(The art of)
INTEGRITY
(from the inside of a yellow Chevy Caprice)
When I was little, I used to love to play that game where you find a word in another word. My Nonnie took me to Washington Irving Elementary School every day where she was a third grade teacher and I was a student. I remember staring at the word, "Caprice" on the dash of her car and finding "cap", "price" and "rice" easily. Then it dawned on me I could move the letters around and that brought a whole new list of words including "reap" and my personal favorite, "crap".
So now, fast forward about 3 decades and I am the third grade teacher taking my daughter to school everyday. And I still love to play word games...like "Jump Your Spelling Words" or "Word in a Word." So, since you are here... play along with me?
What words do you see in the above heading, "Integrity?" If you are a school reformer or aware of the politics playing out in education, you will probably quickly see the word "grit" because it is really popular now. Some people think you can just "grit" your way to the top. Hmmmm.... I have seen a lot of grit in my life as the daughter of a social worker, artist and from a family of farmers, educators and small business owners. Even though I see the politics in the rhetoric (and vice versa), it does make me really think about how we use semantics in shaping opinion and policy. I have a passion and curiosity for semantics because I know it is used to pave roads, sometimes it's gravel... What do you think of when you hear "grit"?
Maybe instead of feeling a little bit dirty and angry when I hear that word, maybe just maybe, I can use my own "grit" to scrub out my own personal meaning. I think grit is going deep into a cleansing process...looking for something meaningful or working to restore some shine. Reminds me of the Ajax my grandmother used to swear by as she cleaned every room in her roadside motel every day. Yeah, she had grit in so many ways. I would watch her take a tiny bit of powder and work it in circles. The grit would ball up initially and really looked like more of a mess than anything but she kept massaging it and working with it, until she revealed a shine underneath. It didn't make those old sinks and tubs new but it sure did reveal a sparkle that welcomed the next guest to their next stop on their destination.
Maybe instead of feeling a little bit dirty and angry when I hear that word, maybe just maybe, I can use my own "grit" to scrub out my own personal meaning. I think grit is going deep into a cleansing process...looking for something meaningful or working to restore some shine. Reminds me of the Ajax my grandmother used to swear by as she cleaned every room in her roadside motel every day. Yeah, she had grit in so many ways. I would watch her take a tiny bit of powder and work it in circles. The grit would ball up initially and really looked like more of a mess than anything but she kept massaging it and working with it, until she revealed a shine underneath. It didn't make those old sinks and tubs new but it sure did reveal a sparkle that welcomed the next guest to their next stop on their destination.
I believe we are all travelers on this journey called life. I love hearing about what others are discovering on their journey. This is why I chose to be a teacher and learner. This is why I consume articles, books and professional development opportunities. I don't want to get stuck in a ditch. But, I am much more intrigued by the drive than the destination. I was touched by Chris Thinnes recent blog about the NPE conference in Austin (which I visited via internet and twitter). For more on that , check this out. chris.thinnes.me/?p=1979
This is the "grit" that shined for me through Chris' journey with school reform and exploring his role at the NPE conference.
I was taken by the purposeful efforts they made – at this instant, and in many others like it over the course of our time in Austin — to really hear and to honor the contributions of others; the authenticity of their responses to questions, even and especially when they presented them with a challenge; their willingness to take steps back in order that others might take steps forward; and their seeming preference to defer to the insight and experience of others, in order that they might learn themselves. Imagine what could happen – in and among our schools, and in the public discourse about them – if our extended conversations and collective decision-making were framed by such an ethos.
That, to me, my friends... is grit. And all the motivational posters and policies in the world are not going to erase the human need to "own" our learning, to find personal meaning along the journey and to honor it when you see others driving a similar make and model. And it is worth the "crap" we have to drive through to find our own place in school reform and politics and Teaching and LEARNING and then, to try to facilitate or at least, support that for others. I know a lot of people (hear that inner critic) who may think this is all just too "artsy" of a take or too many words about something that matters little in the "bottom line" of a "data driven" discussion...or a waste of time to explore the human emotions that underlie the spirit of democracy and education. I say, I am using my "grit" to "reap" the shine and the rest is "crap". And in the words of my very wise Nonnie, an educator for over 35 years....."FIDO" which means, "Forget it, Drive on!" (or something like that...)
I am old enough to drive now and to choose to take a few detours now and again. I can follow a map. I can navigate back roads. Standards, tests, rules, shmules, whatever....They may get to build the highways but they don't own the words on the dash of my personal vehicle. That's where I can find my inteGRITy in the ride. I hope I can inspire others to be aware of the road signs but to also program and trust their own gps. So many possibilities! So many words!
Beep Beep, Beep Beep, Yeah!
More words from Caprice...EPIC, Circa! http://www.solverscrabble.com/solver/
