"You Can't Save Them All"

“You can't save them all.” In my thirty four years of teaching, I've had not one, but two administrators say this to me about one of my students. I can't begin to tell you how this statement angers me! What is our job as teachers? I believe it is to impact our students so that the world will be a better place, To teach them empathy, social skills, peaceful conflict resolution, and a whole host of other soft skills, on top of the academics.

My job IS to save them all! If I don't believe this with my whole heart, then I'm in the wrong profession. I need to love them fiercely, regardless of their idiosyncrasies, their gender, their race, the socio-economic place in society. Accept them where they are, as they are. That's our job! So when an administrator says, “You can't save them all,” I think it's time for that administrator to step away from public education.

I am reminded about a poem, first brought to my attention by a fellow teacher, very good friend, and simply amazing human being! In her address to the district upon being named the Elementary Teacher of the Year for the district, Holly Schreiber shared this story with the rest of us. It touched me then, just as much as it continues to touch me and I try to emulate the idea behind it. I will share here:

The Legend of the Starfish

A vacationing businessman was walking along a beach when he saw a young boy. Along the shore were many starfish that had been washed up by the tide and were sure to die before the tide returned. The boy was walked slowly along the shore and occasionally reached down and tossed the beached starfish back into the ocean. The businessman, hoping to teach the boy a little lesson in common sense, walked up to the boy and said, "I have been watching what you are doing, son. You have a good heart, and I know you mean well, but do you realize how many beaches there are around here and how many starfish are dying on every beach every day. Surely such an industrious and kind hearted boy such as yourself could find something better to do with your time. Do you really think that what you are doing is going to make a difference?" The boy looked up at the man, and then he looked down at a starfish by his feet. He picked up the starfish, and as he gently tossed it back into the ocean, he said, "It makes a difference to that one."

     This is how I feel teaching should be, to make a difference to that one.