...DO better

My first (regular, not subbing and not as a theater or marching band instructor) teaching job was in a Catholic school. On my first day, my principal, Sister, said that she had put a green trash bag in my classroom and instructed me to throw away anything I didn't want to keep. One of the things I found was a tiny, pathetic green plant. I unceremoniously chucked it into the bag. While I come from a line of plant people, somewhere along the way I had gotten the impression that I was bad at growing. My mom can name every house plant in the known universe, and has grown many of them. I dabbled a little bit and found that most of what I tried to grow withered and died quickly. Meanwhile, my mom's veritable botanical garden thrived year after year. So, I figured this poor little plant would be like the others.

One day, early in the semester, Sister called me into her office. To my surprise, the little cast off plant was sitting happily, thriving in a pot on her desk! I didn't mention it, and neither did she, but in hindsight it's clear that I was meant to see it. I wrongly assumed that that plant was just going to die like all the others. Over the course of the next couple of decades, I realized that somewhere in my genetic makeup was the green thumb that everyone else seemed to have.

Today, my classroom has 15 plants that thrive in and around the windows and floor in my space. I knew better, then I did better.

My Year 35 Classroom is the most chill space I've ever had. The kids aren't different...I am. I'm the most chill teacher I've ever been, and our spaces are a reflection of us. Does this mean there are never conflicts? Of course not. I'm still a middle school teacher, after all. I'm just trying to learn about as many different human brain types as I can, and I'm using that knowledge to try and do better.

Doing better is me not seeing a kid differently for something they did yesterday. We all mess up, and besides, mistakes are how we learn stuff.

Doing better is me listening to kids telling me what their needs are and having increased flexibility.

Doing better is me understanding that the children are at a particular developmental level and their behavior is not entirely under their control because their brains are still growing.

Doing better is me remembering the many inappropriate things I said and did, and the seemingly silly but age-appropriate things that were important to me when I was my students' age...and not expecting them to be any different.

Doing better is me hearing a student say something to or about me that an earlier version of myself would have interpreted as disrespectful, and having no response.

Doing better is me not begrudging that schools are progressively learning how to meet the needs of more and more children (rather than expelling or institutionalizing them), and that it is more beneficial for them and for our society. Change is difficult, but important for all of us.

Doing better is me knowing that deep understanding of needs is the most effective path to teaching. It also takes extraordinary effort.

Doing better is me defaulting to a positive inner dialogue on my most challenging days.

I've been writng this blog since October, and though there have been hundreds of readers, I've never had anyone write a comment on a post. I've had one heart (deep thanks to you, anonymous hearter!), but no one telling me what they think, or would like to see, etc. It's hard to know how I'm doing without feedback, and I would love for these posts to inspire dialogue so we're learning together. Will you be the first? I can't have a revolution without you!

If this has value for you, will you tell a friend so our community of world changers will continue to grow? Finally, I send an email every week with exclusive and absolutely free content to my steadily-growing list of subscribers, in case you'd like to join!

Thanks so much for making it this far, thoughtful and inspiring snackers! Keep being you, because you're helping me do better! Let's talk more after Spring Break!

Chef Charles

Head chef

teacherssnacks.com