Support for Teachers

AP Studio Art, 2011

“Start painting with fresh ideas, and then let the painting replace your ideas with its ideas.”
-Darby Bannard, artist and professor

I wanted to end my month as the blog host with a few words of support for all teachers. This spring, teachers in many states have been under attack in unprecedented ways. As we adjust ourselves to viewing our profession through the lens of politics, we must never lose our compass; own inner vision and mission. Whenever, I need to recharge my batteries, I reach for Parker Palmer’s The Courage to Teach(1998). His words reinforce what we universally know, “good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher (10).” Integrity is defined as a state of being complete or undivided. Now, we need to be the advocate for the students we know and work with; we need to adhere to our values; we need to be the voice for our students in the larger debate about schools, and we need to be undivided. 

I started teaching this fall, my 22^nd year, with fresh ideas. And then, I began to know my students as people and artists. My increasing knowledge of students annually replaces some of my “fresh ideas” with new ones. We know that teaching is like painting. If we are open to it, the classroom will soon reveal new possibilities. Take courage in your service and integrity. Be on a mission. Consider the current political climate, learn about it and begin to see new possibilities.   

In Jim Collin’s From Good to Great, he describes what he calls the Stockdale Paradox (named after a prisoner of war, American Admiral Jim Stockdale). The paradox calls for leaders to embrace both optimism and harsh realities. Take heart. Stay focused. End this year, with more successes, joy, and passion than ever before. For all of this external, political theatre, cannot destroy our identity or integrity as educators.

-Laura Milas