3 out of 10 ?!?!

As I was about to embark on my new career as a teacher, back in the spring of 1995, my father's friend, a former middle school teacher, visited me in my office. It was a clear, cool day. The sunlight was streaming through the windows, bathing an already empty office with barrenness. He sat across from me with a solemn face and said, "If you can reach 30% of the students you teach, you will have a successful career as a teacher."

I thanked him for his advice, but secretly thought--30% is the mark of success? With youth and optimism on my side, I scoffed. 3 out of 10 was setting the bar just a little low. What idiot couldn't walk over that? And I quickly forgot all about that little talk.

Well, apparently not. Because here I am 13 years later, and that day still lingers like a ghost. Funny which days stay with you throughout the years. Keeping you company as you sit quietly, stuffed with Thanksgiving turkey. 3 out of 10. How good is that?

Batting .300 every year in the majors would pretty much secure you a multi-million dollar contract for 20 years, a place in the Hall of Fame and a seat in the announcer's booth when you retire.

Birdieing 30% of the holes on a golf course, let's say 5 a round, would put you at -20 over the course of four rounds of a tournament and in the winner's circle in probably 99% of the tournaments the pro golfers play.

Connecting with just three team members in the end zone week in and week out for 21 points a game would probably earn a quarterback a trip to the Super Bowl.

What was my father's crazy friend thinking? 3 out of 10 ?!?! It's not like there's any Teacher's Hall of Fame to aspire to. It's definitely not like we're making $93 million a year like the greedy bozos who got us into this financial mess. And yet, a lawyer who wins 30% of his cases would surely be fired by the managing partner of the firm. A surgeon with a 30% success rate in the operating room would probably have his license suspended right after he was done defending himself in all those wrongful death lawsuits.

So is there a number that teachers should shoot for? A reasonable target that prevents a teacher from burning out and becoming pessimistic? I'm not sure I could calculate what my success rate has been after all these years. Or if there's even a formula for determining whether or not a student has been "reached". Yet time and time again, I come back to the question: how do I make sure that no child has been left behind? Or is this a question that shouldn't be asked?