In Harm's Way

There are many aspects of being an educator that they don't teach you in your college courses.  In fact most of what you need to know as an educator, you must discover while on the job.  One of the most important parts of being an educator is that this isn't a job, it is a calling.  I believe in order to be most effective in this field, you have to be called.

I also believe that you need to be prepared to stand in the gap for students.  In the classroom, you work with about twenty-five students at a time and can be responsible for upwards of one hundred eighty students each year, depending on your grade level and content area.  This responsibility is not just for the academic well being of the student, but spills over into the emotional and physical well being of the student.  As a teacher, you are often the front line of protection for that student.  You spend as much time with them as their parents do in many cases.  You are the frontline of defense for many of your students.

Being on the frontline of defense can mean many things.  It could be simply noticing a change in behavior or attitude and letting the student know you care and are there to help.  It could also require you to notice signs of abuse and seeking help for that student.  As an administrator, this frontline of defense might involve removing a student from their current academic setting.  Many students feel that the principal or assistant principal are only there to kick students out of school.  I can tell you that is usually the last resort for us.  Our goal is to make sure that all students are provided a safe environment for learning.  Sometimes that involves a change in placement for one or more students.

On occasion, standing in the gap is not just a metaphor for the ways you look out for students.  Sometimes standing in the gap requires you physically standing in the gap for your students.  When this happens, you may find yourself in a position that could cause you physical harm while trying  to protect your students.  Here are a few examples of this recently:

Principal pushed children out of the way before being killed by bus in Indiana

Washington teacher tackles school shooter, saves his, other students' lives

Bus driver saves choking student

When these events occur, it always reminds me of this passage:

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13

Every day those called to be part of educating students put themselves in positions to protect and provide for students.  Many times that involves putting themselves at risk, putting themselves in harm's way.  These efforts often go unnoticed or unlauded.  Partly because this is considered the norm.  Partly because most would rather focus on the few that give education a black eye.

It seems everyday there are stories of what teachers, bus drivers or aids are doing wrong.  When you search for school related news stories, the bad far outweigh the good.  Which is disheartening for those in education, because we know that the good truly outweighs the bad in our schools.  The vast majority of educators would quickly put themselves in harm's way for their students, because this is their calling and their kids deserve it.

Rather than let the news dictate what is shared about school's, we need to continue to flood social media with the great things happening in our school's.