We are in the middle of one of the longest months known to educators... March. With all that life throws at us, I am feeling stuck, succumbing to the dark, dampness that has invaded the air.
In room 15, I have students who are working hard because I ask them to. I have students who are engaged and excited about learning and participating in rich discussion. I have students who are bored and unmotivated. No matter how hard I try to connect with them, to engage them, it doesn't seem to be enough. As teachers, I think we commonly feel like what we are doing is never enough. We have these ideas, theories, hopes and intentions for what kind of educators we want to be for ourselves and for our students. Then for whatever reason, schedules, energy, administration, colleagues, attitudes, all of these roadblocks get in the way. So I guess my question is, how do we proceed? How do we overcome these roadblocks? How will we persevere in an industry that is notorious for initiative overload and a system that tends to drop things every couple of years? Can I break the mold? Can I break the mold and feel supported, understood and embraced? All concerns as I look to the next phase of my teaching career. I know I have said this before, but why is it that education feels like the slowest moving entity on the planet?
We as teachers are responsible for preparing our students for jobs that don't exist yet, I have been hearing that for years. As adults, my students will change jobs, perhaps careers over a dozen times! That means that they need to problem solve, teach themselves, research, think critically, embrace change. Are these the skills I am focusing on in my classroom? I like to think that by living in a place that is naturally unique by default, educators would be empowered to lead in more of an unconventional way. We need to be holding ourselves accountable for creating an environment that is challenging for our students, while providing the resources and tools to think their way out, to be able to grow, reflect and express themselves.
Yeah, we can throw out all of the greatest buzz words in education; choice & voice, growth mindset, hacking education, TTOG, standards based reporting, etc. All of these new or not so new concepts are great, yet, how are they changing how we are teaching our students? Are we using these to enhance our students and their learning or are we using them to transform our students and their learning? While we are finishing up two thirds of our year, the last third has potential for us to do great and be great for ourselves and our students. Are we transforming our students? If the answer is anything less than yes, then what do we need to do differently? What doors do we need to open, not only for our students, but also for ourselves as educators? I look forward to the collaboration ahead and building a better road for innovation and outside of the box thinking. While it is important to push myself, I also have to realize, that change doesn't happen quickly. Even though the end result may be a mural in my mind, it needs to start out as a basic sketch.
As Louisa May Alcott put it "...I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning to sail my own ship."
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