Earlier this week, I was driving to a school I have visited several times over the past two years. I have taken this rural, country road countless times. It is a drive I enjoy. I have never encountered traffic on this road and my commute is accompanied by beautiful views of the foothills. A few months ago, I pulled off to the side of this road to take a picture as my car reached the 100k milestone.
I enjoy my drives to the various schools in our county. Depending on which school I will be working in, my commute can vary anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour and a half in each direction.
What is the purpose of your drive? How do you spend your commute time? What drives you as an educator, as a parent, as a spouse, as a human being?
In reflecting upon my career as an educator, I see that my thoughts and actions during my drive to work parallel my journey.
Year 1: Driven to Relate
I recall my first year teaching in the public school system. I had the most challenging teaching assignment of my career, serving kindergarteners, many of whom entered my classroom hearing English for the first time. As a monolingual white female from a middle class background, I was completely out of my element. My drive was to understand my students, to better meet their needs. My hour long drive home after each school day proved to be a valuable time for me to reflect upon the day and consider ways to better serve each and every student. My drive to work was filled with energetic music, meant to increase my optimism for the day. My drive home was silent. The radio was off but my mind was full.
The Drive to Learn
The year I enrolled in a program to obtain a Masters in Educational Leadership and Administration, I had a drive to learn, to expand opportunities, to gain a more global perspective regarding education. My drive to and from work reflected this inner drive. I listened to audio books, podcasts, and lectures via MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course).
Driven to Connect
When my son was in sixth grade, our drive to his school took about thirty minutes.
I fondly remember this time in our hand me down, white pickup truck, as we spent time conversing and strengthening our connection. It was during this year when I was experiencing my first role outside the classroom. While I was grateful for my new role as an instructional coach, my drive to work allowed me to keep a foot in the classroom, connected to a student, my son Dillon. As my focus had changed, so did the drive.
The Drive for a PLN
The first year in my role as an educational technology consultant, I was compelled to expand my PLN (personal learning network). I realized it would be impossible for me to be an expert at the intricacies of every app, platform, and device in existence. Instead, I needed to crowdsource questions and make connections with others.
At this time, I spent my commute time on Voxer, listening and engaging in conversations with instructional coaches, educational leaders, and teachers in groups such as TOSAChat, ConnectedTL, and EduMatch. It is through these Voxer conversations that I built knowledge and had instant access to thought partners from across the globe. But even more valuable was the development of friendships that remain to this day, even though my commute no longer includes Voxer.
Driven to Reflect
In the past few months, I have sought to be more thoughtful in my service to students and educators. It is during my drive to school sites that I document my reflections. I use voice typing to record these thoughts, many of which develop into blogposts.
The Most Important Drive of All
This week, my drive to a school site where I would train teachers to become Google Certified Educators was stopped with a shot of perspective. As I drove a road I know well, enjoying the comfort of the BMW I have wanted since I was in third grade, I came upon a school bus stopped on the road. The stop sign on the side of the bus was extended and red lights were flashing. My car slowed to a stop and I looked to my right to take note of the students boarding the bus to head to school. The bus seemed to be stopped for a longer time than the norm. I saw a student running toward the bus. I noticed he did not have a backpack. As I looked closer, I saw the dirt road his shoes were hitting with each stride. I saw the door of the trailer he had slammed shut before running to the bus. I saw a makeshift clothesline above a dusty yard full of broken furniture.
At that moment, I wondered if the student’s teacher also took the drive by his home. I wondered if this student’s principal had been to this place. I wondered if any adult at this student’s school knew that he did not have a backpack. And I remembered my most important drive of all. The drive to make a difference for students. The drive to know who our students are, to determine what drives them, to inspire each and every one of them to dream past their circumstances. As educators, we have the power to change the trajectory of a life. We make a difference with each drive we take. What is the purpose of your drive?