Last week I found myself reading through The Community Review, which is the Jewish newspaper for Greater Harrisburg. Rabbi Akiva Males of Kesher Israel Congregation wrote a tribute to teacher Victoria Soto who hid many of her students when the gunman entered her classroom. While I’ve read much about Soto’s heroism, there was something that struck me about the following lines from Rabbi Males’ article:
Where did Vicki find such strength on that last morning of her life? What influences in her life caused her to reflexively act with such selflessness, bravery, and heroism? While I don’t know if we’ll ever learn the true answers to those questions, I can say one thing with certainty: I sure am glad that Vicki Soto chose to become a teacher. If this is how Vicki died in the classroom, can you imagine how she must have lived in the classroom? How many lives did this incredible young woman have a chance to touch in her all-too-brief teaching career? If not for her brutal murder, how many more precious children could she have had a positive impact on?
The words “Can you imagine how she must have lived in the classroom” touched me. I can only imagine Vicky Soto was the kind of educator who breathed life into every lesson and every day. From reports, it is clear she was beloved by her students. She was known for sharing stories and had an infectious enthusiasm. She must have lived every day to its fullest when she was teaching first graders at Sandy Hook Elementary School. It is only fitting that a school in her hometown is to be named after her.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this idea of how teachers live in their classrooms. The tragedy at Sandy Hook has made teachers think about how they’d respond if their students were in harm’s way. I know you would do the same thing Victoria Soto and her colleagues did. You would protect your kids. I want to shift the focus to how we live in classrooms day to day. How do you walk through your days as an educator? Are you enthusiastic? Do you leave your personal issues behind at the school door and exude excitement? Do you try to put aside the implications of standardized testing when you lead your class daily? It is my hope you’re living well for both yourself and your students. Tell us how you live in the classroom. Please leave a comment about how you walk through your life as an educator.
I want to share Rabbi Males’ article with you, also, because of what he wrote about teachers. Rabbi Males has graciously allowed me to share his article, which is not available online, with you. You may click here to read it in its entirety now.
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Reblogged this on Maggie and commented:
This was really touching to me and I thought you all might like it as well. Just some things to think about as we begin our internships and soon our careers as educators – what kind of teacher will YOU be?
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Both pieces – yours and the Rabbi’s were so well written. I got chills as well.
I know Sandy Hook has been on most teachers’ minds since the terrible tragedy. I know it has been on mine. I look at my own students and I know I would do what ever it took to protect them.
But It also means that I want the best for them and try to give them what they need. If it is a hug, I give it. If it is time to listen, I do that. If they need encouragement or a little push or more individual help, then I give that as well. I want laughter and the arts and lots of reading and caring in my classroom. We owe it to these children to be the best we can be.
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Thank you for getting permission to share, Stacey. It’s a lovely piece by Rabbi Males. I have no doubt that I lived well in the classroom; I loved my students and am still in touch with many of them. I imagine that there are few teachers who would not give their lives for their students as Vicki did.
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I remind myself that although I will have countless students over the course of my teaching career, each of my students will only have ONE first grade teacher. It is my responsibility to help lay the foundation for their entire educational lives, so I make every effort to make learning fun, make my students feel loved and valued, and make them thirst for learning. Leaving my troubles at the door isn’t so hard – I often feel like my classroom is my respite from the day-to-day stresses of life.
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Thanks for sharing this powerful, thought provoking article. Even though we often feel such pressure to show student growth through assessments, it’s important to connect with our students. I try to be in the hallway each morning to greet my students as they arrive and be there when they leave to give them a high-five too. I do my best to connect to what matters to them be it a sport, writing, singing or acting. I learn about my students and share myself with them. We laugh and take time to live. I want them to love (well at least like) coming to school and feel proud of who they are too.
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Last week my husband lost his job and I have been amazed at how I am able to check my personal life at the door before I “work” with the children. This is the most stressful thing that has happened to me personally as a full time teacher and I truly didn’t know I had it in me. I live in my classroom that way the children desire to live — focusing on them rather than myself, knowing that I am important, but that my “work” is different and separate from my worries at home.
