INTERVIEWER: Welcome to our show, Dr. Sparks. So after 40 years in education, including 21 years as a middle and high school teacher and 19 years as a professor, you have decided to retire. Can you believe it’s been that long?
TEACHER: No, its crazy. It seems just yesterday I took my
first teaching job in 1992, the year my daughter was born. Sometimes I feel so
young and other times I feel worn thin; especially my feet.
INTERVIEWER: (Laughs) I'm sure! What would you say
was your favorite part of being in education?
TEACHER: Well, the money and the prestige of course
(sarcasm). Seriously though, the students. I know it is cliché, but you can
really feel like you make a difference in their lives, hopefully in a positive
way. There were so many. I calculated last week that I have taught or
influenced well over 10,000 students; possibly more when you count the teachers
I helped produce and the students they have hopefully inspired. It is very
rewarding. It is not an easy career. Never let anyone tell you that. It is one
of the hardest jobs you could ever choose. But well worth it.
INTERVIEWER: Would you consider yourself a great teacher?
TEACHER: Interesting question. But the answer is no, not
particularly. In fact, I jokingly say that I “aspire to goodness.”
INTERVIEWER: Wow, I have never heard anyone put it that way.
Explain “aspiring to goodness” for me.
TEACHER: I guess I should back up and say that I struggled
as a student. There was always something holding me back. Later I found out it
was a combination of lack of confidence, imposter syndrome, and my ADHD. Somehow,
I earned “more degrees than a thermometer” as my dad would have said. But there
was always a restlessness in me that held me back from being a great teacher --my
thirst for knowledge, hobbies and collections, relationships, religion, music, and
other distractions. Oh, I am not saying I didn’t have flashes of greatness; I
think all teachers do. But I remember feeling in the last third of my career
that I would rather be “good” than “great.”
INTERVIEWER: This is quite intriguing. Tell me more about
that last part.
TEACHER: Being a great teacher requires sacrifice, long
hours, surrendering things in your life that are replaced by the obsessive need
to always be “on your game.” Don’t get me wrong, I worked hard. The first few
years I taught, I was always the first one in the parking lot and the last one
to leave. But somewhere along the line, I realized those hours could be replaced
by other things, and that my students should know more about what it means to
be a “good” person than a “great” person. Greatness can be faked, driven by
ambition and notoriety; wanting praise heaped on you. But I wanted to be “good,”
which means I loved my students, believed in them, pushed them to understand
their future students, and create students that want to make a difference in
the world. So in the end, when students are talking about me and my legacy, I
hope they say, “He was a good teacher. You could tell he really cared about us.”
INTERVIEWER: So, you can still be an “excellent” teacher
while being a “good” teacher?
TEACHER: Absolutely. I would never tell a student not to strive
for excellence. They should always focus on the quality of their work and create
lessons that inspire their students. But more than that, I want them to teach
their students to be “good” people as well. To love their neighbor, be
respectful of all beliefs, care for their bodies, protect the earth, and fight
for those whoare vulnerable. If I have created “good” students that impact
the world in those ways, then I have truly done my job.
INTERVIEWER: Thank you, Dr. Sparks. I’ve enjoyed our
conversation. You have inspired me to be a “good” reporter. One last question:
What will you be doing in retirement?
TEACHER: I am actually going into partnership with another
retired professor to own a record store. My love for music is second only to my
love for education. I may even do a little DJ-ing; although at this point it
might be at a retirement center (laughs).
