El Capitan

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Recently, two young adventurers made rock climbing history when they scaled a difficult section (Dawn Wall) of a vertical rock formation called El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Their story is remarkable and captured world wide attention. I do not claim to even vaguely understand why some folks set their sights on such goals but I do know that there are people who survive by living life on the edge, literally. For many of us, I suspect that living on the edge is far less dramatic and newsworthy. Climbing for us happens when we put our head into the wind and accomplish the demanding moments of life.

The profession of teaching comes with many El Capitan moments. Here are a few.

1) Parent Teacher conferences--Nothing says love like sitting in a cold gymnasium for four hours, entertaining parents and students after a long day of teaching. And then doing it again the next day. And the next day. Finally a compensatory day is given....two months later. Makes dangling from a tent in mid-air look more and more appealing.

2) In-service training--Don't get me wrong. I believe in teacher training sessions. I have led many of them myself so I have experienced both sides of such events. That being said, sitting through a presentation on the latest cure-all for students is sometimes challenging at best. My favorite part is when a session leader decides to remind us that "this is what our kids feel like when they have to sit all day."  Well, thank you for letting me know that I am a cruel and evil person who tortures kids all day long. Takes the sting right out of an already long day, for sure. I find it is best to embrace the moment for what it is. A hike through informationville. Hopefully, a little trail mix is provided.

3) Schedule changes--Schools operate on very tight time frames. If a class is supposed to end at 10:03 it must end at 10:03. Not 10:02 or 10:04 or 10:05. Woe be to the teacher who upsets the apple cart of punctuality and regularity. I wish the same could be said for executive decisions. At the beginning of our current school year, we were given six different operating schedules including the back to school day, one-hour late start, two-hour late start, anti-bully program, alternate day schedule and in-service late start day. Makes the OCD in all of us want to get counseling or climb a tall object without a rope.

4) Technology--It's a wonderful thing. It really is. But, it is a butt biter when it doesn't work. From the beginning of time, good teachers have known that every lesson needs a plan A, B and C for sure. Add to the mix the fickleness of techie tools and we need to extend the alphabet of options. I never want to go back to a classroom without a Smartboard and student computers but I know that even a good pair of hiking boots can pinch on occasion.

I know that I will never climb a K2 mountain or wrestle alligators but I get up everyday, lace up my shoes and put one foot in front of the other. I think that is what the El Capitan climbers did, too. So I guess we have more in common than I thought.

Pass the trail mix.