Thursday, October 20, 2016

A Friend

One of my favorite moments in the Superman cinematic universe is from the 1978 film by Richard Donner.  In the film, when Superman makes his dramatic first appearance rescuing Lois Lane, she asks the question, "Who are you?". Now, he could have given a number of responses. This guy has quite the credential list and has a huge background story to tell. He's been called The Man of Steel, The Man of Tomorrow, and The Last Son of Krypton.  Instead, his very simple response to the question, Who are you? is "A Friend".

It's interesting to me that his simple response was all she needed to hear. A friend implies that he is here to help, that she doesn't need to be afraid, that he cares. In fact, even his name is not given. His role and his actions were what was important. I think of how many times that we get caught up in titles, names, and credentials, when what's really important is what we do and how we act. In this case, it was the role of "A friend".

As educators, we all have names, credentials, and titles. Those may mean a lot when giving a presentation, going to a conference, or publishing a book. But our students aren't interested in any of that. They want to know if we will be a guide, a mentor, and even a friend. All of these roles can be summed up in the word "Educator". When I think of the best educators I've worked with, these roles all apply. There's power in the word educator, because it embodies all the best traits students look for and deserve. I hope that when students, staff and parents think of me, they will look past the titles and credentials and know that I am an educator who is here to serve and here to help.
photo credit: Superman Forever DC Comics

PEARLS OF WISDOM

"If I had to chose a superhero to be, I would pick Superman. He's everything that I'm not." - Stephen Hawking

"What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and maturity to use that power wisely." - Christopher Reeve

"One thing I do know is that you are here for a reason!" - Jonathan Kent (Glen Ford) to young Clark


UPCOMING EVENTS

Monday, October 24: Celebrate Monday Assembly 9:05-9:20 am
Wednesday, October 26: Achievement Team (Merchant) 8:20 am
                                        Students dismissed at 12:10 Conferences 1:00-4:00 & 5:00-8:00 pm
Thursday, October 27: Students dismissed at 12:10 Conferences 1:00-4:00 & 5:00-8:00 pm
Friday, October 28: Trunk or Treat event 6:00-8:00 pm

Monday, October 31: Student of the Month Assembly 9:05-9:20 am
Thursday, November 3: PTA Meeting 6:30 pm

Monday, November 7: Celebrate Monday Assembly 9:05-9:20 am
Tuesday, November 8: No Students for Election Day / Teacher PD (schedule to follow)

GREAT EDUCATORS TO FOLLOW ON TWITTER




Debbie McFalone










Derek Wheaton

2 comments:

  1. Look! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's SuperJon! Beautiful blog! Anyone who thinks of you, automatically thinks friend-giver, helper, servant leader! Thanks for the Twitter boost too, my friend!

    Derek

    ReplyDelete