It is.
Recently, I was with a secondary faculty in Wisconsin, and after asking folks to craft their Everest sentences, I asked them to share with one another and answer, “So what? Why should students and families care about that Everest?”
After this, I took volunteers. One of our colleagues shared that her Everest is to help students to gain knowledge about and an interest in the trades.
And to this, I responded, “Wow! When you answered that ‘So what?' prompt were you, like, exploding with passion? Holy cow — you're walking around with a treasure chest every day in your classroom, aren't you!? You've got a whole array of fulfilling careers on offer, every day!”
And that picture is one I want you to think about today, colleague — you and I, carrying around invisible treasure chests, every single day that we show up to teach.
But here's the thing, colleague — nobody knows. We teach in a culture that doesn't see learning in school as the treasure it is. We teach within a system that buries the treasure in bureaucracy and standards and tests and bleck.
But look — do you see it? Beneath all that, it's treasure.
What you and I carry into the room each day —
What we've got on offer each day in our lessons —
The reason we're driven to get to the root of the teaching work that matters most —
It's treasure.
Let's not keep that a secret, today or any day — all right?
Best,
DSJR
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