Be Great Today: Preliminary Vision for the Classroom

Be Great Today.

Introduction

Be Great Today was my peer Marshall Matthew’s motto. He would send these three words to different friends he knew needed encouragement every day. These three words are incredibly powerful. Although it only directly mentions today, it indirectly refers to the past and the future. Being great today means you can leave the mistrials of the past behind, and that after a particularly difficult day, there is always a chance to be great the next day. I think this is particularly important because many children, especially in middle school, begin to experiment; their choices are not always the best. Focusing on being great today allows them to move past those decisions and towards brighter future. Being Great Today was Marshall’s motto, but in this classroom it is an attitude. Educational success does not depend on race, class, or economics—it depends on attitude. Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t –you are right.” Adopting an attitude of greatness will lead to educational success.  Also, following Marshall’s lead, it is particularly important to encourage and inspire those around you to be great. Helping peers believe in themselves can be one of the greatest gifts.

Goal

My students will challenge themselves to “Be Great Today,” everyday, in and outside of the classroom. By embodying this goal, they will believe in their power to be great as well as encourage others to strive for greatness.

What is Greatness?

-Students will see themselves as an important part of a movement; that they are the ones that will influence the future. This takes place through activism in the classroom, at home, and in the community.

My Promise: Other than being energetic and influential in the classroom. I will become an active member of this community, and work to understand my students’ lives at home. I will engage with them about the topic of educational revolution, and encourage them to take part in it. I will show the students that they are important by paying attention to detail in the classroom, especially in their language, and teach them to be confident in what they say and do.

-Students will approach their studies seriously, realizing their individual genius, and push they will push beyond “good enough.” They will embrace difficulty, and understand that those are the times in which they learn the most.

My Promise: I will hold my students and myself to a standard that goes beyond “good enough.” Our classroom will not be compared to the one down the hall, or the Math classrooms at an Ivy League school. We will focus on being better than we were yesterday, everyday.

-Students will understand that mediocrity is not the path to success, and will set high expectations in the present for themselves and others. They will also realize that greatness is not eternal; it is a continuous goal, in which there is no culmination, a lifelong journey. In this, the students will set high expectations for the future.

My Promise: I will take the time to talk to my students about their goals and the future. I will work to apply the lessons to the goals of my students, and help them to see a realistic an attainable path to these goals. I will be proactive in engaging them in conversations about college, and applying the class lessons to that path to success.

- Outside of our classroom students will understand themselves to be ambassadors for our class and school; they will treat others with respect, going out of their way to reach out to all, even those they do not know.

My Promise: The community’s preconceived perception of our school and our students will be shaped by how we engage with the world outside of the walls of the classroom. I will actively stand up for my students’ excellence and their right for an equal education. I will also demonstrate the characteristics of respect in the way that I interact with both students and adults. I will teach them about random acts of kindness and the importance of paying it forward.

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