My Non-Negotiables

I buttoned up my suit coat, adjusted my collar, and walked in to teach my first class. It was January 2003 - Ms. South had arrived. By the time the day was over, I had sweat through my shirt and jacket, and I had some of the worst foot cramps I have ever experienced (because somehow I thought that the higher the heels, the more authority I would have over my students. Ha! Isn't that cute?). I was told to set boundaries - keep students in clean rows and keep my desk at the center of attention. I was advised by many veteran educators to start "mean" (I am paraphrasing here) - not to smile too soon in the semester, to be firm with my expectations because it was important to keep things black and white. When it came to my classroom, it was "my way or the highway". I was told that teaching would get easier. I was told to keep my lesson plans in a binder so that I didn't have to reinvent the wheel each year. I believed that a quiet classroom meant that I was doing my job to maintain structure and order. I thought I knew it all. So, I did what I knew, and boy was I ever wrong.

Looking back, it is easy for me to see that Ms. South was scared of her students - scared that she would not teach them well enough, scared that they would hate her class, scared to love them. Ms. South wanted there to be no question as to who was in charge - hence the high heels. Ms. South had a classroom that was designed around her needs - not the needs of her students (I actually remember telling them that certain parts of the room were off-limits). Quite frankly, if Ms. South was going to make it in education - her beliefs and opinions towards school had to change.**

Over the past several years, my teaching beliefs and classroom management have gone through a transformation. I have thrown out my lesson binders. I have given up my teaching desk. I have created a flexible seating classroom that is oftentimes LOUD because students are collaborating and engaged. I do do these things not because they are trends but because I am not the same teacher I was 15 years ago. That makes me proud. If Mrs. Neill met Ms. South in the hallway today, the first thing I would do is march down to the office and ask my principal to be her mentor. If I could go back, I would tell myself to follow my heart and do what is best for kids rather than what is convenient for me. When teachers put kids in the center of the learning, that's when the magic happens. As a young teacher, I did the best I could with what I knew, but thank goodness I never quit learning. I never quit looking for a better way to reach kids and teach the content they need to be successful in life.

So where does this leave me? There are some non-negotiables that define what takes place in my classroom.  It is important that I write them out, but also important that I am willing to edit and change my list as needed - for my school, for my students, and for my own personal learning. I challenge you to think about your Top 5 Non-Negotiables.

1. I will continue being a positive, connected educator who tweets and blogs about her students, philosophies, and colleagues. This is not bragging about what I do - this is a shift in my beliefs that in order to be the best teacher I can be, I must be connected to the best teachers I can find - be it in my hallway, building, district, or online. I will never apologize for sharing my classroom stories or sharing new ideas that may connect me to other like-minded educators.

2. I will never tell a class to shut up or cuss/ degrade/ berate them - NEVER. There is enough negativity and anger outside of the four walls of my classroom - ain't nobody got time for that in room 209. 'Nuff said.

3. I will never create work for students to complete so that I can grade. Not doing it - simple as that. Our time is too short for me to sit and grade, while my class works compliantly on the next task. I may not be the timeliest of graders, but I think you would find a student hard-pressed to say that we aren't working together from bell to bell. Man, those classes go by so quickly. (And that's the goal!)

4. I will continue to develop my love for life-long reading. True story - making time to read has never been a strength of mine, but now I see how important my role is in my students' reading lives. My students and I are more similar than different in this area, but we are improving one book at a time. Reading time is a priority.

5. I will learn and laugh alongside my students. Newsflash: students are smart, and extremely funny. And call me crazy, but it seems the more we laugh, the more we learn. What a crazy correlation!

So I challenge you - what are your Top 5 Non-Negotiables? Take some time to think about it, chew it around, but then act. Make yourself a note, blog about them, tweet them out, discuss them with your colleagues as you start the year - but most importantly, STICK TO 'EM! (And if the new teacher-you is completely different than the old teacher-you, enjoy the ride because it gets better every year!)

**I might add that we tend to be our own harshest critics, which is probably true in this blog post; however, I cannot imagine what my teaching career would have been like if I had continued teaching the same way every year. Oh wait, yeah I can...I'd no longer be a teacher.

They're Going to Take Care of Us Someday, You Know?

Fourteen years ago, my aunt was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. She fought bravely and fiercely, but lost her battle with cancer about 8 months later. Watching her go through this silent disease, watching her body weaken, watching her suffer through treatments has never really left me. It has always been a fear of mine that ovarian cancer would be a future diagnosis for me; after all, it is known as the cancer that whispers. This spring, as I had a yearly appointment with my OBGYN, she asked me if I had ever considered a hysterectomy. She told me that research is now showing that ovarian cancer is 80% genetic. Knowing that our family was complete and we planned on having no more babies, my husband and I began making arrangements for this next step. I read the research provided by my doctor as well as information that I found online. I made separate appointments with my doctor to talk about what to expect, the procedure itself, hormone replacement, and even my fears of being old enough to make such an important decision. Once we decided this was in my best interest (100% elimination of reproductive cancers and a 50% deduction in my risk for future breast cancer), we scheduled a date: May 31st.

The procedure itself went as well as could be expected. My pre-op nurses, my doctor, and my recovery nurses were amazing. But you see, there is one caregiver who stands out to me, and that is my CNA, Lizzy. As I was coming off of my anesthesia, I got sick a few times. My bladder also didn't want to wake up, so using the bathroom was not an easy chore. But my aide, Lizzy, never complained about cleaning up after me once I had gotten sick to my stomach, holding my gown shut, unhooking my machines, bringing me ice chips, or helping me get up from the toilet. Her concern the entire time was about me, my comfort level, and keeping me safe. To me, it seemed she was a seasoned veteran at her job, and it was not until the grogginess fully wore off that I realized she had graduated from my high school a few years ago. I was surprised at how comfortable I was with her taking care of me. As she helped me to the bathroom, I apologized for mooning her as she closed my gown. As she helped me adjust my heating pad, we discussed how my getting a belly button ring at nineteen really probably wasn't the smartest thing I had ever done (my parents were right - imagine that!). She was my nurse's aide - no longer a student or a kid in the hallway; I was her patient - no longer a teacher at that moment in time.  I was amazed at how quickly that transition occurred.

It made me think about how often I hear people say in regards to education funding, "They're going to take care of us someday, you know?" Naively I always thought of my parents as they are reaching retirement; not once did I apply that to myself. I am so thankful that this student had such an amazing education. I am so thankful that she was able to take care of me at a time that I could not take care of myself. This experience is just another reason why teachers do what we do each day. I truly believe these kids can change the world - be it through a public stance like politics or non-profit organizations, or privately through helping a woman in her hospital room who had just gone through major surgery. Lizzy made a difference in my recovery - my world became her world for a 12 hour shift, and I am so grateful for her. As educators, we must continue to develop curriculum and learning environments that will foster this type of success for students once they leave the four walls of our schools. They deserve it, and so do we.

And now - six more weeks of taking it easy. Good thing I've got some good books lined up to read...