eARThshaking art teacher: Cast Away or Survivor? What's your style?

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about teaching. This past week was National Teacher Appreciation Week, a week that is set aside and designated for all of us to be thankful for and remember the dedication of our teachers. As a student myself, I have had some of the most incredible teachers a student could have, all the way through my education...elementary school, middle and high school, college, grad school, in my work setting where I am a teacher, and through NAEA and TAEA. It's easy for me to be thankful for these teachers because I know first-hand what a difference they have made in my life. I am also from a family of teachers...aunts, cousins, my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and two of my three children are teaching, both of my daughter-in-laws are teaching, and I'm a teacher. So there is a lot of appreciating educators going on in my family!

Good teachers know they cannot "go it alone." It takes a village. It takes a team. I'm lucky to have the most amazing team I have ever had at school right now. They are such a blessing to me and each one contributes so effectively to the overall education of the students. Personally, I like being a part of a team. Teaching can easily be one of those professions that can be a solo style performance, each teacher with their own classroom and class(es) of students. Much like Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) in Cast Away, as a teacher I can be on my little island of discovery, being resourceful, inventive, and challenging myself and my students each and every day. No one may witness the inventive learning going on in my classroom because I'm the only one on the island. But, wow, the learning can be great!

Or, I can be part of a team of educators, which I will liken to the Survivor Island, where collaboratively we are all working together to educate and engage students, encourage cognitive and creative thinking, showcase higher level thinking going on in the school environment, propel our society forward, and improve the global future. And, as in Survivor, there may be moments of agreement and moments of friendly disagreement. I suppose occasionally there may be some strategizing and manipulating. Maybe the word Survivor is a pretty good word to describe the day in and day out routine of being an educator! You never quite know what will present itself on a day you had all planned out. One day when you thought you were going to finish organizing the school art show during your planning period, instead you have four eager students who want to work on advanced painting projects show up with smiles as big as Texas on their face....how can you say no to that?

I know Chuck kept himself busy on his island. He built shelter, fashioned clothing, fished, and made all kinds of ingenious tools, and of course he even made a friend, Wilson. And, although I am only an occasional fan of the Survivor show on television right now, it is easy to see the value of the teamwork that goes on. Ok, let's admit one thing.....they are all trying to get everyone else off the island...but you get the point, right? The point is it takes teamwork, strategizing, and planning to continue the island efforts. With the end of May fast approaching, the word survivor might just be a metaphor for a whole lot more! To teach is to touch the future! Hope all the teachers get their teacher tanks refueled this summer so they can get back on the island in August!