"Ms. H, In the Deed the Glory, what does that mean?"As I look up to admonish the young man speaking out of turn, I notice he is pointing at the Nebraska Husker poster which hangs proudly behind my desk. It has been one of those days. Teachers are not any different from any other profession in that they have days where their feet ache, heads ache, stress seems overwhelming, and all human interaction is a monumental task. I paused when I again read those 5 words.
The entire quote was written by a professor of philosophy at my alma mater. "Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory." -Hartley Burr Alexander.
So much of education is the victory and the goal. As teachers we focus our minds on victory: the student successes, the well-planned lessons, strong professional relationships; and goals: academic achievement, growth, and personal gains. In fact the pressure from those victories and goals often drives teachers away from the profession.
The truth is this: the value of teaching cannot be measured, and the glory of teaching is not found in test scores or observations. Instead it's the smile from the science teacher in the hall who stops to hear every 12-year-old's story from the weekend. Or the math teacher who loudly proclaims "Merry Christmas" down the halls to her colleagues even though it's April.
As Bryce sat waiting for an answer to his question, that pause meant so much more than a scramble to answer yet another student question. It was the reminder of who I am as a teacher in victory or defeat
.
"It means that whatever you put yourself into in life has worth, even if no one else thinks so."
'till the cows come home,
Ellie
