We were simply talking about life in general. We eventually got around to the topic of education and I explained how much I enjoyed being a teacher. He said, "Are you successful at it?" What a great question. I hadn't really thought about it in those terms. Success is pretty hard to define sometimes. It made me question how I defined success.
I want you to know how I answered his question. I answered it by telling a story.
Here goes.
Once upon a time a Country Day student was walking down a country road. After about ten minutes of walking the student was approached by a stranger who was heading the other direction. The stranger asked the student: "What did you learn at school?" The student responded in this way...
"I see education as an act of enchantment.
I understand that the cultivation of a healthy body and spirit is fundamental to a productive life.
I accept that progress requires action.
I possess the courage to ask questions and offer opinions even at the risk of being wrong.
I possess the capacity to forgive people's mistakes because I make plenty of them myself.
I am an engaging dinner companion.
I have a reasonable sense of my own capabilities because I have received regular, actionable feedback from adults who care about me. However, I understand that learning is a lifelong process and many of my strengths have yet to be cultivated."
"Wow!," the stranger said. "Who are you?"
"I am a Falcon," the student said.
(Can our students answer the stranger's question this way? Maybe not yet. But when they can, I'll know I'm a successful teacher.)
Dinner table question of the week:
How do you define success?
Thank you, Bill. David can, I am proud to say, check off most of the items on your list, most of the time. Not all of the items, all of the time, but which of us can? Not I, for sure. Falcon effect? Family effect? Sea Cadets effect? Nature? Volunteer effect? All of those? None of those? Who knows? I do know that he spends more waking hours with you (FWCD family collectively) than with me and his dad: For sure, the Falcon effect is a big factor.
ReplyDeleteI am an engaging dinner companion...I am so glad you listed this. One of the many reasons we seek a well rounded education for our four boys is so when they grow up and have the opportunity to have dinner with a President, a member of Congress, a CEO, a college admissions counselor or someone's sweet grandmother they will have something not only meaningful to say but will share the spirit of true communication. The ability to listen to others, to think about what they are saying, and to exchange ideas and share information over a dinner table is something that is terribly undervalued in today's society. We rush around in our busy lives and sometimes never sit together over a meal. Since the beginning of our family we have always thought of meal time as important in our home. It is a time to reconnect with one another and our children after a busy day out in the world. I clearly remember one evening sitting at the dinner table and one of our boys asking, "Dad, how was your day at work?" What a wonderful thing to see children engage with others at the table - ready to listen, learn and understand through the exchange of ideas. Perhaps if we had more of this in the world we would have less of other destructive things.
ReplyDeleteMy boys possess many of the things you mentioned....thank you Country Day for contributing to the development of many of them.