Tremendous Teammates

I thoroughly enjoyed my four days in Duluth, although the drive home was a tad taxing. We were in snow and on snow covered roads for most of the trip. Fortunately, we got home safely. One element of the entire Duluth trip (that surprised me) was how often I invoked the name of my two teaching colleagues. I know that my attitude and approach to life is significantly better. Simply put, I am coming to terms with what it means to have narcolepsy. That said, though, I know that this year has been one of my best teaching experiences because I work with two amazing individuals.

Both of my co-teachers place their students ahead of everything else. They are full of compassion and truly listen to what students have to say. At the same time, they demand excellence from every students. Both know that students have a wide range of abilities, and they lavish praise upon each one, but want to push each student to her or his best. That means even more work for the teacher, but my teammates know those efforts will make a massive difference in helping these young women and men maximize potential. Beyond all of this, they love to have fun. Our classroom constantly resonates with laughter and joy.

The gentleman who handles social studies recently became a father. I know that he will be amazing as a parent. He has lived a tough life, but constantly looks for ways to learn from his experiences. He is also a tremendous practitioner of sound educational theory. He scientifically approaches every lesson and works to match his material to his students' developmental levels. Best of all, he holds himself to the high standards that he asks of his students. Justice permeates everything that he does. He even puts his own money on the line to help his students understand the importance of justice.

Our religion teacher is perhaps even more remarkable. She is still in her 20s, but has the wisdom of a 50 or 60 year old. Her calm, sage presence draws students to her. And, she holds each student in her heart and in her prayers. Her warmth and friendliness work in stunning unison with the rigorous demands that she also puts on the students. She pushes them, but also feeds their souls. I know that these young women and men will live significantly richer lives because they had her as their teacher. Best of all, she provides our ninth graders collegiate content in a form they can grasp.

I also adore that both of my colleagues see writing as the most important thing that any of can do in our classroom. In fact I would be hard pressed to say which of us is the most demanding within our grading of the writing. Regardless, our students are getting a great education because we do work together. I feel incredibly blessed to work with these two teachers. It remains a struggle to do even this course with my narcolepsy, but the knowledge that I have these two standing with me gives me strength.