On Teaching:

I came upon the word "salute" in the dictionary today, and of course it led me into thinking about my work as a teacher. The first definition -- "to greet or address with an expression of welcome, good will, or respect" -- caught my attention immediately, because it seemed to capture an important mind-set that I need to develop and maintain. When my students come to my room each day, I should "salute" them, meaning I should unmistakably show them that they are welcome in my room. I should make it a point to specifically greet or address each student as he or she enters. They need to know that their entrance into my room is a significant event in my day, one that deserves my strict attention. By greeting them in an attentive, even somewhat ceremonial, way, I not only let them know they are welcome in my room, that I want them to be here, but --as the definition suggests -- I also make it clear that I want only the best things to happen to them. I have "good will" toward them. My "will", or wish, is that today's English class will bring them important rewards. To that end, I will have carefully planned a lesson that has a good chance of being beneficial to them, and my heartfelt greeting, or salute, lets them know that. Finally, my greeting should be the kind that tells my students I have the highest kind of respect for them. They are fellow human beings with astonishing powers and talents, and I can only be a good teacher for them if I thoroughly value what they are. Hence, my daily greeting should never be silly, capricious, or condescending. It should, indeed, be a salute -- a greeting to a group of young people for whom I have immense esteem.