The Power of a Teacher | Adam Saenz | TEDxYale
Summary
TLDRIn this heartfelt narrative, Dr. Adam Lewis Signs shares his transformative journey from a troubled youth to a licensed psychologist, driven by the profound impact of two influential teachers. His story illustrates the life-changing power of educators, as he overcame personal challenges and academic struggles to achieve success. The narrative also highlights his adoption of a young girl, Lauren, emphasizing the generational impact educators can have on students' lives, shaping their future and self-worth.
Takeaways
- 📚 The speaker's first day as a substitute teacher was a pivotal and traumatic experience that led to a deep reflection on their career and the challenges of teaching.
- 👨🏫 The initial attempt at classroom management using the students' names on the board proved ineffective, demonstrating the complexity of behavior management in an inner-city third-grade classroom.
- 👦 The speaker, as a child, was a troubled student with a history of legal issues and undiagnosed depression, yet eventually became a licensed psychologist, illustrating the power of transformation.
- 🔑 The speaker's career shift from psychology to substitute teaching was driven by a desire to understand classroom dynamics firsthand, highlighting the importance of practical experience.
- 💡 A significant insight from the speaker's substitute teaching experience was the realization of the demanding nature of teaching and the respect it deserves, regardless of academic credentials.
- 🤔 The speaker's curiosity about the 'why' of education, beyond the 'how', led to research into the psychological factors influencing educators' job satisfaction and longevity.
- 👧 The story of 'Lou', a troubled youth who became a psychologist, serves as a testament to the impact educators can have on students' lives and the potential for change.
- 💌 Two letters from teachers played a crucial role in the speaker's life transformation, emphasizing the power of positive affirmation and belief in a student's potential.
- 🎓 The speaker's educational journey from a high school dropout to earning a PhD illustrates the importance of perseverance and the influence of educators in shaping one's future.
- 👨👧 The adoption story of 'Lauren' and her transformation into a loved and valued family member underscores the generational impact educators can have on students' lives.
- 🏆 The speaker's professional success and the ability to choose his path are attributed to the educators who believed in him, demonstrating the lasting impact of teacher support.
Q & A
What significant event occurred on August 25th, 2008 for the speaker?
-The speaker's significant event on August 25th, 2008 was their first day as a substitute teacher in an inner-city third-grade classroom.
What was the speaker's initial method for behavior management in the classroom?
-The speaker's initial method for behavior management was to write the names of the students on the board, believing it would instill discipline.
How did the speaker's first day as a substitute teacher affect their career?
-The speaker's first day as a substitute teacher was a traumatic event that led to a change in their career path, as they realized the challenges of teaching and the importance of having firsthand experience in a classroom.
What was the turning point for the speaker in terms of their understanding of teaching?
-The turning point for the speaker was the realization that having degrees and theoretical knowledge was not enough to understand the demands and challenges of teaching; actual classroom experience was crucial.
What personal experience did the speaker share about their past?
-The speaker shared that they were once a troubled youth with a history of legal issues, depression, and drug use, who was adopted by a family and later found success through education.
What role did the speaker's teachers play in their transformation?
-The speaker's teachers, Mrs. McRoberts and Mrs. Exley, played a pivotal role by recognizing and affirming the speaker's potential, which eventually led them to pursue higher education and a career in psychology.
What was the impact of the letters from the speaker's teachers?
-The letters from the speaker's teachers provided affirmation and belief in their abilities, which helped the speaker to reconsider their self-identity and ultimately change the trajectory of their life.
How did the speaker's perspective on education change after their experience as a substitute teacher?
-The speaker developed a deep sense of admiration for educators and became intensely curious about the psychological variables that drive vocational satisfaction for educators, focusing on the 'why' behind education.
What was the significance of the speaker's adoption of Lauren?
-The adoption of Lauren by the speaker demonstrated the generational power that educators have in the classroom and the potential for educators to make life-changing impacts on students' lives.
What message does the speaker convey about the power of educators?
-The speaker conveys that educators have the power to change lives, influence students' self-perception, and inspire them to reach their potential, as evidenced by their own transformation and the adoption of Lauren.
