Helping Others is a Fruit

Have you ever waded through the clutter on the floor of a store?  Trust me -- that clutter did NOT get there by store personnel; it is NOT the store's display. 

Today, I ventured into a few stores in search of boys size 14 clothing (not jeans and t-shirts).  First of all, there were masses of people to side-step and wait upon while they took their sweet time looking at things.  Eventually, when I DID make it down a sort of clear aisle, there were things lying on the floor knocked off by shoppers -- belts, bras, toys, whatever, and I said to myself, "Some people are plain pigs."

Yesterday I took a gamble on the throngs on people awake at 6 a.m. and went to a Friday-only sale.  There were about 25 of us standing in line when the doors opened.  Within 2 minutes of entering (and I was still standing outside), some lady had about 6 items on the floor in search of the best item on the shelf.  This is SO, SO, SO very rude!  There is a saying that the customer is always right, but this type of behavior is SO VERY CONTRARY to that saying.

I recalled my early days of Christmas shopping and remembered that there were never items strewn across the floor of any store.  "So is this a generational difference," I first asked?  Nope, the lady who had several items pulled out was older than me.  So what is it?  Upbringing?  (should I dare ask -- cultural?)  

Fortunately for the stores, my upbringing taught me how to help.  (Ok, the bras on the floor were a little bit out of my league.  Rudolf's red nose would have nothing on my blushing countenance.)

Dead heading

     I think that's the term my wife uses when she snips or pinches off the old blossoms of her mums.  This, in theory (at least in our house), facilitates new growth because the nutrients are redirected to new budding.  In line with this whole pruning theme, I began to ponder on what might need to be pruned/pinched/dead-headed in my life.
     Would you believe it:  technology!  I'm really struggling here.  I'm like a kid in a candy store when it comes to technology and all the neat gadgets and Web 2.0 tools.  Which one do I want or need?  Should I become an expert in one or two areas?  or what?  In several workshops and trainings I have attended, these applications, etc. have been referred to as "tools" -- "technology is a tool" to use in the classroom.  DUDE!  One can only have so many tools in the toolbox, and of those tools, most won't get used.  This is the dilemma?  Which ones do I disregard?  They are all useful at one time or another, but I'm not that proficient at using certain tools.  Do I start practicing on them (like blogging and webpages) or concentrate on others?  I'm so confused!
     Perhaps I deadhead/prune later.

Pruning

Have you ever wondered how a fruit tree or a vine feels when it is pruned? Having a sharp instrument draw and cut through must be excruciating pain especially since there is no anesthetic to dull the pain. I can't even imagine if I could handle all of that stress of knowing that, regularly, my pruning is imminent -- someone will come along and cut away unnecessary growth. On the other hand, I understand that, in order to grow stronger and produce greater fruit, this is a necessary part of life. Farmers and fruit growers prune all the time to get the best crop possible, yet don't consider the feelings of the plant. Well, we know there are no nerves, ergo no feelings, in plants.

This analogy to fruit-bearing plants is important to help me accept these challenges at work. The past few weeks have been challenging and emotionally tough for many of my colleagues. Low benchmark scores have served as a catalyst for increased scrutiny by administration and district personnel who are looking for strategies and interventions that will better facilitate student learning. Without going into all the gory details of stress and opinions shared by colleagues, let's just say there is a gray cloud hovering over our campus.

But I won't linger under or about that cloud. There is a bigger picture here (the sun is still shining above the cloud). Is it possible that the "pruning" and "chaffing" (that's another blog) will create greater fruit? Will we, as teachers, become greater teachers? Will students benefit from our "pruning"? This is the outlook I am going to keep and practice hoping that I become a better teacher for my students (even though the stakes are higher for my core-teaching colleagues).