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March Madness

I bet you thought this post was going to be about basketball. NOPE! More like the madness in my life.

Lately, I have been REALLY frustrated by a number of things going on at school. Fortunately for you reading this, I have also had a number of opportunities recently to fully articulate those things to people who actually have a chance of doing something about it, so you don't have to read it here. My principal asked me to please tell him why I was discouraged earlier this week. I don't think he was expecting the 2 page typed response. Now I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm a little unstable... Anyway, these frustrating things range in nature from teachers who are selling donuts in the hall at 8:30am when both they and the students who buy them should be in class, to more systemic issues like the fact that teachers who try to rise above minimum levels of competence are not only NOT rewarded for this, but even made to suffer for their strivings. If you want to know more, just ask; I am more willing to talk about it than you are willing to listen, I'm sure!

Anyway, when my parents were here a few weekends ago, they got an earful. They really do understand though, as they kept me in urban public schools (at least 15 miles away from any silos) and were actively involved in my education there. I spent sometime verbally evaluating the future of my career in education and the various paths it could take. Then my dad made a comment. He told me that basically what I am choosing between is whether to stay in the classroom where I KNOW that I will have an impact on the students that I teach and have a real opportunity there to change a few lives but not save the world and whether to go into policy/political stuff where I would have the opportunity to really change things on a wide scale and maybe save the world, but no guarantees of real impact or change.

How on earth am I supposed to choose between such options?! Seriously, any insight, comments, suggestions from you who know me well would be greatly appreciated. For now, however, I remain in my classroom, working to redeem my corner of the Kingdom, with the students that I love and look forward to seeing each morning, praying that the Lord will use me in their lives to not only change their worlds, but that he will change their hearts.

posted by CP @ 11:11 AM 1 thoughts