Education, etc.

Sir Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” His work in the study of physics provided science with an understanding of gravity and the laws of motion. The older I get, and the more education I acquire, the more I understand this thought because I have learned from those who came before me and invested in me, my learning, and my future. Giants in the field of education took the time to fill my brain with knowledge and wonder, a love of science, and a hunger to know all the things. They may not have been national giants, but there were giants to me, and still are. Even now, at 42, their opinions of me as an educator are as important to me as they were when I was a student.

 This week I successfully defended my dissertation on Using Scent as a Strategy to Influence Cognitive and Behavior Function. I am proud of myself, my hard work, and my accomplishment. But I am most proud of the congratulatory messages I received from my former teachers, administrators, and influencers. They took the time and invested their energy into my success from a very young age on into adulthood, so it is their applause that feels different from the praise of friends and family. It is because they took the time to foster the positive learning environment and quality teacher-student relationship that led me to where I am today. In essence, they made me Dr. Hayes.

There have been times when I have been asked to help a new teacher get acclimated to teaching, their new school, or the school system’s programs and expectations. If ever I had the opportunity to advise a group of new teachers, my advice would be to pour yourself into your students, not only the content they need for the course, but also your time, your concern for them as people, creating a sense of wonder and excitement in their minds. You, as teachers, are molding the person they will become, or as I like to say, warping the minds of the next generation. As a new teacher, you have the opportunity to learn from other teachers. Find the giants, the ones who are masters at their craft, the ones who care about their students as much as their content, the ones who are still excited to come to work rather than counting down their years until retirement. These are the giants to follow. These are the footprints to place your feet in as you navigate the occasionally treacherous path to becoming a veteran teacher. And it can be a troublesome road filled with potholes, trolls, and quicksand.

Some of these dangers come in the form of helicopter parents (lawnmower parents, sniper parents, etc.), some are because young teachers are still young, while others come from the expectation of society for teachers to be something we are not: flawless. Teachers are human beings who make mistakes, but the guidance from a quality veteran teacher can help to mitigate some of those mistakes before they are made. This does not mean that teachers should be cold, detached robots who are more focused on avoiding mistakes than building relationships with students. Mistakes will happen, take the risk to make learning real and exciting. Give students the opportunity to enjoy learning in a way that will stick with them after the lesson is over, after the school year has passed, leaving them with a love of learning that will last a lifetime.

 If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes village elders to guide the young adults so they can educate and empower the youngest ones. Everyone has a job to do, a role to play, a purpose to fulfill. When you find yourself at a new beginning, find a giant to lead the way, who can help you navigate the pit falls and the dangerous corners, but who is also willing to elevate you to carry the torch so that when you find your own footing, you can grow to become the giant for someone else.

Thank you to the countless teachers who poured into me, who were patient with my trying personality, and who never gave up on me when it probably would have been easier and a lot less stressful. I am the teacher I am today, not perfect, but always trying, because they cared enough to water the seed and be the giant in my life.