Day 4 of Making a Master Mind Map of my Life: Contemplating Purpose--The Master Gardner

I am willing to bet (by now) your student is starting to get the swing of the back-to-school routine. Some might be sluggish in the morning or complain about beginning another day but let it be known they are showing improvement in the band class. For the sixth graders, they are excited to learn something new each day. For the seventh graders, they feel like the cool kids—familiar with how we do things and ready to advance. For the eight grade… we are truly having a blast each day and have formulated enough inside jokes to last a lifetime.

One of the joys that comes with teaching at the middle school level is being able to see each student grow. In my classroom, I feel fortunate because I personally see this growth, year to year, with the same students. We grow as musicians. We grow as friends. We grow as people. Creating an environment in which growth is not only the expectation but also a possibility can be a challenge. To reach this goal, it requires one to enjoy the process of cultivating.

The root word for cultivate is pretty obvious isn’t it? Cult. Some of us, in our modern mindset might cringe when hearing such a word; yet, the word itself is rooted with a simple meaning. The Latin for cult literally means “to grow”. The word cultivate, as a past participle in Latin, means “to inhabit; to frequent, practice, respect; to tend, guard”. In my mind, hearing such descriptors paints this picture of a gardener. But not just any gardener who might use machinery and other 21st century methods. I picture a good gardener who knows his/her soil; who tends to it with urgency to assure it is healthy; who, in a sense, has a strong relationship with his/her land. For the good gardener, he/she knows that it takes healthy soil to yield a strong, plentiful crop.

Such is the vision I have for my classroom. I don’t want to be just any teacher. I want to be a good teacher. A teacher who knows the landscape of his classroom; who knows how each student thinks and learns; who knows when it is the right time to plant seeds of knowledge and who knows when he might be overwatering. It is the good teacher who yields results.

Another aspect of what makes a gardener a good gardener is being able to see the unseen. What I am referring to are weeds. This summer I will admit that my yard suffered quite a bit. Between the lack of rain and not wanting to rack-up my water bill using the sprinkler, my lawn currently looks like the Sandlot baseball field [I might be showing my age with that movie reference]. My yard did, however, yield some green… but it wasn’t grass… it was weeds…not just any weeds… I am talking Jack and the Beanstalk size weeds.

When it occurred to me that these weeds weren’t going away, I could have drowned them with RoundUp, killing every little bit of surrounding grass that was remaining or I could have been the good gardener, rolled-up my sleeves, and dig to the root to remove it. Let’s just say my better-half convinced me to take the road less traveled and kill the root of each weed.

It took quite some time to do the work required but it was worth it. You see, at first, the sight of the weed wasn’t a problem. In fact it was nice to see some green growing—even if it was a weed. As time progressed, however, the weed became more and more of an issue. Why? Weeds don’t just grow upward, the roots grow underground and out. They spread. They cut out the growth of other life in the soil. Weeds are sneaky because it is a matter of failing to see the unseen.

The same is true of being a good teacher. A teacher can look at the surface of an issue and make assumptions without taking the time to dig deeper. Any teacher can assume that the grade on the paper is due to a lack of paying attention or a good teacher can wrestle with the student’s mind until they understand where there is a disconnect. This is the type of teacher I hope to be for each student as I dig deep until I can begin to see the unseen.

Most of the time, the “weeds” of middle school life end up being trivial to an adult. Yet, research shows us that it is during the adolescent years that the brain is growing rapidly—so much so—that such things as decision making doesn’t tend to process. If you are the parent of a teen, you might be nodding your head, thinking, “tell me something I don’t already know”. If you are a teen, you might be thinking, “finally, someone who understands me”. Whether parent or student, I encourage you to read this informative online article (click here) that helps us see the unseen.

There is a part of middle school-life that can be ignored, however, it mustn’t. I am referring to acceptance. As we cultivate our Crosby Band community, it is important to note that nobody sits on the bench in band. Every student plays a role and has significance. And just as a good gardener would dig to the root of any weed that has potential to pull life from a growing plant, so must we dig to be certain nothing suffocates the growth of each student—because each student matters and deserves to grow.