How did the speaker's understanding of their identity evolve over time?
-The speaker's understanding of their identity evolved from being a troubled youth to recognizing their potential and abilities, thanks to the influence of educators, and ultimately adopting a new name, Adam, to represent their transformation.
Outlines
😅 Embarrassing First Day as a Substitute Teacher
The speaker recounts their disastrous first day as a substitute teacher on August 25th, 2008, in an inner-city third-grade classroom. Despite being a licensed psychologist, their attempts at behavior management, such as writing students' names on the board, failed miserably. The day was filled with mishaps, culminating in a student pointing out the speaker's mistake in counting students. The experience was a wake-up call about the challenges of teaching and sparked a newfound respect for educators.
🌟 Transformation from Troubled Youth to Psychologist
The speaker shares their personal journey from being a troubled youth with a history of legal issues and depression to becoming a licensed psychologist. Growing up in the Lower Rio Grand Valley near the Mexican border, they were arrested and eventually taken in by a family in Katy, Texas. Despite a relapse into depression and drug use after aging out of the foster system, two heartfelt letters from teachers reignited their belief in their potential. This led them to pursue higher education, ultimately transforming their life's trajectory.
🎓 The Power of Education and Personal Growth
The speaker reflects on the transformative power of education and the pivotal role educators played in their life. They recount their academic journey, starting with passing an introductory English course, which led to a series of successes in higher education, culminating in a PhD in Psychology. The speaker emphasizes the importance of educators' belief in their students' potential, which can inspire them to achieve beyond their own expectations.
💖 The Impact of Love and the Role of Educators
The speaker transitions to discussing their daughter, Lauren, whom they adopted after she had spent two years in protective services. They share a touching story about their first daddy-daughter dance and the importance of conveying love and value to a child who has never experienced it. The speaker draws a parallel between the influence of educators in their own life and their role as a father, highlighting the profound, generational impact educators can have on students.
🏆 A Life Changed by Teachers and a Commitment to Education
In conclusion, the speaker answers the question posed by their mother during a juvenile detention incident, reflecting on their identity and purpose. They introduce themselves as Dr. Adam Lewis Signs, a psychologist and educator, whose life was profoundly impacted by teachers. The speaker expresses gratitude to the educators who believed in them and emphasizes the enduring influence of teachers on students' lives.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Traumatic event
💡Behavior management
💡Inner city
💡Vocation
💡Psychological variables
💡Identity
💡Adoption
💡Self-medication
💡Educational impact
💡Life-changing
💡Vocational satisfaction
Highlights
The speaker's first day as a substitute teacher was August 25th, 2008, which became a turning point in their career.
The initial attempt at behavior management by writing names on the board failed, leading to a realization of the complexity of classroom management.
A student's correction of the speaker's mistake about the class size highlighted the challenges faced during the first day.
The speaker's experience led to a deep admiration for educators and an understanding of the demanding nature of teaching.
The speaker's curiosity about teaching excellence and longevity in the profession prompted research into psychological variables affecting educators.
The importance of understanding 'why' in education was emphasized as a foundational element for success in teaching.
Case studies of 'Lou' and 'Lauren' were introduced to illustrate the impact of educators on students' lives.
Lou's transformation from a troubled youth to a licensed psychologist was attributed to the influence of his teachers.
The speaker's personal narrative as 'Lou' demonstrates the power of educators to change a student's trajectory.
The speaker's journey from a disadvantaged background to academic success was facilitated by the belief and support of his teachers.
The significance of educators' words and their life-changing impact on students was underscored through the speaker's story.
The adoption story of 'Lauren' highlights the potential for educators to recognize and act on the needs of at-risk students.
The speaker's commitment to his daughter Lauren reflects the selfless dedication educators should have towards their students.
The speaker's professional success and personal growth are a testament to the enduring influence of educators.
The speaker concludes by answering the question of identity and purpose, inspired by his experiences with educators.
The power of a teacher to write their own ticket and impact lives was a central theme of the speaker's narrative.
The speaker's story concludes with a heartfelt thank you to the educators who changed the course of his life.
