Dear That Kid That Has an Impossible Dream

I was a late bloomer. As late as the 10th grade my primary career interest was in being a superhero. Not someone with super powers, which I DID sense were beyond my grasp, but someone trained to the very height of human ability. All of that, as you may have guessed, didn't work out; at least not as the teenaged version of myself thought.

Future superhero? No doubt.              

As a teacher, I found out that the profession requires many of the same traits you might look for in a hero. Teaching requires constant vigilance. You must be able to write a complex poem on the board while knowing what the 30 humans behind you are doing. You must look into the souls of these students with empathic powers, and know when they are dancing around the truth and when to trust them. You need to understand when to save them and when to push them so they may fly on their own.            
                     
Super strength is necessary, naturally. You will rise early, and work until you sleep. You have to keep one step ahead of a group of youngsters charged with boundless energy and stamina. They will test the limits of strength in their teachers and paradoxically recharge that strength at the same time. The teacher must be strong to serve the student, and is made strong by this service.

Certain mundane powers are needed as well. The teacher will sit, like The Batman, in his darkened cave, working hour after hour to grade papers, plan projects, and recruit other heroes (parents) to their aid. There is no thank you for this work; no immediate reward. The toil is done, unseen, so that when the battle is fought, it can be won.

Even Batman has to brush.

One thing all heroes have is strength of character. Heroes are role models; teachers are too. While we may be armed with a variety of pithy maxims to lead them toward a proper life, students learn mostly by watching. The teacher and the hero must model correct behavior to elicit it in others. Superman doesn't lose his temper and yell at Lois. Batman doesn't forget to maintain the Batmobile, leaving it inoperable for the big fight. As Uncle Ben told Spider-Man, "with great power comes great responsibility". This sense of responsibility is the most important power the hero and the teacher have in common.

I dreamed big, That Kid That Has an Impossible Dream. After teaching for 15 years, I think I achieved my dream. Putting in everything it takes to be an outstanding educator on a daily basis puts you in the footprints of great teachers of the past; great heroes of the past. It is my hope to inspire the heroes of the future. So keep dreaming!

Wherever rough drafts need work, you will find The Reviser!