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@aurore: You should be commended for your strength. What an incredible attitude you have!
My thoughts are with you as you and your husband go through this trying time. It is my hope he’ll find another position quickly.
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Every morning as I drive 25 minutes to my school, I say a quiet prayer…please make me a better teacher today! I try and greet any kid I see with their name. I want to laugh with my children, sing with them, and be totally silly at times. I want to make them love reading, write wonderful stories, and be great problem solvers. But most of all, I want them to be life long learners and let them know, we all make mistakes and that is how we learn, and it is ok to make goofs…because I do every day, but I learn from them. I also want to instill in them that we all walk this planet and no matter what we need to take care of each other. I think of Victoria, the staff, and especially the children each day of Sandy Hook.
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@Deb: I did something like this on my way to school every morning when I was a classroom teacher. I could bring my personal stuff to work or I could choose to leave it behind at the school door. I almost always choose the later. When I didn’t, I admonished myself, apologized to the kids, and corrected my behavior immediately. It’s easy to let other people’s drama, standardized testing, and personal circumstances drag us down. But in the end, all that does is ruin the synergy of a classroom community. Keep doing what you’re doing!
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What an amazing article. Stacey thank you for sharing it with us. It moved me and made me think not only the courageous young woman but my many colleagues.
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oops…
strengths. I want to share my love of reading and writing. I want my students to know I love THEM. I hope they remember my clasroom as a place where they were treated kindly and felt safe and hopeful for the future.
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This is beautiful. I try very hard to work joyfully with the preschoolers in my class, to let them see how fun learning can be. We are “living” in our classrooms – do it with joy!
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“Can you imagine how she must have lived in the classroom?” I felt goosebumps when I read those words.
Like others have said, I want to be there for students who need comfort and encouragement, to share smiles and laughter, greetings and hugs, and to treat them like I wanted my own kids to be treated. I want to give them the best of what I experienced as a student who LOVED going to school- challenging tasks and fun activities, opportunities to make a contribution to my class and school, a feeling of community and belonging. I want them to be able to take home to their parents the kind of keepsakes I have from my children’s school days- poetry, stories, and reports they wrote art works they created, and report cards with comments that showed their teachers had taken time to know them and see their strenghts
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I greet all students in the hallway (by name when I can) and give a genuine smile, even when I’m feeling down. I want school to be a safe and comfortable haven for our students.
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Breathtaking piece. My mantra for the past several years is one I borrowed from an article I read way back … simply: “Teach with joy.”
I think about the kind of warmth and love I want my young daughter to experience in her classrooms, and I try to put forth the same positive energy with other people’s children.
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@Gretchen: This is what we all want… to treat children the way we would want our own kids to be treated. A beautiful sentiment to remember every day.
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This is really how I want to flow(my word) for the remainder of my career. I want to remember to be kind. I want to remember to smile and laugh hysterically with the kids. Today I started with hugging one of my students that I saw every day last year in a small group. I told him I missed him and asked him how his muscles were growing, we talk about about reading as building great brain muscles. Thank you for this reminder from this thoughtful man. May we never forget. XO
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I pull my students out of their regular classes for gifted class. Last week I wanted to do a poetry writing exercise with all of my students so I asked the teachers of my youngest ones if I could keep them longer. I have a new student in first grade. She got emotional during sharing time and erased what she had written. She was feeling inadequate comparing herself to my older, more experienced writers. I kept her longer than expected to talk to her about her writing and take care of her little broken heart. Later her teacher chewed me out because she missed a test. This is an unfortunate example of what is happening in our schools. I felt bad because I got the child in trouble, but I don’t regret taking the time to comfort her.
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@Margaret: And you shouldn’t feel bad since you took the time to be there for a student. That’s the unwritten part of a teacher’s job description.
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