Transcripts
[Music]
[Applause]
something happened to me on Monday
August 25th
2008 that was so significant for me it
literally changed the course of my
career that day was my first day ever as
a real live substitute teacher
now since I'm a licensed psychologist I
know the best way to heal from a
traumatic event is to talk about
it there's so much I could tell you
about what an absolute train wreck that
day was but let me give you some of the
low lights so my my method for behavior
management for for this classroom in
inner city third grade classroom was
that I was going to write their names on
the board you know surely that would put
the fear of God in them as if right so
10 minutes before lunch I'm trying to
make this big dramatic point to the kids
about how bad their behavior was and how
disappointed the teacher was going to be
and I said you know what it's really sad
I said in 10 minutes we're about to go
to lunch and let me just check so I
start counting names dot d dot d DT d d
I said 28 of you are going to be stuck
in here with me at recess this little
girl in the back of the classroom she
raised her hand sir there are only 22
kids in this classroom and it was just
stupid stuff like that all day long it
was a master's Workshop in how not to
lead a classroom so finally we get
through the the day the last bell rings
the kids are walking out and the sure
enough the last kid to leave the
classroom was the one that had been
riding me the hard artist all day long
his goal that day was to make me cry I
know it so just before he gets to the
door he stops and he turns and he looks
at me and he says hey Dr signs you're
pretty cool man are you going to be my
teacher again tomorrow dude I looked
that kid straight in the eye I said oh
sweet God I hope
not I got through the afternoon I went
home you know that that saying that a
picture is worth a thousand words a
couple days later I found this picture
and I said oh my gosh this picture
captures my first day as a substitute to
teacher I'm that
guy and this is that third grade class
just squatting the collective rear end
of their bad behavior on my skills you
can see who's coming out on top so what
I do as a psychologist in schools a big
part of what I do is I consult with
teachers so teachers that are teaching
uh children with academic and behavioral
issues I coached them and I started
thinking about I said you know what I do
all this time teaching teachers but I've
never taught in a classroom myself and
so I started substitute teaching because
I wanted just a taste of what it's like
to actually be in a classroom to see if
that in any way change what I believe
like the recommendations that I was
making or what I believe in theory or in
practice about how to intervene with
children and let me tell you something
the first light bulb that went off for
me after that very first day of
substitute teaching was this hey Adam
guess what big guy it doesn't matter how
many degrees you have it doesn't matter
where you got them from it doesn't
matter what you think you know about
education unless you've actually taught
in a classroom day in day out and done
the work there is no way you will ever
ever understand how incredibly demanding
and challenging that vocation is and it
was a huge moment of insight for me and
what happened was I was overwhelmed with
this sense of admiration for educators
for men and women across the country
that are in classrooms everywhere just
flat out getting it done do an amazing
job overwhelmed at at at how incredible
that is and then what happen happened
was that feeling of being overwhelmed it
sort of shifted into one of curiosity
and I got intensely curious about about
this thing I was wondering how do you
get good at that thing called teaching
number one and number two how do you get
good at it and stay good at it when data
showed that about half the teachers
teaching in schools now will be employed
in another profession in five years so
for those of us who work in education we
uh we go to so many conferences and
workshops about the how of Education the
where the what the when but I was
curious about the why the why of
Education because I know that whenever
we engage a significant task if we enter
it with the right why the what the where
the when the how that usually falls into
place so I started researching what are
the psychological variables that drive
vocational satisfaction for educators
and and the point that I want to share
uh the idea that I want to share today
is this when we in education when we
enter into that vocation from the right
why we posture ourselves and Poise
ourselves El to make the kind of Life
impacting relationships that have the
power to change the future so what I
want to do is I want to share a couple
of case studies with you and I think
these case studies will do more to
illustrate my point than me talking
through my research and through data so
the the boy on the left is a sixth grade
boy his name is Lou the girl on the
right is a fourth grade girl her name is
Lauren let's talk about Lou um sixth
grade boy Hispanic male low
socioeconomic home he's got a single
