations. These parents have been emboldened by an administration who fears losing their enrollment. What will become of their student when they are not accepted into a college program? What were the plans of these parents for their child's future? Did they plan to go to college with them? Did they plan to go to their first job and complain to the boss about the amount of work and sacrifice required? It bothers me to be part of weakening the students I'm teaching by the perpetual capitulation to the parents as though they are consumers in a customer service business.
As a teacher, I keep moving toward the same end as Pastor Brunson. We are all being held captive by different viewpoints about education, by parents who seem to want today to be good without considering tomorrow, by administrators who want to make parents happy today at the expense of tomorrow. However, I am waiting for victory. I am prayerful toward the time when we can truly work together in creating a learning environment that requires real effort in a daily manner without complaint about the amount of sacrifice.
Good things, like winning a battle, require sacrifice. Don't give up. I believe that we will see the tides turn and that we will be able to help students become strong academically and to become people who have a work ethic and stamina.
My apologies if you feel I stepped across a line to make a point. I merely point out that our battlefield is small compared to the recent news we have watched, but that the principles are the same. Hang in there. We will reap good things if we don't quit.
First published October 13, 2018
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