Election Day

I have loved politics since our family friend, Carroll Campbell, ran and won the office of Governor of SC in the 1980s.  I enjoy following the political races and the platforms that each candidate uses as the basis of their campaigns. As a youngster, I had a strong belief in how politicians could use their power for lasting positive change. While I may have become a little more cynical about it all over the years, I am no less fascinated or interested in the political process. I have no desire to ever run for office or hold political office (sometimes my current position is political enough), but I think, ultimately, I still hold on to the deep seeded belief that our democracy and its foundational theory can and will make positive changes for our community, our state, and our nation.  With all that said, I attended an event last week for our mayoral race that will be decided tomorrow. This pseudo- debate/forum was uneventful so my mind wandered throughout the night about our schools.  The candidates repeatedly discussed “one Spartanburg”- a tagline that we are familiar with this year. I started thinking about the fact that one person matters-something we talk about in our vision each year. And should not each person in our classroom matter?  Then the candidates started talking about the power of their positions.  Then I got to thinking about what our schools and staff would be like if we had to run for office.

What would be your platform if you had to “run” for your position? As a younger adult, I voted based on my family’s political views, then I started changing based on what each candidate could do for me or how they felt about each issue. My voting can, at times, seem very diverse as I rarely, if ever, voted for one party’s ticket. I tend to look at candidates that are most like me, candidates that motivate me, provide for action, and bring us together. Isn’t that what we want in our classrooms? 

Don’t we want teachers who will motivate students? Teachers motivate by being excited about their teaching. Nothing excites me more than a teacher who shares a book with students as if she has never read the book.  Teachers who fill their classrooms with engaging activities because they know their students’ needs are motivating to students. Motivating students means coming in a few minutes early to give an extra push or staying late to help a student who is just not getting a key concept. Motivating is taking the time to really respond to each piece of work that a student does so that student understands the important value they have in your eyes. Making a student feel included and making a student understand their place in the classroom motivates a student.

Teachers who empower students to take action are teachers I would vote for in an election. Teacher empower students by giving students choices. I found in my classroom when I allowed students to have choice, they produced far greater products than when I put my demands on them for assessments or assignments. Empowering students to take action is done through helping students reflect. Engaging in reflection is done as part of “messing up” or making an unfortunate decision, but do we engage students in reflection for other parts of their day. Reflection helps students make sense of learning. Empowering students also comes from giving students a voice-do you ask for their opinions? Do you listen to their feedback?

And finally, bringing folks together is a quality in candidates that I look for-political and teaching candidates as well. Some of the best teachers I have ever worked with made each of their classrooms sanctuaries. They made them places that I wanted to sit in and stay for a long while. What these teachers understood was that the most important part of a classroom was managing relationships. How many of you stand at your door when the bell rings and shake each student’s hand or greet them all by name or a smile or a secret handshake or a pat on the back? How many of you look for ways to praise students all day long? How do you spend time with each student getting to know them?

So if “elections” were held tomorrow for teachers, would you be elected?