The past couple weeks have been a blur! I’ve had the chance to be in my classroom and spend some great quality time with my students; I've had the opportunity to present to pre-service teachers eager to start their careers in education; and, in a few hours I board a plane to travel to San Antonio for a National Teacher of the Year Conference!
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Lately education has been put in a hard place. Things are changing, and with change comes growing pains. Accountability, finance formulas, federal control, state control, local control, school lunches/nutrition, testing, standards, merit pay, vouchers, are all hot button topics right now. As teachers, we hear about these things constantly, and outsiders always want to know our opinions. However, no teacher went into education with these “hot button” topics in mind. These “things” have nothing to do with why I teach or who I am as a teacher.
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After spending the day with brilliant pre-service teachers, I am reminded of a lesson I learned from my time in Wyoming which I have carried with me to the Cowboy town of Dodge City, Kansas: always bet on Cowboys.
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Here’s what I mean:
At the turn of the 20th century (when things were changing out west) there was a young Cowboy by the name of Clayton Danks from Western Nebraska. He was tough and rugged. There was no better bronc rider in the world! Clayton Danks earned the reputation for being the Cowboy who couldn't be throwed. In 1909 Clayton Danks found himself in the finals of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, The Granddaddy of them all, the world’s grandest rodeo! In the finals, Danks drew Steamboat. Steamboat was a bronc who suffered a nose injury as a young colt. As a result, he had to have a piece of bone removed from his nose. This condition caused Steamboat to whistle like a steamboat whenever he went to bucking. Steamboat was the wildest, strongest, nastiest buckin’ bronco in the world! This show down in the finals of the grandest rodeo of all time came to be known as the showdown between the horse that couldn't be rode versus the Cowboy who couldn’t be throwed!
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Much like the stories of George Washington chopping down the cherry tree and the stories of honest Abe, every school child in Wyoming is taught about Claton Danks’ famous ride of Steamboat. See, in those days Cowboys didn't ride broncs for eight seconds; they rode until the horse was broke! This famous showdown between man and beast lived up to every ounce of hype! When the chute opened, Ol’ Steamboat bucked, and twisted, and jumped, and arched, and spun. In the cloud of dust, Clayton Danks hung tight to his rope! The record crowd erupted!! They were witnessing the most epic ride of all time! Clayton Danks must have sensed the magnitude of the moment; at one point during his ride, Danks ripped the hat from his head and began fanning Steamboat as he continued to buck and fight! This act sealed Clayton Danks’ place in Cowboy history. When the cloud of dust settled, Danks sat firm on top of Ol’ Steamboat. In a moment of hysteria, all the Cowboys in the stands threw their hats into the arena at Steamboat’s feet as sign of respect to the horse and the Cowboy.
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What does the story of Steamboat have to do with education? Great question! Here’s my thought: Always bet on Cowboys. A great cowboy will always ride a great horse. See, it's people that make a difference. It's not the machines; it's not the systems; it's not the technology; it's not the curriculum; it's not the finance formula; it's not the pay. IT’S THE PEOPLE. It's the teachers. It's the Cowboys! We need to put our faith, our trust, and our bets on teachers. A great teacher will make learning happen no matter what the circumstances! Let's bet on teachers.
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There are many reasons to feel gloomy about education. We see it on the news, we read it on the Internet, and we hear it from our friends and family. But, I've just spent some quality time with some eager youngsters who want to teach, and they are amazing! I have been blown away at EVERY college I've visited by the pre-service teachers I have come across! They are sharp, engaged, and eager to tackle tomorrow’s problems! I'm betting on those Cowboys! I can't wait to watch them ride! I can't wait to toss my hat into the arena as a sign of respect! I can't wait to pat them on the back and say, “Good ride Cowboy, good ride.”
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