I went to a hell of a lot of great sessions today, but probably my favorite was called something like, "Where would we be without Paulo Freire?" Most everyone reading this knows about Freire, but if you don't,
skim this and realize his awesomeness. There were 5 people on this panel,
educators doing absolutely phenomenal work in schools. All the speakers talked about the power of a teacher to make a difference in people's lives. I started crying because sometimes I feel I've downplayed the power of a teacher in my own mind. I've even told my own two amazing children NOT to go into education. I've let my frustrations with the educational system chip away at my own sense of self worth as an educator.
NO MORE, MAH FRONDS! Today I listened to the words of amazing critical educators and I felt inspired by them, and proud of my own attempts to make some small difference in the ways schooling works for kiddos. 20 something daughter, and #1 Son, If you want to be teachers, you really should. It's a tough gig, but an amazing one. And of course I will proudly support you no matter what you choose to do!
So, what happened to me today? I rededicated myself (ONCE AGAIN) to this beautiful job we call teaching. NCTE does this to me every time! Now, off we go to Bin 36!
Comments
But, you do make a difference to all those kiddos, and especially to me! Where would I be without Lee Heffernan??? In the looney bin, that's for sure! I love moments in teaching like today when I am sitting on the floor with some writers and the room is just humming and the kids are engaged and helping each other and they don't even need me!
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