Z is for Zealous

Virtual teachers have made a passionate commitment to the newest approach to education in history. They are dedicated to insuring students experience the joy and success of learning. These educators are pioneers and nurturers, willing to step outside tradition and embrace a new methodology which is firmly anchored in learning theory, creativity, and results. Future doctors, lawyers, CPAs, engineers, teachers, authors, and entrepreneurs are born every day from this dedication, and what may have first generated skepticism, now is heralded as an amazing educational breakthrough.

Two particular teachers in my lifetime stand out because they made sure I knew they believed in me. Neither one ever really delivered any inspirational, life-altering speech about strengths and my future. Instead, they each consistently did several things: measured me against high standards; regularly praised my hard work which insured I would continue to be diligent; and demonstrated daily through conversation, laughter, and steadfastness that I was a valuable human being about whom they cared. These two teachers never knew one another. They met me at different stops along my educational journey, however each invested in my life and future through their zealous commitment.

Often the days of instructors run long in the virtual teaching world. When the classroom is defined by a computer screen, text messages, emails, and webinars in which the teacher and student are only shown in a one inch square video, it is easy to lose sight of what we are really all about and the wondrous things we are doing.

Remain committed to one student at a time. Teaching is your job, not your pastime. Who is behind that screen, on the other side of the assignment? What does he or she demand of you or, more important, need from you even though they don't know it? And even on your busiest days, do the students' needs remain your primary focus?

I know each teacher's dockets are filled with email responses and material to grade, but at the end of the week, month, year in your revolutionary virtual teaching job, of what will you be most proud? It doesn't matter what age your student population is, what new tools you have mastered, or what testing demographics you achieved. Let it always be about your students.

Reflection: Sometimes the term "zealous" implies too much passion, too much commitment. Can you be too steadfast about educating youth? Conversely, have you encountered teachers for whom education is only a job, whether virtual or on the ground? As we reach the end of the alphabet journey, what does being an educator mean to you no matter where you serve?