My Privilege



Most days, we teachers leave the light sabers at home...


"Teaching is a privilege. It's part of a Jedi's responsibility to help train the next generation."
--Obi-Wan Kenobi

This quote is from the back of my son's "Clone Wars" book, and I love it.  For not being a true fan, I really do find a lot of teaching inspiration in the many variations of Star Wars! As teachers, we should all aim for this should be our daily mantra. Do we approach our work in this way each day?  It is certainly a challenge, but the attitude that we carry day to day leaves a lasting impression on everyone we come into contact with each day.  Please allow me to tell you a little story about some workers in another job with a terrific attitude...

Teacher Attitudes: Gratitude

I've been thinking about gratitude in the past few days, and especially how it applies to teaching.  I live in an area where teaching jobs have been historically hard to land...we have many universities in our state and many graduates with education degrees with a desire to stay in-state.  With the economy as dismal as it has been, and with a governor slashing the education budget, teaching jobs are EXTRA scarce these days.

Good Reading: "So You Want To Teach?"

Are you a "List Person", that is always making lists of tasks to be completed, and then gaining satisfaction as you cross them off one by one? Yeah, me too.

Joel of "So You Want To Teach" is a list person, but of a different sort. He is terrific at making lists that pertain to our lives as teachers, and they are often full of positive messages.  Every teacher, music or otherwise, will gain insight from his blog, and his online persona seems like he is a teacher in the Jedi mode: cool, calm, meeting any crisis with finesse, etc.  Check out his list of "Fifty Reasons to Love Your Job as a Teacher".  (And he doesn't even include summer vacation!) Also, "15 Ways to Stay Positive" and "10 Things for a First Year Teacher to Do".

Why Jedi Music??

Maybe you think I must be a huge Star Wars fan, hence the title "Jedi Music".  I'm sorry to disappoint anyone who is google-ing to find their dream woman, but I didn't sleep outside in a tent for months to see "Return of the Sith", nor are my children named Luke, Leia, and Yoda.  I'm just a child of the eighties who saw the original three movies (I mean "Episodes IV, V, and VI" for those die-hards amung you) and didn't think too much about them after that.  I saw parts of the latest three movies in between nodding off at key points. Other than an experimental double bun childhood hairstyle phase, it just wasn't my thing.

I had a revisiting to the "Galaxy Far, Far Away" recently when my eight year old son became interested in Star Wars via Legos.  My husband, who was sorely disappointed in my lack of interest (or consciousness, for that matter) in Star Wars, was only too happy to dust off the old DVDs and introduce a new generation to George Lucas's brainchild. Offhandedly paying attention as usual, one particular scene did catch my attention and led to much thought.