Letters to a Young Teacher

I just now, this very minute, finished reading Jonathan Kozol's Letters to a Young Teacher, and I felt the need to quickly get my thoughts down.

This book follows Kozol's letters to a first year teacher, Francesca, in the Boston public schools.  It was not quite what I expected, but truly made me think.  I had never read any of Kozol's many works before, and his harsh criticisms of non-public education left me taken aback and thoughtful.  All year I have sought (and eventually found) employment with independent schools.  It wasn't until I read this book that I really questioned -- why?

To try and help answer this question for myself, I asked a few of those around me who work in independent education.  I asked both my parents.  I asked them what they thought peers of theirs who had spent decades in independent education might think.  I asked why they thought I should go into independent education.  Here's a little of what I came away with.

For next year, it will be such a privilege for me to work with an experienced master teacher and with incredible resources.  I will have the opportunity to spend a year or two improving my curriculum development and taking risks in a safe space.  I will hone my craft, clarify my educational philosophy, learn tremendously.

At that point, I think it will be time for me to spend at least a few years in public education.  Those are the students who truly need me, and I will be ready to really teach them.  Were I to try this next year -- I might fail, I might get burned out, I might give up.  Heaven knows I'm harder on myself than I should be, and putting myself into such a situation might be detrimental to my mental and physical health.  But after a few more years of experience, I feel called to back to public schools and serve the greater good.  I want to be a good teacher to children who may not otherwise have one, and I know that independent schools will always find good teachers for their students.

Does going into public education scare me?  A little bit.  Am I nervous about the potential for finding myself in a school that is more test-oriented than student-oriented?  Absolutely.  But with this apprehension comes excitement, an eagerness for the challenge that I see a few years down the road.

Letters to a Young Teacher really hit me.  It resonated with me and opened my mind.  I smiled, gasped, and sighed as I read it.  I am so grateful for this book.

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Currently reading:  next book is TBD...still working through Teaching Children to Care, but I like to have more than one going at a time!
Current high:  quick catch-up with a friend in the campus center -- it really brightened my day!
Current low:  Mrs. V might not be back tomorrow :(