Honoring the work of teachers in a way they find meaningful and vivifying.

This I Believe

I believe that teaching is fire. It spreads quickly and captivates us. It fuels and nurtures us. It is destructive — clearing the way for new ideas and new ways of living in relationship with others. Depending on the situation and circumstances, teaching has the capacity to be both life-giving and life-taking. Like fire, teaching is dangerous.

I believe that teaching is a calling — a Latin vocare. That we are called to be of service to future generations. I believe that from service comes joy and from joy comes everything.

I believe that teaching is a sacred act — not in a Sunday morning, sit in a pew way — but in a Wednesday afternoon, roll up your sleeves and take a deep breath way.

I believe I earn my place on this planet by teaching — not because it is painful and arduous — but because we are in a symbiotic relationship with the universe. We teach to be used and we teach to be renewed.

For more information on using “This I Believe” essays in your classroom, visit www.thisibelieve.org.

How I Teach

“One will weave the canvas; another will fell a tree by the light of his ax. Yet another will forge nails, and there will be others who observe the stars to learn how to navigate. And yet all will be as one. Building a boat isn’t about weaving canvas, forging nails, or reading the sky. It’s about giving a shared taste for the sea, by the light of which you will see nothing contradictory but rather a community of love.”

— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wisdom of the Sands (Citadelle)

Pedagogical Philosophy

“If you trust in yourself and believe in your dreams and follow your star you'll still get beaten by people who spent THEIR time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”

— Miss Tick, Wee Free Men (Terry Pratchett)

Principles of Family Support

Before becoming a teacher, my work as a community-builder and mediator was guided by these tenets, which are rooted in acknowledging the inherent value of every person. As a teacher, the Principles of Family Support have secured a productive and joyful relationship with parents.

1. Staff and families work together in relationships based on equality and respect.

2. Staff enhance families’ capacity to support the growth and development of all family members – adults, youth and children.

3. Families are resources to their own members, to other families, to programs, and to communities.

4. Programs affirm and strengthen families’ cultural, racial, and linguistic identities and enhance their ability to function in a multicultural society.

5. Programs are embedded in their communities and contribute to the community-building process.

6. Programs advocate with families for services and systems that are fair, responsive, and accountable to the families serve.

7. Practitioners work with families to mobilize formal and informal resources to support family development.

8. Programs are flexible and continually responsive to emerging family and community issues.

9. Principles of family support are modeled in all program activities, including planning, governance and administration.

From: Guidelines for Family Support Practice (1996) Chicago: Family Resource Coalition.