I Did It My Way

Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way.

Lyrics by Paul Anka

Originally, when I woke up in the middle of the night with the Frank Sinatra song running around in my head, I was going to focus on some of the things I have regretted in the course of my career.  I actually laid awake thinking of anything that I truly regretted.  Then I came to understand the first two lines from the "regret" stanza of the song.

 Could I come up with things that I regretted?  Were any of these worth writing about?  Why would anyone even want to read about them?  Nope.  Unless there was a lesson there, I decided that I was staying away from those moments, at least for now.

So why bring up the lyrics at all?  I hit me that what I was really running around in my head was the last line of the stanza.  When I pondered that, I also wondered why it came into my subconscious at all.  As the minutes and then hours went by, multiple sources of inspiration paraded in front of me as if they were sheep to lull me to sleep, and they did.

In hopes that the individuals who created this blog entry in my mind won't mind that I relate their contribution, I will be vague and not name names.  However, if you recognize yourself and want credit, just let me know, you deserve it, and I will gladly rewrite everything.

First, now that education is totally controlled by the results from tests, I want to give credit to those who make a true difference. As many of you who read my entries know, the school where I have set up residence for 34 of my 42 years in education was at one time targeted by the state for takeover. That process is still the focus of another entry later.  The staff members who were most in the line of fire are where I want to take this to start.  This year especially, there was a tremendous improvement in our students both in Algebra and English.  These first time takers of the ECA either passed or improved so much that they have hope to pass in the near future.

When you look at the scores that these students brought with them to high school, you wouldn't think that the results that they showed would be possible. The difference was the dedicated teachers who took on the task knowing how much work it would take.  Now, I will get to the point.  Each of these teachers was successful because they were faithful to their own teaching techniques.  They did it their way!  They didn't do it for the money, because in the state of Indiana and, more importantly in Fort Wayne Community Schools, they won't get it.

What did they get for their efforts, two days at the end of the school year focused on standards. They, and all other teachers, worked on how to make sure that everyone is teaching to the standards.  How am aware of this you may ask; I lead the fine arts group in working through the standards tying literacy to their standards.  A retired English teacher is trying to sell this to some of the most creative teachers in the history of Fort Wayne Community Schools.

Then, I learned of two teachers whom I consider to be master teachers were leaving their current positions.  Both of these teachers had been nominated as teacher of the year by their schools.  Yet, I can't help but think that the current conditions made this happen.  You see, these teachers excelled at making their classrooms alive with active students.  They truly do it their way.

Today I was contacted by a principal in a school where creative, innovative education is still valued.  He wanted to ask me about a teacher at my former school.  As I sang her praises, I so wanted to lie.  This teacher brought to the students at North a fresh way of looking at science.  Her students actually wanted to be in her class.

That was the final straw.  This has to come to an end.  The teachers that we need in schools are the ones we are losing.  I am pretty sure that if I was teaching in the current conditions, I wouldn't make it.  I really enjoyed teaching my way.  I hear from my former students that they agree with me that it was effective.  I would never ask anyone to teach like me.  I didn't when I was an instructional coach.  What I said to the teacher who wanted to know, "you have to find your style."  Each teacher has to teach his/her way.  Congratulations to those who still can!  And don't ever stop!