I’m the oldest teacher at The Hellenic American Academy. I’m not old - I’m 54, but that puts me further down the road than my teaching partner who just turned 36, for example.
At first thought, one might think that it’s a disadvantage. People say things all the time that imply that it must be difficult being a teacher at my age:
“I would never have the patience.”
“How do you put up with the nonsense?”
Stuff like that...
What they’re really saying is teaching is a young person’s game and I couldn’t disagree more.
As I walked through the halls on Friday, I overheard at least one teacher doing a lesson on Martin Luther King, Jr. We have MLK day off from school and, I think most teachers will reference the importance of the man and his accomplishments in some way or another.
I’d be willing to bet, Mrs. Minaker will do so today with the 6th, 7th and 8th grades (if she didn’t do so on Friday.)
The thing is, for all the other teachers in my school, Martin Luther King, Jr. is an historic figure. Someone they’ve read about, seen a documentary about or watched some clips about him on Youtube.
For me, he’s not just some larger-than-life political figure I’ve learned about. I think my age is a huge advantage in this area....
I remember Martin Luther King, Jr.
And remembering is different than learning.
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