Learning From Our Students

After graduating from the College of the Holy Cross in May 1996, I joined a volunteer program that no longer exists: Inner-City Teaching Corps. The program placed recent college graduates in classrooms in Chicago's forgotten neighborhoods. It was modeled after the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, which was much more broad in terms of the volunteer opportunities. We lived in a small community with a limited budget, but we all taught. 

Without a degree in education or certification to teach, the program partnered with Loyola University Chicago to obtain temporary licensure for us. When I left Chicago in 2000, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. However, all I had was four years of teaching under my belt. 

I found a thirteen-month program at Fordham University that came with a New York State teaching certificate, along with a Master of Science in Teaching degree. I was a full-time student, but because of the program's duration, we were required to complete a portfolio of our work instead of writing a lengthy final project. The title of my portfolio was "Learning From My Students." 

Fast forward twenty-three years, and I was at the Hanaford School for classroom visits last week when Ms. Colleen Hanrahan invited me to the front of the room to complete a challenging math problem. The class read the question aloud to me, and I started to show my work. I knew immediately that I was going down the wrong path, as there was an almost instant buzz in the room. Fortunately, the students and the teacher were more than happy to help. With the right prompts from both Ms. Hanrahan and her students, I was able to find my way back to the correct answer. 

It was so important for Ms. Hanrahan and her students to see that we don't have all the answers. Often, when I ask students what the superintendent does, the response is: "You're the boss of the principals." Technically, that's correct. However, this is my answer: 

• My job is to ensure that every student who comes to school feels safe, welcomed, and included so they can learn to their potential. When students feel those things, they have the freedom to make mistakes, which is the best way for us to learn. 

Just by the fact that we have degrees in education and licenses to teach, does not mean we have all the answers. Just because we stand in front of the class, with a well-thought-out lesson plan, does not mean we won't be stumped. Just because we are adults does not mean we know it all. 

But let's be honest, we sometimes slip into that mindset. Adults know more than children. It's just nature's way. We've been around the block more than once or twice. We've been in their chairs. We've completed our education.  We have college and advanced degrees. We pay mortgages. We pay taxes. We are adults!

In 2022, I wrote about a colleague whose humility in education was inspirational. Frank Raispis was committed to staying in education, as long as he continued to learn. He wasn't interested in titles, degrees, or teaching licenses. Mr. Raispis was interested in learning and had a life full of it. 

I love being a Superintendent of Schools. Whenever I'm discouraged by the work of my office, I leave and visit a classroom. Whether it's on the floor with a first grade at Frenchtown or Meadowbrook. Or perhaps it's in an advanced science classroom at EGHS. Maybe it's wandering into a foreign language lesson at Cole. Or finding my way into a self-contained class at Eldredge or Hanaford. It energizes me. It inspires me. It reminds me why I went into education in the first place. 

After last week, my Fordham portfolio needs a few more pages. For Ms. Colleen Hanrahan. For her students. 

For teaching me that I still have plenty to learn and so much more to grow. 

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