Don’t make an Ass Out of Yourself (Or, What I Learned from Mr. Lewis in 8th Grade U.S. History)

When we walk into the first day of 8th grade US History, we see one word on the chalkboard:

ASSUME 

Mr. Lewis is a towering man, and when he underlines the word ASS, we are all hooked. Silent, we are wondering how this football coach is going to get away with UNDERLINING A BAD WORD in our class! I mean, clASS. 

Mr. Lewis explains that when you ASSUME things, it makes an ASS (underline underline underline!) out of U (underline!) and ME! (underline underline underline!)

He goes on to explain that we should never assume anything - in his classroom or in life. He tells us to ask questions if we have them, and that there are no bad questions. I’m digging this guy, even though he seems like he would be more comfortable on a football field than stuck inside this classroom with us. 

Every time I see, hear or write the word ‘assume,’ I think of Mr. Lewis. This is the power that a teacher has, the power that we all have over the children in our orbit. Children are always listening, we know. 

It turned out I also liked learning about history from Mr. Lewis, who was a pretty easy grader as I recall. 

But on the field - because Mr. Lewis was also an athletics coach - he expected the best of his teams. I wasn’t there in any practices, but I would imagine he was a little harder on the kids on his football team than his students in US history. But aren’t all of us harder on our team, when we know the field well? When we care deeply?

I think Mr. Lewis did care deeply about children, and I’m grateful that he taught us that important lesson on day one, that he understood the value of first impressions. His lesson was that it’s good to ask questions, it’s good to seek clarity - and isn’t that one of the most valuable lessons a teacher can provide? 

When someone walks into your classroom, what is the one lesson you want them to see on the chalkboard?