Here's to the teachers who understand that teaching is an art that can, and should, of course, be supplemented with science, to the teachers who teach from their souls.
Administrators and curriculum coordinators talk (without irony) about "authentic assessments" and "differentiated instruction," then herd teachers into a room to feed them a canned curriculum that will make everyone a great teacher, or rave about a lesson plan downloaded from in the internet or copied from one of the multitude of books available today. Hey, I've been an equal opportunity borrower for decades, but raving about someone's borrowed (and unaltered) lesson plan is like praising paint-by-numbers as great art.
I've been blessed to have watched great artists at work for over 40 years. No longer having that opportunity will be just one of the things I miss next year. But, without exception, every great teacher I've been lucky to have known taught his or her personality, his or her soul. It's the difference between a technician and an artist. Sadly, it's the former that seems to be the goal of those in charge of schools. Administrators seem to believe that anyone can be a "great" teacher with enough training. And that's an increasingly pervasive attitude I won't miss.
