Dedication Despite Cancer, Catastrophe, and a Very Sick Beagle

AZTF Teaching Fellow - Jon Short

I thought I wasn’t dedicated enough this year. I’ve taken seven days off of work.  I’ve lost a week of teaching. I consider this unacceptable.  I think of what my students could have gained in this time and I’m disappointed in myself.

With that in mind, I decided to take stock of exactly what days I’ve taken off to determine whether or not they could have been avoided. They are as follows:

Day 1: I underwent surgery to remove cancer. This was Friday.

Day 2: Recovering from cancer surgery. This was the following Monday.

Day 3: The dog swallowed a bird and I had to take him to the vet for surgery. Technically, I was back to school by 12:00 and only took a half day.

Day 4: Follow up from surgery (and all good news).

Day 5: Fever of 102. Ate some very bad chicken.

Day 6: Fever of 102. Convinced at this point I had undercooked the chicken.

Day 7: This will be tomorrow. I’m writing this blog at 9:00 at night because my car started smoking. I’m getting it towed tomorrow to the dealership and will have a loaner by 9:30. I should actually be back at school by 10:00 in the morning.

Looking back on these days, I’ve confirmed what I felt – I’m really disappointed. I couldn’t have avoided any of these days off, but I can’t help but be saddened by the progress that could have been made.

This, to me, is dedication. Despite having acceptable excuses, they are just that: excuses. And I’m not happy with this because it is my students who have suffered.

I think this is something that makes a powerful teacher and a powerful Teaching Fellow. Despite undergoing cancer surgery, a broken car, a sick dog, and a truly bad fight with some VERY undercooked chicken (hence the fever of 102), my personal feeling is that I need to be better. Dedication is truly never being satisfied because your students are the ones who need the benefit of your dedication, and it’s they who need you to be there as much as possible.

Climbing Mountains



Image: Sura Nualpradid / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 When I rock climbed for the first time a few weeks ago, my head and my heart was filled with excitement and nervousness.  Once I started to climb, I quickly realized how difficult and demanding this new hobby actually is.  There are times while rock climbing when my arms begin to dangle like wet noodles.  They simply do not have the strength to pull myself up any longer.  But with encouragement from my climbing partner and the will to succeed, I am able to overcome the pain and reach the top.  My recent passion and devotion for rock climbing parallels my almost two-year journey as a teacher.   

Like most teachers, I was full of excitement and nervousness when I began teaching.  But I soon realized that teaching can be difficult and demanding.  The workload can be too much to handle at times.  With numerous standards, important assessments, frequent observations, long work hours, endless meetings, and unruly students, teaching is a profession that comes with a host of challenges. 

Lifelong educators are those who can take challenges head on and will do whatever it takes to overcome them.  With support from my colleagues, administrators, and friends that I have made through Arizona Teaching Fellows, I was able to conquer these challenges.  But more importantly, my drive to make a positive impact on my students’ lives and my desire to help close the achievement gap make these small mountains worth the climb.

AZTF Fellow Thai Nguyen