uninvolved parent history of treny
history of interaction with the legal
system he's got an undiagnosed
depression and he's using street drugs
to self-medicate now if you're a
classroom teacher and you have this kid
in your classroom this is the kid that
will make you sit out in the parking lot
on your campus and have an existential
crisis this is the kid that will make
you sit out in February when the snow's
piled that high and say do I really want
to walk the 200 yards into that building
because I didn't sleep well last night
but I guarantee you lose slept like a
baby and he's going to be loaded for
bear and ready for me and then you start
thinking you know they don't pay me
enough for this why am I doing this and
all that goes on and if you have this
kid in your classroom he will wear you
out and if you have this kid in your
classroom and he doesn't wear you out I
would say one of two things is true of
you either you're a superhero or you're
in just a little bit of denial that's
this kid well this kid actually is not
in sixth grade anymore of all things
this little stinker grew up and became a
licensed psychologist and that's what he
looks like
today I was that kid I was that kid let
me share my story with you the setting
is the early 1980s the location is the
Lower Rio Grand Valley the very southern
tip uh very close to the border of
Mexico 95% Hispanic and I remember I
remember the look on my mom's face the
first time she had to come to juvenile
to pick me up when I was arrested the
anger in her face and the first words
out of her mouth when she saw me was
what are you doing here what are you
doing here and that question it wasn't a
question of action what am I doing here
well I'm sitting in this chair with
these handcuffs digging into my wrist
wondering what the next 48 hours of my
life will look like that's not the
question she was asking it was a
question of identity and I remember
thinking what an absolutely stupid
question to ask me are you kidding me
what am I doing here I know who I am I'm
loose signs it's my job to make your
life hell I'm never going to learn I
can't make it through a single day what
am I doing here this is who I am this is
where I belong this is what I do well my
mom Child Protective Services was never
involved with my family but my mom could
read the writing on the wall
and she voluntarily relinquished
guardianship to me and I went to live
with this family several hundred miles
away and what was then this tiny rice
farming Town out in the sticks out in
the suburbs of Houston called Katie
Texas and I ended up doing pretty well
at Katie Junior High and Katie high
school but by my senior year I started
to get depressed again because the
family that I lived with they said son
we love you but but you're 18 and when
you graduate you're on your own and I
was terrified because I knew no no no no
no when you take all the structure away
from me I knew that I still had demons
on the inside and they were going to
come and get me well sure enough I
graduated from Katie high school and the
bottom fell out um I ended up in San
Antonio I was working as a dishwasher um
I met this guy he' let me sleep on the
living living room floor of his tiny
one-bedroom apartment my depression was
out of control I was using drugs again
to self-medicate street drugs and and I
wasn't suicidal but I remember thinking
like are you kidding me I'm 19 years old
I'm working as a dishwasher I'm using
drugs and I've got another 60 years of
this to look forward to what's the point
well I remember coming home from work
one morning it was about 3:00 a.m. very
early and I was really really depressed
and really really overwhelmed and so I
pulled out my journal I just needed to
get into my journal to write and as I
pulled out my journal in in my journal
box I saw these two letters and I
couldn't figure out what they were but
when I found them I was blown away at
what they were they were two letters
that had been written to me by two of my
teachers my senior year at KD high
school and this is part of what one of
those letters said you're extremely
talented and intelligent but most
importantly you have a good heart I know
you will use your talents to help your
fellow man and that's the most
satisfying life a person can have and it
was signed by my English teacher Joel
Exley it said some other things but
that's what jumped out put it away I
pulled out the second letter and this is
part of what that letter
said don't quit writing especially in
your Journal someday it may be the basis
for your book you have Insight
sensitivity intelligence and maturity
beyond your Tender Years keep being you
you're a special person and it was
signed by my creative writing teacher
paully
McRoberts and those words absolutely
haunted me they just haunted me because
I said wait a minute wait a minute wait
a minute I know who I am I know who I am
I'm loose signs I'm a 19-year-old
version of that sixth grade kid that's
never going to make it through a single
day whose job it is to make your life
hell who's never going to learn I'm
using drugs I'm depressed out of my mind
