By: Karen Handlos
I just attended an amazing convening in Phoenix, Arizona;
the Teacher Voice Convening. The convening only lasted a couple of days but was
filled with over 150 educators from across nine different states sharing their
stories and learning from others about the positive impact that the Common Core
State Standards have and are making on their students.
One teacher’s story really stuck out to me. The teacher is a
special education teacher and one of her former students had come to her not
knowing how to read. The child’s parent spoke with the teacher and shared that
her child was too low functioning and reading would never be a possibility. The
teacher decided not to focus on what she was told the student could not do but
to find out for herself what the student could do. The teacher believed that
all students, despite disabilities, should have equal opportunities for
education and that is exactly the kind of learning environment that she
provided for this student. She persevered and challenged her student beyond her
current capabilities and by the end of the year the student was reading and
doing math problems. Had the teacher sat back and accepted the student as she
was she never would seen this transformation and the student would still be low
functioning and not reading.
Teachers have a powerful voice and position in the lives of
their students. They can elevate the teaching profession by challenging their
students to new heights and transforming their instructional practices to meet
their students’ needs in ways that far surpass the status quo. I challenge all
teachers to set the bar high and to work with your students so they may be able
to compete in the global economy and allow their dreams for the future to come
true!!
"A teacher
affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." - Henry
Brooks Adams
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