I received a lovely tweet the other day regarding something I shared in my last post. The interesting thing was that it was not actually about the content of the post, but the disclaimer, where I shared the following:
Just trying to work my way through some thoughts here…This post is more focused on writing to learn, not writing to share my learning.
Here is what the tweet stated:
Honestly every 1 of your posts pushes my thinking but ironically it’s this disclaimer that’s really resonating #InnovatorsMindset #g2great http://pic.twitter.com/GTRit590MU
— Kim McCarty (@KMreaders) October 16, 2017
It was a humbling message, yet one that was enormously appreciated. I don’t want to be seen as an expert, but a learner. I am still trying to figure things out and will continue to do so.
Using this space to learn and reflect is something that has helped me tremendously over the years. One thing that I am proud of in my development since blogging is that I believe less in “absolutes.” Some things don’t change for me. Relationships are crucial to education while being a continuous learner is something that all educators need to continue to develop. Other than that, everything else has some shades of grey, and I am asking more questions than ever.
Here is what I know…
Some facts stay the same. Two plus two equals four.
Some information changes. Pluto was once considered a planet.
But if schools are going to be considered, “Learning Organizations,” we have to understand that knowledge is not finite. Curiosity leads to growth, and if we think that we know it all, we are already falling behind.
Teaching is part science, part art, but all human endeavor. I know all of the science behind losing weight, but if I am not motivated to do so, does it matter what I know? Some of our students are unmotivated in education, and although it would be easy to blame them for all of this, is there a way we can help them move forward. I believe in personal responsibility, but I also think that a great teacher can be a spark for many students. I know that a great leader and teacher made all of the difference for me in a profession that I was about to quit. Great teachers do that for students all of the time.
I remember having a conversation with a teacher early on in their career. She was frustrated because the class prior was exemplary, but the group she was teaching that year was “difficult.” I asked her if she was a great teacher (she is/was), and she said, “Yes.” I then told her that exemplary teachers could get to the kids that are tough to reach. That is what makes them great. She needed nothing more than a reminder of that, and she then went on and had a great year, because of her willingness to see that challenge as an opportunity. She made a tremendous difference to that class.
If an educator believes they have nothing to learn, I would love to see the results of perfection in their classroom or school and would want to see them replicate that in different contexts. Until I have proof of that, we still have learning to do.
Keep learning, stay curious, and be happy with your own growth. Just be careful with becoming content in your practice.
“Curiosity is a worthwhile virtue than certainty. While the former leads to grow, the latter muzzles your growth and results in stagnation…” Assegid Habtewold
from Connected Principals http://ift.tt/2ijEQ2T
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