Last week I was able to spend 3 days at an education conference in Phoenix. The couple days leading up to it were filled with a bit of stress and apprehension due to the fact that I would have to leave my class for 3 straight days, not to mention I'd have to make sub plans for those days. Any teacher knows the headache that comes with making sub plans. I was a little unsure about what to expect at this conference. Would it be a bunch sales people masquerading as educators just trying to push their literature and propaganda on us? Would it be a bunch of people telling us that they had the cure-all, but we'd have to buy their book to find out what it was?
Instead I spent 3 days listening to real educators with real experiences and stories and ideas. I was uplifted. I was motivated. I was told that the work I am doing does make a difference. It seems like everywhere you go these days all you hear about is the downfall in the education system. There's no money, no resources, teachers that make too much to do too little. One of the presenters touched upon the fact that when the economy is good, you never hear a thing about education...good or bad, but when the economy is bad, that's all you hear about.
Now I am not saying that there are not bad teachers out there or that the financial strains don't have a huge impact, but I do know that the majority of educators in the country are there doing the very best they can for the kids.
I can't even put into words all that I got out of this conference. The speakers were amazing and overall the feeling from the 2,300 attendees was extremely positive and uplifting. It helped me to remember why I wanted to do this job in the first place. One of the speakers talked about how teaching can be a thankless job. You might never know the impact or influence that you had on someone. Then they showed this video clip. Never have I heard 2,300+ people so quiet. I think as teachers we all secretly hope to have something like that one day.
In keeping with the theme of education I wanted to share a couple of student-isms from today.
#1
*one of my students came to school with a black eye today. Of course the students were curious as to how it happened. This is the conversation that followed.*
Student: How did he get that black eye?
Me: I don't know. Maybe he was fighting a monster or something.
Student: Um...monsters aren't allowed in the United States.
Me: Oh they're not?
Another student: No. They all belong in Canada.
Instead I spent 3 days listening to real educators with real experiences and stories and ideas. I was uplifted. I was motivated. I was told that the work I am doing does make a difference. It seems like everywhere you go these days all you hear about is the downfall in the education system. There's no money, no resources, teachers that make too much to do too little. One of the presenters touched upon the fact that when the economy is good, you never hear a thing about education...good or bad, but when the economy is bad, that's all you hear about.
Now I am not saying that there are not bad teachers out there or that the financial strains don't have a huge impact, but I do know that the majority of educators in the country are there doing the very best they can for the kids.
I can't even put into words all that I got out of this conference. The speakers were amazing and overall the feeling from the 2,300 attendees was extremely positive and uplifting. It helped me to remember why I wanted to do this job in the first place. One of the speakers talked about how teaching can be a thankless job. You might never know the impact or influence that you had on someone. Then they showed this video clip. Never have I heard 2,300+ people so quiet. I think as teachers we all secretly hope to have something like that one day.
In keeping with the theme of education I wanted to share a couple of student-isms from today.
#1
*one of my students came to school with a black eye today. Of course the students were curious as to how it happened. This is the conversation that followed.*
Student: How did he get that black eye?
Me: I don't know. Maybe he was fighting a monster or something.
Student: Um...monsters aren't allowed in the United States.
Me: Oh they're not?
Another student: No. They all belong in Canada.
#2
In P.E the teacher has been showing the students how to look at the nutrition information on food labels. Today for breakfast we had some dried apple slices in a little bag. One of the students picks it up and looks at it.
Student: I can't eat this.
Me: Why not?
Student: Look at the nutrition. There is too much sugar. How unhealthy.
In P.E the teacher has been showing the students how to look at the nutrition information on food labels. Today for breakfast we had some dried apple slices in a little bag. One of the students picks it up and looks at it.
Student: I can't eat this.
Me: Why not?
Student: Look at the nutrition. There is too much sugar. How unhealthy.
