That's so Magis

The fifth grade had a reading test last week. Part of the test asked questions about a time line. The time line included eight events. One of those events was women gaining voting rights in the United States. The last event was the invention of the television. Simple enough, right? One question on this part of the test read: Would you have been able to watch  news coverage about voting rights for women on your television? Most students answered: No, because the television was not invented yet. However, two students did not. These two both had similar answers, but I enjoyed this one in particular: No, I wasn't even a speck in my parents' eyes. Clever. The fifth graders are clever.

It was technically correct... full credit.

Teaching, it's everything isn't it? You'll never understand it unless you do it. It's something that's not meant for everyone. I think it's meant for me. It's a kind of work that I don't even notice as work, just... being. For me, it's being. And I keep looking back on all of the criticism I had for my teachers growing up, all the times I felt like I was given the shaft because my teachers weren't doing enough for me. All the times during college that I looked at educators throughout the country with such disdain. I wanted them to quit selling their students short. I look back at those feelings I had and laugh... or sigh, whichever seems easier at the time. I didn't know anything. Because you just don't know unless you do it.

There are times now, too, when I look at what I'm doing and say, "Don't sell your students short." But it's not as easy as just saying that. I can work all day, every day to try to offer my students the best education I can. And it seems like my colleagues are doing the same... and, still, there will be things that we miss, things that we cannot explain entirely, students who will not hear everything we say, parents who will not support all the efforts we make. It's really overwhelming when you think about it. Even though I feel like I'm working all day every day, there's still so many times when I want to do more, when I want to do better.

It's times like those that I most remember prayer. It's such an easy thing to forget, even though it's so important. And I pray for a lot of thing, but, especially during those time, I pray that my students are more forgiving than I was, that my students are more open minded than I was, that my students are more caring than I was. Because none of my educators sold me short... not really. They worked their tails off, teaching us what they could with the time and resources they had. Then they had to pray that we had the sense to find the rest out on our own. Most of us did.

This week is Catholic Schools Week, and today is snow day number two of this week. That means we'll be missing our skit shows, which (for my sanity) I hope we make up. The fifth grade has spent too many hours arguing over what we're doing for it to be canceled completely. Since I've started working at a Catholic school, every week, but especially this week, I've been thankful for Catholic schools. I've been much more thankful than I ever was when I went to a Catholic school. Inevitably in a Catholic school there are some things that are off limits for education. Usually these things have to do with inappropriate material. But really, most schools are going to limit that type of material. Growing up, I thought that missing out on those things meant missing out. What I didn't realize were the things I was gaining. For Catholics, Catholic schools offer a type of education and moral guidance that not only isn't taught other places, but also isn't allowed other places. I'm thankful I have this venue to put education in broader terms for families and students who are looking for that.