The Lure of the Distant

It's hot. It's only Tuesday. It's early in the year, just far enough in for the novelty of missed friends to wear off and the weight of deadlines to become cumbersome. It's my first year of teaching, and I sit in the back of the yearbook lab, helping edit and design pages. As it does everyday, discussion centers around those in the yearbook and those who are now out of it.

“Whatever happened to Becca Anderson*?” Amy, a senior, asked. She blindly stared into the void space on the computer screen in front of her nose, not glancing up.

“Oh, she is some public relations person out West now. She works with celebrities planning events,” Danny responded, also not looking up from his screen. “Did you see the pictures she posted at Caesar's Palace with Ozzy Osbourne last week?”

“Yeah. She's a prime example of someone who’s actually done something with her life.” Alexis declared, her voice dripping with disdain aimed at everyone in the community who hadn't, in fact, moved out of town our small, rural town.

I sat there, pretending to be working, but feeling slighted. I was here. I was accomplished. Wasn't I doing something with my life, too?

***

A crux in education: developing an answer to the “what is success?” conundrum. It has been five years and this conversation still sneaks into my conscience. What does it mean to “do something” with one’s life? Is life something that one can tangibly take out of a box and throw around? Is it something you can lose, like the old saying “If my life wasn’t attached, I’d lose it”?

I teach, I have a graduate degree, I volunteer, I have a family—in short, I feel that I am very accomplished. However, the aforementioned conversation still pushes me to wonder: What does one have to do to establish his or herself as “doing something”? More importantly, how can teachers make students feel that they're always doing something worthwhile with their own lives?

“The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive,” John Burroughs said. “The great opportunity is where you are.” In that same vein, it is important for students to note that, no matter where life is located or what it involves, opportunity for success is everywhere they go.They will all move to different areas, both physically and mentally. Those that are in the Midwest may be in Australia later. Those who are atheist may become Christian later. And yes, those that are Democrats may—dare I say it—become Republicans later. All of these may be inverted; life is change. But in each of these places and perspectives, students have enormous opportunities for success.

It's now time for school to start yet again. Another new beginning. Students will come into class, sit down, and feel the hands of the clock tick their time away. This year, it will be different. This year, I will have a response to the conversation. My response will be in the simple questions about college and future plan discussions (Why do you need to move away to do that?) and the daily attitude I bring into the classroom (Of course today is a great day! I'm here! I'm with all of you!).

It's finally becoming clear that for students to feel successful, like they're “doing something,” we—their teachers, mentors, and coaches—also need to make our own successes clear. If teachers are positive and enthusiastic about their own successes, students may see that it doesn't matter where they live that makes them, it's how they choose to perceive their opportunities.

*All names have been changed.

Anna Westermeyer is now in her fifth year of teaching secondary English Language Arts. She received her B.A. in English Education ('09) and her M.A. in English ('13) from Western Illinois University. She teaches at Hamilton CCSD #328 in Hamilton, Illinois, and lives in Keokuk, Iowa. She welcomes email at westermeyeram@gmail.com.