WILLMAR -- One by one, a dozen soon-to-be graduates of Willmar High School stood up and talked briefly about why they want to become teachers. The reasons were varied but they were similar in their sense of service.
--“I want to inspire children.”
--“I want to make a difference.”
--“I want to help shape the next generation.”
--“I know how much a teacher can change lives.”
The kids were honored one morning before school
last week at a gathering to honor members of Willmar’s Class of 2022 who are
headed off to college to become educators. The students were joined by parents or mentors and teachers who have made a difference in their own lives.
Breakfast was served before principal Paul
Schmitz welcomed everyone to the happy gathering. Tammy Knapper, representing
the teachers in Willmar, spoke about the importance of educators, and I was
honored to speak to the group, too. I talked about my mom and my daughter, who
are both educators, and the teacher who had the greatest impact on my life.
Her name was Mrs. White and she was my high
school English teacher. She knew I loved sports, she seemed to think I had some
writing ability and when I was in 10th grade she encouraged me to write
about our school’s sporting events for the local weekly newspaper. That was in
1974 and 48 years later I’m still writing. I think of Mrs. White often and I
wish she was still alive so I could say thank you.
In 2017 I learned that Norwalk High School in
Iowa was holding a signing ceremony for future teachers, much like many schools
do for students who will be college athletes. I spoke with Norwalk superintendent D.T. Magee and teacher Johanna
MacKenzie about their first signing ceremony in May 2017 and wrote about
the idea here on John’s Journal.
Magee said the idea for
the signing ceremony came to him as a way to highlight the crucial role of
educators in America. “When I became a superintendent, I said to our
staff on the first day, ‘We have to do a better job of promoting and honoring
our profession.’ This ceremony dovetails off of that. We’re going to put some
things in front of students who want to go into education: It’s a good career
choice, a noble career choice, and we as educators support you.”
In 2018, Maple Lake High School became the first
school in Minnesota to hold a similar ceremony. Burnsville did the same in 2018
and Willmar joined in 2019.
The pandemic put a stop to such gatherings but
they are back in 2022. Maple Lake held a signing ceremony the same day as
Willmar’s event and Burnsville will honor its future teachers on May 18. (If
other schools are doing the same, I would love it if they would let me know via
the email address below.)
In Willmar, the event culminated with each of the
future educators signing a “letter of intent.” They read in part, “I want to
inspire in my students motivation to achieve excellence. I promise to provide a
safe learning space for all students. I want to teach future generations, to encourage
them to be brave, to be strong, to stand up for what matters to them, but most
of all to be kind to one another.”
--Read a story from the National Education Association about
Minnesota’s future teacher signing ceremonies here: https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/new-minnesota-teachers-get-superstar-treatment
--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of
Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn
and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts.
Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org
No comments:
Post a Comment