The 23rd Mile

It’s the middle of May. At this point, teaching reminds me of the last stretch of a marathon. I’ve only run one marathon (which I think is enough) but I do have vivid memories of my body giving up around the 20th mile. My feet, my knees, my hips, my back all threw in the towel at the same time and I had to depend on my mental strength to carry me for the remaining 6.2 miles - which was good until my mind deserted me around the 23rd mile. Abandoned by both my own mind and body with a little over three miles to go, I turned to my spirit and even my spirit was wanting to wave the white towel once it realized I’d lost both my body and my mind. Whatever credit I may boast for completing a marathon is due to my fellow marathoners who were there running alongside me, increasing my pace, encouraging me, and challenging me to do whatever it takes to keep moving forward to the finish line against my desire to quit.

Mid-May for a teacher is the 23rd mile of a marathon. Our bodies quit sometime in February and we tap into whatever mental strength we have left to carry us through the testing months of March and April at which point we all sort of lose our minds. Right now in every classroom across the United States of America, teachers are trying whatever it takes to make it to the finish line.

Recently I’ve been perusing myriads of articles espousing and critiquing the Finnish educational system. While I acknowledge the obvious ins and outs of trying to translate Finland’s education reform into an American context, I was particularly struck by a line in LynNell Hancock’s article in Smithsonianmag.com, “Why Are Finland’s Schools Successful” -


“Whatever it takes.”


The article describes how Finland’s educators are driven by a “whatever it takes” attitude towards giving their students the highest quality education everyday in their classrooms. In pursuit of this goal, Finnish teachers are constantly collaborating and innovating on the best possible methods to reach their students. “If one method fails,” the article states, “consult with colleagues to try something else. They seem to relish the challenges.”

Every article I’ve read on the Finnish education model has pointed to the same foundational principle for success in our schools - a collaborative, professional teaching community. Here in America, where the quality of education is measured by an endless barrage of standardized tests, the classroom oftentimes becomes a conveyor belt of programmed response instead of an inspired incubator of innovative ideas. Success in education is measured by test scores and students and teachers alike are bludgeoned with the pressure to measure up. Honestly, I think public education right now in America amounts to just keeping our fingers crossed for that green light on the production line.

The more we mechanize our education system, the more we isolate and disenchant our current and future educators and students. As long as teachers’ only incentive is based solely on high test scores, our students education will be solely restricted to bubbling the correct letter and “erasing any stray marks” on a scantron. I love to teach, but I can’t teach and won’t teach in an education system that models itself after a meat factory. My students deserve better.

In every classroom in every school in our country, we’ve hit that 23rd mile. Our bodies, our minds may have quit but our spirits have to press on. We must press on, but we cannot press on alone.

Let’s build camaraderie in our classrooms and our schools. Let’s collaborate and create together as teachers. Let’s run alongside each other, increase our pace, encourage each other, and challenge each other to do whatever it takes to keep moving forward to the finish line against any desire to quit.

Our students depend on us!

Josh
FourTeachers Project