This blog comes on the heels of the first week of the walkout of teachers in Oklahoma. This is a historical event that is unfolding in front of our eyes. Educators please take note on the power that we have in unity. We have been able to unite for a common cause in order to effect change for the betterment of our children. Yes this is long overdue and should have been done years ago, but educators PLEASE stand your ground and do not give in, continue to fight for what we believe.
Pursuit of Happiness, this is what most educators go into and continue to stay in education for. So many people have asked, argued, and complained that educators are greedy, selfish, and many other not so pleasant adjectives. As I have contemplated this whole walkout situation, the only thing that has come to mind is the Pursuit of Happiness. As educators we want to see a happy society, one where our present and future students will be armed with the skills necessary to impact this society. As educators we know what awaits them once they leave our classroom and ultimately go into this cruel and unforgiving world. However in order to do this we need adequate supplies, teaching facilities, and working conditions. Yeah a little extra pay won't hurt either; it's only been ten years since the last raise. Go figure. Every teacher that I have had the chance to speak with these last few days echos this, the Pursuit of Happiness, is why I am walking out. The teachers are saying that it is their RIGHT to have adequate working conditions, supplies, and teaching facilities. If it takes walking out to show that we, as educators mean business, then that is what we must do. I am reminded of the movie of the movie, Pursuit of Happiness, staring Will Smith. I remember all of the things that he went through in order to make a better life for his son and himself.
I said all of that to say, educators pursue you happiness with reckless abandonment. Pursue your happiness like your life and the life of others depended on it, because it actually does. Pursue your happiness and do not give up until you find it and it becomes yours. Educators never let anyone ever devalue our profession again, hold your heads up high and know that without you, the educators, no other profession on this earth would be possible.
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Sunday, April 1, 2018
Find Your Passion
This blog entry comes two years after I first started my blog, which was actually a challenge from the OKCPS ETS department. I thought that I would do it, because I am a techy and I like getting my thoughts out. From two years ago up until now I have learned so much about myself and about WHY I love this thing called EDUCATION.
Allow me to introduce or reintroduce myself. My name is David B. Chandler, I am an educator, and I have been in education now for 13 years. I taught high school English for five years and I have been in administration for eight years. I am passionate in what I do; which is assist teachers in educating today's youth and serve as a role model for young people in hopes that they too would want to become educators. I am also a husband and father, a husband to the beautiful, vibrant, and full of personality wife, Tamara Chandler. I have two unique children with their own personality, Gage Chandler and Giana Chandler. I am a licensed minister and have been since the age of 15; attend Remnant Church in OKC, where I serve as one of the associate minsters. I am a proud member of the BEST fraternity on this earth, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Lastly I love to read, cook/bake, and play video games. This is me, David Benjamin Chandler.
I have shared all of the above information for a reason, as you read a little bit of information about me, realize that in all that I am, I have found my PASSION. My passion and calling to be on this earth, is to EDUCATE. Yes, I am a very spiritual person and I believe that God equips us with talents that we use not only in our everyday lives but also to enrich the kingdom of God. They go hand-in-hand. This weeks blog is about FINDING YOUR PASSION.
As an educator, we definitely do not do this for the money, I truly believe that society could never pay us enough money for our talents, time, and energy that we put into this profession. Education must be a calling and a passion, if you plan to last in this profession. My passion, which has taken me almost 11 years to truly come to grips with, is educating young people and assisting teachers in becoming the best educators that they can be. Like I stated earlier, I started this blog two years ago, as a challenge. Little did I know that I would be laid off my job, get another job that I thought would be a stepping stone toward my dream job; only to loose that job and begin working on my doctorate all in a two year span. God takes us on journeys that many times we don't quite understand, but if we continue to follow him the fog will clear and we will see the path clearer. Since coming back into public education, I have had my PASSION ignited. I now serve as the Assistant Principal over the middle school at the Frederick A. Douglass Mid-High School in Oklahoma City, OK. This in itself is a miracle because ever since I came into education I always told myself that I would NEVER be a middle school educator. Since being back this year over the middle school, I can say that this is my PASSION, middle school students. I see clearer than ever before that I am needed in middle school setting. I am able to work with middle school students and help them see the value of education and that middle school is their foundation. I have worked with high school students and I have worked with college students, but those do not compare to the love that I have found for my middle school students in just one year. This is my WHY as to why I stay in education and do not change careers, I look at my middle school students each day and pray that one day they too will want to become educators.
So, I pose this question to you, "What is Your Passion, why do you wake up each morning and do what you do?" In life you must operate in your passion/calling in order to find fulfillment. If you do not you will be miserable, you may smile on the outside but you will be miserable on the inside. I challenge you to find your PASSION and run towards it and with it. Once you find your PASSION, the sky is the limit.
Allow me to introduce or reintroduce myself. My name is David B. Chandler, I am an educator, and I have been in education now for 13 years. I taught high school English for five years and I have been in administration for eight years. I am passionate in what I do; which is assist teachers in educating today's youth and serve as a role model for young people in hopes that they too would want to become educators. I am also a husband and father, a husband to the beautiful, vibrant, and full of personality wife, Tamara Chandler. I have two unique children with their own personality, Gage Chandler and Giana Chandler. I am a licensed minister and have been since the age of 15; attend Remnant Church in OKC, where I serve as one of the associate minsters. I am a proud member of the BEST fraternity on this earth, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Lastly I love to read, cook/bake, and play video games. This is me, David Benjamin Chandler.
I have shared all of the above information for a reason, as you read a little bit of information about me, realize that in all that I am, I have found my PASSION. My passion and calling to be on this earth, is to EDUCATE. Yes, I am a very spiritual person and I believe that God equips us with talents that we use not only in our everyday lives but also to enrich the kingdom of God. They go hand-in-hand. This weeks blog is about FINDING YOUR PASSION.
As an educator, we definitely do not do this for the money, I truly believe that society could never pay us enough money for our talents, time, and energy that we put into this profession. Education must be a calling and a passion, if you plan to last in this profession. My passion, which has taken me almost 11 years to truly come to grips with, is educating young people and assisting teachers in becoming the best educators that they can be. Like I stated earlier, I started this blog two years ago, as a challenge. Little did I know that I would be laid off my job, get another job that I thought would be a stepping stone toward my dream job; only to loose that job and begin working on my doctorate all in a two year span. God takes us on journeys that many times we don't quite understand, but if we continue to follow him the fog will clear and we will see the path clearer. Since coming back into public education, I have had my PASSION ignited. I now serve as the Assistant Principal over the middle school at the Frederick A. Douglass Mid-High School in Oklahoma City, OK. This in itself is a miracle because ever since I came into education I always told myself that I would NEVER be a middle school educator. Since being back this year over the middle school, I can say that this is my PASSION, middle school students. I see clearer than ever before that I am needed in middle school setting. I am able to work with middle school students and help them see the value of education and that middle school is their foundation. I have worked with high school students and I have worked with college students, but those do not compare to the love that I have found for my middle school students in just one year. This is my WHY as to why I stay in education and do not change careers, I look at my middle school students each day and pray that one day they too will want to become educators.
So, I pose this question to you, "What is Your Passion, why do you wake up each morning and do what you do?" In life you must operate in your passion/calling in order to find fulfillment. If you do not you will be miserable, you may smile on the outside but you will be miserable on the inside. I challenge you to find your PASSION and run towards it and with it. Once you find your PASSION, the sky is the limit.
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