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**ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 2016**
Bank products, bonds, stocks, retirement fund, investment funds, annuities, commodity futures etc... There are many types of investment options out there when looking to make a buck. So many, that most people hire someone to tell them how they should invest their money. Why is this so important? When I searched "investment" in google this result came up: "In an economic sense, an investment is the purchase of goods that are not consumed today but are used in the future to create wealth. In finance, an investment is a monetary asset purchased with the idea that the asset will provide income in the future or will be sold at a higher price for a profit." I think this clearly answers the question of why we pay other people to tell us how to spend our money. The goal of an investment is "that the asset will provide income in the future or will be sold at a higher price for a profit." When making an investment there is always a risk for a loss. You are probably familiar with the saying, "The greater the risk, the greater the reward." In the same way, the greater the risk, the greater the potential for loss. As educators we are always making investments. The question I want to pose is, what kind of investment are you making? This is my 7th year teaching and my first year (since my first year teaching) that I am not coaching any sport. I thought that I would have so much more free time, but it hasn't seemed to work out that way. First I was very frustrated by this. Then, I started to think about why this is the case. Here is what I found.
What I didn't mention is that I am still tired. I still feel discouraged at times. I still have moments when I fly by the seat of my pants and fail miserably. When my focus is on the negative, I start to question the investment I'm making. Is it really worth it? Am I investing wisely? Is the risk too big? Yes. Maybe. No. Yes, the investment is really worth it. I may be investing wisely. It is something I can continue to evaluate. No, the risk is not too big. We make investments in student lives. The potential return on investment is ALWAYS worth the potential loss.
I haven't often been able to see my return on investment. This summer though, I received an email that I will treasure forever. This email is from a student who was in my class my first year of teaching. He was a difficult student in class. He often showed up late, walked out of class and was off task too many times to count. I invested many hours in this student. I even created a behavior tracking sheet just for him. At the end of the year not much had changed. He emailed me this summer and I received it when I returned to work in August. I replied immediately and received this response: "I am so happy you answered, for some reason I thought you weren't going to. You still have a behavior system with me on it? Lord I don't know if that's good or bad, we both know I was a horrible student. I see you actually enjoy your career, I want to thank you for not giving up on kids like me. It is because of teachers like you that some people decide to change the course they're on. I know it was the reason why I did, and I thank you for that. I went to Sharpstown high school for all 4 years and graduated top 15% of my class with a 3.65 GPA. Became commander for my JROTC unit for 2 years and brought home three 3rd place trophies and a 1st place for my district. After high school I enlisted in the U.S. Army." You see, the investment is always worth it. In an educational sense, an investment is giving up something you value for the sake of another's success. An investment is made with the hope that the person you are investing in does not leave your class in just the same way they entered. I challenge you to consider what kind of investments you are making at work. I also would like to encourage you to continue to make those investments. You may be the only person that believes in "that" student. Keep believing. Keep investing.
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Today is Teacher Appreciation Day.
I have no doubt it is not an accident that it is in May. We have been giving our all since August and everyone knows summer is coming without having to look at a calendar. Because if it doesn't come, we may not make it. I used to get very upset when people would tell me I'm so lucky to have an entire summer off. Do they really have no clue what it is like? No Regan, they don't. And that's ok. Teaching is hard, and after 9 years of teaching I assumed it would be easy by now. It hasn't gotten easier, but it has gotten better. My first year teaching, I had to quickly grab the teacher next door so that I could go cry in the teachers lounge during class. I have grown, that hasn't happened since! My third year teaching I developed eczema while stressing over state testing. My fifth year teaching was by far the hardest year I have had so far (multiple factors involved, see also My Story). My seventh year teaching left me frustrated. My eighth year teaching I had to work around the many Harvey stories with my students. Here I am in my ninth year wondering why it can't be easier. But then I remember that God has called me to this. I remember that He has equipped me for this. I remember the letters students have written me. I remember that I have an opportunity unlike most. I get to speak life into teenagers on a regular basis and show them what it means to struggle, fail, and eventually succeed. I get to show them what success looks like. Not success for their friend, or the "other kid" who just always gets it, but success for them. I have the joy of reminding my students that their identity in Christ is the only thing that is eternal. This my friends, is not easy. But these kids are worth it. With the many messages they encounter every day, it is important that there are adults in their lives speaking truth and life into them, face to face. The hardest part, we often don't see the moment the kid gets it. We are so deep in it that it's hard to step back, look at the bigger picture, and know that what we are doing is making a difference. That's what I want Teacher Appreciation Day (or week :)) to be about. I want to believe that what I'm doing matters. I want to see a small piece of fruit if God would be so willing to show me. And if I don't, I will still press on. And yes, a free coffee or Route 44 from Sonic might help me! Shoutout to the many people that have helped me get where I am today in my career. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it most definitely takes a village to keep a teacher. There have been too many to name here but I remember you and, thank you. My encouragement to you on this Teacher's Appreciation Day is to speak life into a student in your life this week as well as a teacher friend. This will help us all keep growing. Last year I moved from public school to teach at a private high school in Houston. This also meant using a flipped learning model in both my Algebra 1 and Geometry classes. Making videos was not new to me, but using the videos as my primary instruction was. I used someone else's videos for my Geometry class and made my own for Algebra. I did a lot of things wrong and learned some things along the way. I have learned:
My school brought in Jon Bergmann who has been the pioneer of flipped learning to speak about best practices and how to implement this model in our classrooms. Most of the things listed above were things I learned from him and also experienced first hand in my classroom. I have attempted to improve my model this year and am pleased with how I have done so thus far. Though it still has much room for improvement. The most difficult part so far has still been making sure students are watching the video (I use Edpuzzle for this) but also taking GREAT notes so that they are useful when the students are working on their assignment. My main goal this year has been to create all new videos for both Algebra and Geometry that are shorter and very clear instructionally. Once I have this established, I will be able to move forward in improving my model and how I use it in my classroom. Great teachers aren't born, but instead are committed to growing every year even when that means doing something new instead of what has always been done. This is year 9 of teaching for me and I would love it if I could just pull up last years assignments and upload them to the "2018 - 2019" folder. But I am committed to being a great teacher and also to growing. I don't love spending longer hours at work or extra time at home to make these videos, but I'll do what's necessary for my students to get the best education possible. Be great. Kids deserve it. **Also, if you would like to see my videos, they are all on my YouTube channel** |
Regan RayI have a lot of thoughts so I decided to put them all here. Archives
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