Paths, Paths, Everywhere.

The paths that we walk in this world often don't reveal themselves to us until we have already begun to trod down them; disturbing the dust that has settled from people gone before. My path, has slowly started to reveal itself over these past three weeks. It's a path I've considered my entire life; a path that countless people I deeply admire have already ventured down. But I realize now that the dust has started to clear, that it's a path I've been wandering down for quite some time. It started with timid steps and casual strolls. I was too busy twiddling my thumbs and admiring the foliage along the way to even realize what I had undertaken. With the advent of the MAC (Master of Arts and Certification) program though, that aimless wandering quickly transitioned into a full-on sprint. In three weeks time I went from almost complete ignorance to knowing (surface in most cases), about pedagogy, social justice, ethical stances on teaching, dolphilians, sustainable education, Developmental Design, Common Core standards, EIs, IEPs, CPRs, and about 23 other acronyms (give or take).

Interwoven in this influx of new knowledge hides about 16,003 questions (again give or take). These questions range from things as superficial as, "Should I be a teacher that wears a necktie?" to "In twenty years, will my profession still be relevant?" A big source of questions for all teachers is technology. What advantages does technology bring to a classroom? What distractions does it bring? How might I utilize technology in my classroom and is there a threshold past which I'm actually detracting from my teaching? I am hopeful that this course (Education 504: Teaching with Technology) will provide some answers to those, and hopefully many other, questions. Our first day was insightful and interesting, yet it left me with more questions than I had coming into the class. One thing that really stuck with me, was the anecdote Rory shared about pitching technology to his school board. To sum up, he realized the irony of the moment in the moment, in the sense that he was pitching a step in a general direction that could eventually render his (and my future) job obsolete. Is that true though? Will technology ever be able to do what a teacher does, better than a teacher?

At this point in the blog, I'd love to refer you to the video at the top if you haven't already indulged yourself. Don't worry, I'll wait here. (la da, da da ti da. I wonder what news the onion is reporting on today. da dum dum dum) Back? Wonderful. I've watched that video a dozen times since it was first shown to me about two weeks ago, and I get the same reaction every single time: chills. That video is the most convincing argument against technology taking over the job of a teacher that I can imagine. Could a computer make a student feel as though a C+ is a Congressional Medal of Honor? Could a computer really, really convince a mother over the telephone that it was proud of something her son did? Could technology even distinguish the act worthy of that praise?  Not a chance. Humans are, at their very core, social beings. We need one another; plain and simple. One of the most incredible professors that I have ever had the pleasure of studying under, Christopher Peterson, summed his entire class, hell even existence, into three simple words, "other people matter." I am of the opinion that there isn't another profession out there that holds these words as close to their heart as a teacher. That's the pull that starts so many people down this wonderful path; wanting to positively impact the lives of others because they feel they matter.

If you will humor me one last time, imagine the paths that I referred to in the first paragraph. Imagine all of us slowly wandering around until we find one that suits us. Now imagine some tour guides on these paths. People that direct us to begin with, find out what our interests and passions are and point us in the right direction. Now picture these same tour guides on and along the paths themselves, guiding us, picking us up and brushing us off when we stumble. Who are these people? They are coaches, mentors, relatives, friends, families, and a whole heck of a lot of teachers. So whoever you are, whether you are still stumbling around at the beginning or reaching a breakneck sprint down your path, if you need help of any kind, look for a teacher.