In the land of the blind...

...The guy who can make a PowerPoint presentation is king.

So I had my third (and penultimate, it turns out) observation by my State School Sponsor this morning. (Previous sessions are here and here.) For the third time, she was mightily impressed and effusive in her praise. That PowerPoint presentation I made on reading strategies (mentioned briefly here), which to me was not much work and turned out only fairly okay, garnered rave reviews. She told me I ought to market it, that the industry is crying out for people who are creative and can make tools for other teachers to use. She even said she'd call a few people and see if anyone was interested.

Now, I know that I won't actually market it, and that probably nobody really cares about some silly electronic slideshow that a student teacher made. But it does underscore the dearth of creativity and industry in the teaching profession. Mandatory state testing and the constant influx of New! Big Idea! fads from administration and district higher-ups are partly to blame, as I've written here before; they choke the creative impulse out of teachers. But as I've also said before, many elementary teachers --- while creative in their way --- aren't broadly educated nor accustomed to noetic pursuits, and are only too happy to travel the most comfortable and well-worn of methodological paths. So a guy with a lifetime of writing and creating under his belt, plus a lot more free time than the average teacher, can really shine in such an environment.

In any case, what with all the glowing observation sessions, my Sponsor is getting to be a big booster of ol' Chance, and I'm sure she'd try hard to help me land a job. I almost feel bad that I'm starting at Prestigious in January. Then I remember how Prestigious has more to offer, both for the pocketbook and for the soul, than any ISD in the state, and I feel better.