"Print Rich"

That's what the administrators are calling my classroom this year.  It's also my new nickname among my closest co-workers as punishment for taking my job too seriously.  It's a difficult name to say though - Print Rich.  I can't even say it twice in a row without swallowing my tongue.  I didn't foresee that agreeing to show my room to teachers as an example of a print rich classroom would bring so much persecution!  (For those who are not familiar with this term, it refers to a well prepared classroom that is rich in text, pictures, diagrams, and other relevant literature and/or objects that are conscientiously designed to increase student literacy and understanding of the subject content taught in it) If I wasn't being harassed with text messages under the table all throughout today's professional development I was being visited by the entire all male deans' office while I was taping up the global history time line yesterday in my room.  They have been giving me a hard time because they are being asked to follow suit and make their rooms just as "print rich," and frankly it's a bit too much to ask of such manly men. 

Almost every day my co-workers try to distract me from planning ahead, from taking meetings seriously, or from taking on leadership responsibilities within the school.  Don't get me wrong, it's important to laugh and not take everything so seriously.  Otherwise, I'll burn out by the time Christmas rolls around when students uniformly decide they are going to make the teachers earn their vacation days.  They fight more frequently and with increased violence, they become restless during lessons, and all the norms you've established with them become lost in their distant memories.  It's around this time I see teachers throwing back double shots of Red Bull outside the corner bodega before lowering their shoulders and charging into school.  It happens every year.  I really should remember to capture this scene with my iphone this year and share it with you all.    

Truth is, it's not easy to stay motivated and to keep pushing against what seem like immovable mountains.  I couldn't help but be somewhat discouraged to know that my co-workers only see genuine effort as a rookie mistake or as in my case sucking up to superiors.  But after everyone left the building and all I could hear were my own feet against the broad tile floors and my hands smoothing out posters against bulletin boards, I had to remind myself that I do all of this unto God.  Inner city students are who God has called me to love and serve.  However, I have not yet seen mind blowing results since I started teaching at the high school level three years ago.  In many ways I feel all the miraculous successes I saw during my prior three years at MS 201 didn't transfer and that I have had to start all over.  But I don't perform miracles.  What I can and continue to do is stay faithful to what's been given me and do my absolute best every day.  I love and relate with my students the best way I know how, I prepare until I am dry of ideas, and I teach to the best of my God given ability.  I will do these things excellently through Christ who gives me strength.  God will do the rest, and you can be sure that results will follow to the testimony of God's amazing love and power for my students.