#MTBoS30: I Am A Rule Follower

I like to follow rules. A lot. I always have. It's just in me.

Over my teaching career, I've started to notice which of my colleagues are with me and which are not. There are times I am offended or indignant about the rule breakers. It goes against who I am to disregard rules or make exceptions. It's unfair and I try be a champion for being fair. But then fair is not always equal.

I also like to make thing happen. (This is related, just hang with me.) When students have an idea for a dance or a fundraiser or a Prom theme or a Homecoming game or a t-shirt idea, I pride myself on being someone that does the behind scenes work to make those ideas come to life. I try to be a champion for my students and push past obstacles to make their high school experience enjoyable.

Here's what I've realized...kids needs all of those things. They need adults who will enforce rules and make things happen. But sometime to make things happen, you have to bend rules. They need both. They need me and teachers like me to set boundaries and enforce consequences. They need teachers like my colleagues who will bend the rules and make exceptions to make things happen.

Just like it goes against who I am to break rules, for some it goes against who they are to view everything black and white and treat everyone exactly the same. So if I want others to respect how I feel about following rules, then I have to be willing to respect how others feel about not always following rules.

It takes a village. So I can isolate myself or push others away in my village or I can embrace what being part of a village means- I won't agree with every decision and I won't like every member. But together, we meet the needs of the students we have, and there are many! (Needs, not students.)

They need us. All of us.

They need me to keep being me so that they can be them.

Let me be what they need.

To the mother in all of us...