This is Water

11.13.09 By José Valenzuela

I must say that I never quite believed my methods instructor (Neema) when she said, “Your first year after BTR is going to be SO much harder than your residency year.” I thought, “no way, it can’t be. I can focus on my lesson plans and my kids more.” I can now admit that I was wrong. Really wrong. To say that this first year has been overwhelming is an understatement. The truth is there have been many days where I have drowned (literally in paper work, and figuratively with emotions). This year has been humbling, to say the least. I have caught myself yearning for last year, but then I catch myself and I remember the tremendous opportunities that I have in front of me: the chance to build a new school culture from the ground-up (@TechBoston’s 6-9 expansion); planning and developing a well-sequenced 8th-9th grade history curriculum; expanding wrestling to more urban students at Dorchester High School; and of course, working with some of the most thoughtful students in the City of Boston.

I have also been fortunate because of the networks that BTR has laid out for me. They are organic extensions of my work last year in the program, and I think it is a positive sign that the program is in the right direction, where collaboration and high expectations are just a “natural” part of everyday life in the Boston Public Schools. This network includes…

…My methods instructor Neema. She has been a steady and sage advisor in all aspects of my first year. Her motivation is simple: to help Boston school-aged children. Her logic is equally as simple: she only gets to teach 120 students each year, but her former residents allow her to “teach” another 100-120 students each, thus multiplying her efforts. It is her commitment that is unmatched though: after 6pm on one particular weeknight, she drove to my school to help me to problem-solve, move tables and rearrange my classroom! The children of Boston are truly lucky to have Neema, whether she taught them directly or not (although she has in fact taught two of my current students).

…Five other residents from last year’s cohort at TechBoston this year. The “cohort” model of BTR is so essential to the mission of the program, and I have seen first-hand exactly why that is true. Being able to walk into another former resident’s room and decompress with that teacher about the day is one of the most therapeutic aspects of my day. I couldn’t imagine undertaking this journey with any other group of adults.

…My mentor.  The clearest change from the residency year to the first year is that the classroom is YOURS (side note: my mentor didn’t even have a classroom last year, and instead we “floated” between 5-6 classrooms). In Year One, you, and not your mentor, make the decisions. However, it seems unrealistic to work with a great teacher for an entire year, and then to sever that tie come the next year (for the sole purpose of spreading your wings). I believe it is still important to have that sound board for classroom management strategies, lesson planning, and all of the other things that get thrown at you in the first months, and my mentor continues to be just that.

So, even though I have felt like “drowning” this year, I am reminded by David Foster Wallace’s words (and yes, this is from my BTR Graduation speech!):

  The capital-T Truth is about life BEFORE death.

  It is about the real value of a real education, which has almost nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with simple awareness; awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, all the time, that we have to keep reminding ourselves over and over:

  “This is water.”

  “This is water.”