Day Seven: Inspiring Colleagues

Day Seven: Who was or is your most inspiring colleague and why?

I sit awash in memory, trying to choose one moment to "write small" about, and nothing comes. From my first days in the classroom as a field experience student to my current place as a sort-of-veteran teacher, colleagues have shown me again and again what it means to be a teacher.

In chronological order, the following folks inspire me.

Debbie Victor radiated optimism while working in a building where the system was working against. She never worked like those students deserved less.

Andrew Rasmussen taught me what passion looks like--for project-based, authentic learning, for public education, and for student-centered thinking, always, no matter what.

Heather Isaacson inspires through kindness, through tears (happy and sad) for all of her kids' stories and backgrounds and accomplishments. She will not rest until teachers that work with students can understand the big picture about their situations and what they need. She changes kids' lives.

Donna Mallin inspires through language, through beautiful writing, through considerate feedback, through a focused lens that reminds me what our discipline is truly about. Her wisdom slays me.

Abby Hendrickson casts a wide net for ideas and refuses to be satisfied with something that is almost just-right. She sends links in the night and pushes back against settling and her big-picture revisionist thinking has made me a better teacher.

Jennifer Paulsen's commitment to professional growth and reading is astounding. If there is a theory you thought was new, Jen heard of it a decade ago. Her joy for reading, her lack of elite thinking about reading, the way she connects kids with books and helps them shape their identities as readers... wow.

Lori Engel never--not a single time--shows frustration or impatience despite her work with some challenging students. Her humility and desire to keep growing remind me to be more open-minded, more patient, more willing to serve.

And the faces are still coming. I've named teachers with whom I've worked (and one advisor) here, but there are faces of administrators who did not choose the easy path, faces of professors, faces of colleagues in my master's program, and more and more and more teachers. I'm going to stop because I want to watch Breaking Bad and eat ice cream with my husband, but this is the point: this is a profession of inspiring people. While the myth of the "bad teacher" may be alive and well in some circles, it does not exist in my actual teaching life. May we continue to fight for professional decision-making so that the creativity and wisdom and inspiration in those above can continue to help students flourish.