Sunday, September 14, 2014

the other fifty hours

Man can not live by running alone, although don't think for a hot minute that I haven't thought about trying, so this afternoon I hit the trails for the inagural ride of the BHS Social Studies Department Chain Gang.  After one final email reminder and expectations to only have fun, a faithful group of some of my favorite colleagues headed out to spend the afternoon together, out of our teacher clothes and teacher persona, leaving the teacher lingo behind, just to ride bikes. I wasn't sure how my quads would hold up after a 22 mile training run yesterday, but the comraderie of the great people with which I work made it effortless.



I love teaching as much as I love running. I can remember being in high school and wanting to be a teacher when I grew up, but thinking that it was a career that wasn't available to me. Even after graduating from college, I still couldn't consider giving it a shot. It would take a few more years of self-awareness and the encouragement of a great mentor, Gina, for me to realize that a public school would be a good fit. Today I can't imagine myself not working in education.

One of the most passionate and dedicated educators I know has always said that a teacher needs three qualities to be outstanding: deep content knowledge, a grasp of pedagogy, and the ability to build relationships.  I couldn't agree more, but would add that the third is the most important of them.  I can't say that I have any of those in spades, but I hope that I do a pretty good job, because it's incredibly important to me. I've been on the outside more than once in my life, so hopefully I can remember to include everybody, particularly when it comes to the students in my room. I constantly remind myself that I have no idea what each of them goes home to when they leave my class. The 90 minutes they spend in AP Psychology might be the best part of their day, and maybe a smiling face or a kind word will be all it takes to turn something around. I don't always get it right, but I try my best.

Yesterday morning while having coffee and reading the paper at Starbucks before my long run, the crew of runners that goes out each morning at 5:30 came in when they were finished. They're a great group of people and we often talk about runs, life, the Razorbacks, and whatever else is going on. One of my favorites in that group, Amanda, asked me to write about my classroom, which at the time struck me as a really novel idea, but while I was running I realized that I spend about 50 hours each week in that very space. Wow. It also made me realize how awesome it would be to spend 50 hours running each week. So to that end, here goes nothing.



There are 3400+ students at BHS, making it the largest school in the state of Arkansas. It sounds incredibly unmanagaeble but we do really well at the game of education.  My room is on the third floor, and i'm up there with John, Lyndsey, Mike, Sarah, Fran, Ryan, Kim, Aaron, Lora, Zach, Matt, and Brittany.  They're my crew.  My desk stays organized at all times, that shouldn't be a surprise, and i'm surrounded by things I love. I keep cereal, milk, gatorade, and almonds in my fridge.  There are a mixture of academic and nonfiction books on my shelves, pictures of family and friends on the bulletin board, and pop culture icons on the walls. Of course there's references to running everywhere, most noticably a mylar blanket from the NYC Marathon, and pretty much all of the students know that i'm into distance running, but I don't think the majority of them understand the volume of mileage for each week. And that's okay, because the classroom isn't about me, but I do hope that maybe a few of them might be inspired to take up the sport.



But of all the things that make my room a special place, there's nothing that makes me prouder than the framed pictures of all the AP Psychology classes i've had over the years. I've taught U.S. History, Civics, and Economics at various times but AP Psychology has become my wheelhouse, having taught it exclusively since 2009. I've grown as much from my interactions with these students as they have from me, and I mean that wholeheartedly. I tell each new section at the beginning of the year that they, too, will hang on the wall and forever leave their mark not only on the course, but on me as well.  I know that it's not much, but it's special. 
 
 
 
 After slowing down a bit around mile 18 yesterday morning to avoid an energy bonk, I made my way through the final stretch thinking about The Chicago Marathon and hoping to have a crystal clear sky much like the one I was currently under.  With less than a mile to go, a biker whizzed past me only to brake hard and turn around abruptly with a hearty "Mr. Puckett!!" from the top of his lungs.  I was completely spent and only half-way engaged in what was happening, so it took me a few seconds to realize that it was a former student, Hayden, now a senior at the University and on schedule to finish with an undergrad in psychology and start medical school next fall. 
 
He told me he was doing neuroscience research with some professors in the department and would be presenting at a few conferences this year.  His beaming face spoke volumes, as he was eager to let me know that he'd continued to study psychology.  I won't pretend to take any level of credit for his successes, but I do hope that maybe his first inkling of excitement for the neuron might have happened in my class.  Maybe being in my room and the interactions he had sparked interest in neurotransmitters.  Maybe he still has the copy of his class picture that I gave to him and all of his classmates.  Maybe.  That was my thought that kept me going, as least, in the final mile yesterday morning.
 
Run.

1 comment:

  1. What a special fella you are -- runner, teacher, motivator, friend. You are all of those things and more, and you capture your journey in words beautifully. I hope our paths cross soon.

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