Pay or Profit?


For these are all our children and we shall profit by or pay for what they become.
James Baldwin

Our babies have finished their first week of school!  As I thought about what to discuss this month, I recalled the faces of the pre-kindergarten students entering their classroom for the first time. Their faces were full of both fear and excitement.  For many, it was their first experience in a classroom.  Much like the teachers, students don’t know what to expect when they enter a new space and begin this journey.  
I love this quote by James Baldwin and its embedded reference to education and the system that strives to create strong learners.  We profit from the creation of strong learners and we pay for students that struggle through their educational journey. 
We can look at our purpose as educators in one of two ways:  we can help students thrive as they experience learning, or we can pay for the byproduct of what happens as a result of their failure. 
When walking into week two, think of the faces of the students you journeyed with on your first year as an educator.  That anticipation that you felt when they entered should be the same anticipation experienced each and every year. 
If we continue to strive for unmatched experiences in our classrooms, we will continue to experience them in the most concrete ways, ensuring a debt free journey for our students! 

       

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