I'm working as a dishwasher I have no
future I know who I am but here were
these two women for whom I had
tremendous disrespect that were
disagreeing with me and because of who
they were and the kind of Life they
lived in front of us in the classroom I
couldn't just blow them off I couldn't
just say well you don't know what you're
talking about and because of their
character and their integrity I knew
they would not have written these words
to me if they didn't absolutely believe
it so back and forth I went back and
forth who's right about me who's right
about me so finally I said you know what
I need to put this Theory to the test I
need to figure out who I am I know what
I'm going to do I'm going to sign up for
a college course I had no idea how to do
that neither my parents went to college
but I went to the University of Texas at
San Antonio I was accepted the first
course I had to take was introduction to
English and I said oh thank God because
if I have any hope of passing a college
course it's got to be this English
course well at the end of the semester I
remember I got my grade and I passed it
couldn't believe it couldn't believe it
and so I started thinking you know what
maybe Mrs Roberts and Mrs Exley were
right about me maybe they could see
something in me that I couldn't see in
myself on the one hand on the other hand
maybe this was just a clerical error for
all I know should probably take another
course so I took another course that
spring and I passed it couldn't believe
it then I took a course that summer then
two then three and just kept going a
little at a time and then just before I
turned 27 years old I graduated with my
undergraduate degree in English never
never never thought I was going to get a
college degree I never did but there I
had it and then I started thinking you
know what they were right about me Mrs
McRoberts and Mrs Exley could see
something in me that I couldn't see in
myself and I said you know what I'm done
being Lou I'm done being that kid that's
never going to make it through a single
day whose job it is to make your life
heal who's never going to learn and then
just psychologically as a way to give
myself permission to be somebody else I
said I'm going to start going by my
first name now I'm going to be Adam and
maybe Adam can live into this life that
those two teachers saw in him so many
years ago well I started my master's
program and then I started my own
therapy to work through my own past my
own trauma and my own abuse finished my
masters and then I applied for a PhD in
school psychology at Texas A&M and then
the whole thing came full circle in uh
it was March of 2001 I remember I was
sitting in Logan Airport I was finishing
my internship at Boston Children's
Hospital under a fellowship appointment
to Harvard and I was scheduled to
graduate in May and I had applied for
post talks at Brown Yale in Columbia and
brown was my Top Choice so I'm sitting
in the airport at Logan waiting for my
flight I was going to fly back to
College Station to defend my
dissertation and my cell phone rang I
said hello this is Adam and then a voice
voice on the other end of the phone said
Adam hey this is Dr J ree at Brown
Medical School listen we got your
paperwork we we really enjoyed our
interview with you and I'm calling to
offer you a fellowship appointment here
at the medical school and I was just
thrilled I mean this was my top choice
right so as he's talking about the
research and the clinical work um I had
an incoming phone call and I didn't
recognize the number and I said I said
Dr R I said I'm so sorry to ask but do
you mind if I put you on hold I have a
call coming in I think I need to take it
no problem click over hello this is Adam
then a voice on the other end said Adam
hey this is Dr Chuck San at Yale Medical
School listen we got your paperwork we
really enjoyed our interview with you
and I'm calling to offer you a
fellowship appointment to to Yale I said
dude I got brown on the other line I'm
going to have to call you back
click took the position at Brown hung up
and then it hit me in that moment it hit
me I realized Adam you can write your
own ticket you are qualified to do what
you love to do which is practice
psychology at any Hospital any
University any uh School District in the
country and you're bilingual and I
realized in that moment I wouldn't have
those options if I didn't have a PhD in
Psychology and I never would have had
the courage to apply for a PhD if I
hadn't finished my Master's Degree and I
never could have applied for a master's
degree if I hadn't first finished my
undergraduate degree and you know what I
know that I know that I know that I know
that I never would have stepped out for
that first degree had Educators not
spoken truth into my life about who I am
and my identity and I'll tell you right
now I will be for ever grateful to Mrs
McRoberts and Mrs Exley for the moment
of impact they had in my life if you
ever happen to be in Katie Texas by the
way and you're driving down Wester
Parkway you're going to see that
building and that's Joel Exley
Elementary and if you ever happen to be
