Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Meme- the Passion Quilt


I got tagged by Bou for the Passion Quilt Meme, and I had to muddle with it for a bit. What is the one thing I want my kids/students to learn? To be passionate about? What message did I want them to remember in 10 years?

What a compliment to me that she wants me to teach her children. Thank you, Bou. You've still got a few years until high school. You have time to find a house near me, I'll be happy to teach your boys.





That's a picture of the Ebola virus. It kills about 80% or so of the people it infects. This is my choice for a picture. I know, gross right? But listen to this:

I want to infect people with my love of science

I want my students to wake up with a burning to achieve something that day, to learn something, with a desire to do that is so strong they can't not do it. I want everyday to be an experience, I want them to have to go find the answers, because not finding the answers is not even a choice. I tell them over and over, "My goal is for you to love science as much as I do"

But there is another part of it, too. Looking back with those hindsight glasses of mine, I sometimes wonder why there wasn't an adult in my world who didn't see what was happening to me and say, "I should do something for her. That's not good for her, it's a bad choice."

So I want my students to know that I care about them and the choices they make, and the events in their life. I will go to bat for them, I will try to get them food, I will tell the proper people when they are battered, bullied or uncared for. I will stand with them in their time of need. I believe in them, even when they can't believe in themselves. I will be their advocate, even if it means having their parent's locked up. Or put in the hospital. I have created codewords with students so that if something was wrong, they could use the word with me and I could intervene.

Now, I'm not tagging anyone, but if you want to play along, the rules are at Bou's.


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

..... the world could do with more folks that think the way you do...

Eric

Erica said...

I would have been thrilled and incredibly blessed to have had a teacher who thinks and feels as you do.

You probably would have been my favorite. Talented educators, such as yourself, are in very short supply.

It's a shame. There should be thousands more like you.

Anonymous said...

The ebola virus. What a great picture. I'm laughing!

I so hope my boys get a teacher like you. Ringo will be in hs in 16 months.

But it is Bones who is in 3rd grade, who NEEDS the excellent science teachers. He has issues and nothing will be obvious to him... and he needs teachers with passion. I will always be here at home to help along the way, but a teacher like you will keep him loving Science. He actually told me last week it was his fave and he is proudest of that A this quarter.

Excellent post!

Holder said...

And just when the kids really need good science teachers(in the 3rd grade)they get teachers that know very little about science. It's a shame.

Rosie said...

I love science too. There used to be these amazing silk ties they were selling to doctors that had as the fabric pattern silk-screened stained virus' and bacteria images. My pulmonologist had one and I endeared myself to him by pointing out he had dropped a spot of TB on his tie.

They are often quite lovely things when blown up that way. It's a very good thing that ebola is such an inefficient virus.