Fantasy Classroom?

     For the past couple of years, I have played fantasy football. My wife thinks its geeky and a waste of my free time, but I have enjoyed having other reasons to watch more football. Not to brag, but I've done pretty well every year that I've played, always finishing near the top of the leagues I'm in. My strategy is always the same: draft the perfect, well-balanced team and then look to add or trade for up-and-coming players. I spend hours over the summer and each week during the season reading about statistics and studying schedules of the players I want for my team (this is where my wife could be right about that whole "waste of time" thing). Like everyone else who plays fantasy football, I look for players who will consistently perform at a high level and deliver yards and touchdowns for my team week in and week out.

     It has gotten me thinking...wouldn't it be cool to draft the perfect classroom? You know, comb through the "statistics" of the students at your school to find the best and brightest students. The ones who study hard, always turn their assignments in, think critically, go beyond what is expected of them, behave perfectly, and have a genuine love of learning. The ones who never give you a problem all year long. Then you and the other teachers hold a draft and take turns selecting your ideal students. Just like Zack chose teams in that Army Cadet program episode. He stacked one team with the athletically gifted and the other team with the pathetic wimps. Yes I realize that the episode ended with the "underdog" team winning, but you get my point. With the perfect class, my job as a teacher would be so much easier! There would be no need to adjust my lessons to make sure all students understand the material. There would be no need to provide extra help at lunch or after-school because no one would need extra help. There would be no need to ever change my teaching style because my students would adjust to me. Oh imagine the possibilities!

     Wait a second...there's a reason they call it "fantasy" football...its not real. I could waste time dreaming up this perfect classroom, but its not going to happen. And to be honest, maybe that's a better thing! Technically, the students I receive each year are random and haphazard (sometimes the only reason they are in my class is because it works with their schedule), but I firmly believe that there is a God-appointed reason each one is in my class. The reason may not be obvious right away but I try to make it my goal to figure out why each of my 160 students occupies a desk in my room each year. Each boy and girl brings their own unique personality, learning style, needs, and past with them. I have to believe that such diversity will encourage me to be a better teacher to help them. Perhaps I need to provide extra help to the two girls who struggle with tests and how to study. Maybe I need to experiment with different teaching techniques to reach the students who don't learn by just lectures. Perhaps I need to show more compassion to the boy who needs extra time on homework because he doesn't have access to a computer at home. Or maybe I need to be a positive role model for students when it comes to life outside of the classroom.  If I don't believe, I'll become the teacher who spends most of their time complaining about their students rather than celebrating them.

     Maybe instead of focusing on ideal students, I should spend more time asking how I can be the ideal teacher (who still plays fantasy football) for them.