Saturday, July 26, 2014

Saturday Sayings: Long Obedience



It's likely that I've shared this quote before.  With over 100 Saturday Sayings, it's getting increasingly harder to keep track of all these quotes.  If indeed I've mentioned this one before, I think it's worth bringing up again.  In fact, it's probably worth revisiting on a yearly basis.  I was reminded of it recently when I read an excerpt from Donalyn Miller's Reading in the Wild.     

"My friend Jim who lives in San Francisco told me that maintenance workers continuously paint the Golden Gate Bridge.  Workers paint as well as they can as far as they can every day, accepting any conditions that affect their progress such as the fog, which limits the number of hours in a day they can paint.  When they are done painting in one area, they start on another.  The crew never really finishes the job; they just continue."  

My teaching career is the Golden Gate Bridge.  Talk about a giant undertaking.  I'm not sure what I would have thought twenty years ago if I had really understood what I was up against.  What would I have done if instead of a ceremony and diploma, I'd been metaphorically plopped down in front of the Golden Gate Bridge and told, "Your classroom will be like this bridge.  Here's your paintbrush.  Now start painting."  I would have probably said, "You're kidding me, right?"  Even now after years of experience working on this career of mine, from where I currently stand I can hardly see to the other side and to what's awaiting me there.  Admittedly at moments I can feel overwhelmed when I look up to catch a glimpse of how much I still have left to accomplish.  It can be both intimidating and exciting at the same time.  To complicate matters, the conditions that affect my progress are many, unpredictable, and often out of my control.  In spite of the daily problems that impede progress, like the Golden Gate Bridge, this journey is a beautiful thing though, partly as a result of the determination it requires to pick up that brush day after day, knowing there's never a moment of completion.  My Uncle Burt would call it, "Long obedience in the same direction."  



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12 comments:

  1. Wonderfully said, Tammy! I just keep growing and growing as a teacher. In fact when I think I don't need to grow anymore, it will be time for me to quit and choose another career path! I'd venture to say I will never 'master' teaching, and that is exactly how I should feel about it.

    Crystal
    Teaching Little Miracles

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    1. Crystal, that's exactly how I feel too. As soon as I know what I'm doing, I'll need to stop.

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  2. I don't remember reading this before, if that helps :) and I think it's an excellent quote - and your discussion of it - for back to school, which will be happening soon for me. It's rather encouraging to me, because I've felt I still don't know all I want - and sometimes feel like I'm the only one in that position. Thanks for sharing! Sara

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    1. Sara, you are definitely not the only one who doesn't know all there is to know. You're in the best of company.

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  3. I love that Golden Gate story, how apt a metaphor for teaching. I think we can always learn new techniques, new strategies. And since we get to start over every year, regardless of our mistakes in the previous year, we can only improve! :)

    Not Just Child's Play

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    1. Miss Trayers, we're pretty lucky to have the annual opportunity to start all over, huh?

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  4. That quote comes from one of my all-time favourite books. Love the bridge metaphor!

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    1. Barb, that was one of the first teacher books I read. What a great one to start with!

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  5. That is a great way to compare teaching! It is great that we get a new school year every year- it's like we get to start over every year and strive to do better and improve from the year before.
    Lori
    Conversations in Literacy

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    1. Lori, I'm glad for that, especially after a considerably hard year. :)

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  6. I missed this last week, and I'm actually glad I did--but only because it's amazingly close to an entry I've been composing in my head all week for my own blog. I know we see eye-to-eye on this, so you won't be surprised when/if you ever get to read my thoughts on this same subject. Go Tam!

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    1. Laur, I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts about this. I'm sure your post will be eloquent and powerful as usual. Bring it on.

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