driving down Fran Road you're going to
see that building and that's pully
McRoberts Elementary and I am so proud
of KD ISD for honoring these two women
now let's go to my second uh case study
this was Lauren Garcia and when I look
at that picture of Lauren her smile
doesn't convince me um and when I think
about who she was at this time I think
what does she have to smile about she
had been in protective uh Services the
custody of protective services for two
years already in her young life she had
experienced Things That No human being
should ever have to experience let alone
a little girl and then we sit her down
in front of a camera and tell her to say
cheese well what's there to smile about
well what happens with children that are
in in Protective Services in custody
when they're 10 11 12 years old if they
haven't been adopted by that time
statistically speaking
the likelihood that they will ever be
adopted it drops dramatically well what
happened with Lauren was she ended up in
court but with her the circumstances
were a little bit different it wasn't
juvenile court it was an adoption court
because the family read her file and
they said we know exactly what we're
signing up for and in March of 2010
Lauren Garcia became Lauren signs and
that was the day that my wife and I
adopted her and there we are on our
adoption day with my biological children
and that was a very very special day in
our family that was on a Tuesday that
very next Saturday Lauren and I had our
very first daddy daughter dance and
there we are getting ready for the daddy
daughter dance and she was so cute I
remember I said all right sweet girl
you've got new shoes you've got a new
dress you're beautiful I said you know
what before the dance I'm going to take
you out to dinner anywhere you want to
go and man her little eyes just lit up
she said are you kidding me anywhere I
want to go said anywhere you want to go
I don't care you name it Stak
Seafood
Chick-fil-A so there we were at
Chick-fil-A in our Formal Wear waffle
fries and chicken sandwiches it was the
bomb so after dinner you know we ended
up at the dance and we were still
getting to know each other at that point
she'd only been with us for about uh six
months and I remember at the dance I
just wanted to make one point of
connection with her you know and so when
we got there and we settled in I
remember I reached over and I held her
hand and I took this little picture and
I said sweet girl there are two things
you need to understand about being my
girl and about being family I said the
first is this you do not make the rules
in our family mom and I make the rules
and your job is to follow them there's
not a question mark at the end of that
statement there's not a comma at the end
of that statement there is a period at
the end of that statement do you
understand me and she said yes sir I do
and I said very good here's the second
thing you need to know I said do you
know what my job is and she said yes sir
your job is to make sure that I follow
the rules and I smiled at her and I said
oh no no no sweet girl I said listen to
me my job is to lay my life down for you
my job is to protect you my job is to
provide for you my job is to guide you I
said sweetheart you don't understand
this about yourself yet but you are the
most precious thing on the planet there
is no pile of money anywhere on the
planet more valuable than you not even
in the same category and and my job is
to lay my life down for you so that you
will understand your value because when
you understand your value you will live
as though your choices matter you will
understand that just like me you have a
calling you have a purpose you have a
destiny you are on this planet for a
reason and then in a moment of
incredible Insight she looked at me and
she said dad I don't think I've ever
been loved that way before and I
remember I smiled at her and I said oh
sweet girl sweet girl believe it or not
I know exactly how you feel I said let
me tell you a story about a kid I used
to know his name was
Lou and I shared my story with her and
it was a powerful powerful moment our
relationship and the reason I share my
daughter as as a case study is just to
underscore the generational power that
Educators have in the classroom when
when we as Educators make that
connection with those students we change
every heartbeat they have to the grave
and when I think about the men and women
that poured into my life the Educators
like Mrs McRoberts and Mrs Exley that
poured into my life when quite frankly I
was not the best version of myself how
do I look at a little girl like this and
not bring her into my life that is the
power of an educator that is the power
of a teacher so let me conclude with
this I'm going to answer that question
that my mom asked me when I was in
juvenile sitting in handcuffs what are
you doing here what am I doing here you
know what by God's grace I know who I am
today my name is Dr Adam Lewis signs and
I'm here on this stage today because my
life was impacted by the power of a
teacher thank you
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