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05 October 2004: The Only Republican Teacher I Know (2 of 3)
This seemingly obvious bit of wisdom was given to me by the director of my credential program. At the time that he addressed the class with this nugget, I didn’t really get what he was saying. I couldn’t understand why he had to repeat himself over and over. “I’m the teacher,” I thought, “okay, I get it…” But, as it turned out, it wasn’t until I was there, in my classroom, with my students, that I truly could appreciate the point this wise teacher of teachers was trying to make.
The subtext of this simple and repetitive message is powerful: Take responsibility. I’m not trying to devalue the ideals of respect as the First Lady encourages, but even teachers who tout respect often forget to take responsibility for the teaching of it. So, my instructor says, take responsibility. Not only that, but be patient. Understand that being the grown up and the teacher puts you in a unique position of power.
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