More Than a Data Point

I have always been a logical minded person.  I enjoyed math as a student because there was a black and white answer.  I enjoy putting data points into an Excel sheet and seeing the fancy graphs and pretty charts that develop.  I like to make decisions based on logical data sets.  Quantifying sets of information comes naturally to me.

Our society likes cut and dry answers.  I am guilty of this.  I like seeing a bold red line to separate the yes's from no's.  It's easy to make a decision when you have a bold red line staring you in the face.  It's comfortable.  We as human beings like the feeling of comfort.  Especially when it comes to making a decision.  As I was being forced to watch the NFL Draft the other night, I noticed how every aspect of a football player is analyzed down to a number.  However, I wondered, how can one quantify the "heart" of a player?  How does one translate personality into a number?

We are moving towards a world where every aspect is quantified.  Quantification is often seen as superior over qualification when it comes to a decision-making process. There are no "gray-area" discrepancies.  And we have now moved into the realm of quantifying children as a single data point. We often make very important educational decisions based on a single data point in that child's life.  Students move from grade to grade preceded by a number that has already been analyzed and broken down into multiple color-coded graphs and charts.

With the end of the year approaching, I wanted to take a minute to set aside all graphs, charts, and numbers, and reflect on who my students are, beyond the numbers.


Thank you for making me laugh, even when it's just to get out of doing something.

Thank you for stopping in, just to say hi.

Thank you for teaching me when I needed help.

Thank you for helping me learn the proper way to take a "selfie".  

Thank you for always being honest, even when the truth is you did not enjoy an assignment...or my outfit.

Thank you for letting me experiment all my new teaching theories with you.

Thank you for your never-ending energy at times.

Thank you for your support and kind words when needed.

Thank you for contributing to all the good, bad, and in-between this school year.

The quantification of students is not why I chose this career.  It's the small moments that happens in between that will outweigh the politics of education and shine light on the true rewards a teacher receives from his or her students.