As I consider the lengthy list of expectations related to teaching well today, I am struck by the acts and attitudes that matter--acts and attitudes I see in my teaching/learning environment all the time.
Care
We need to care for one another and for the students and families we teach.
Teach
We need to teach essential skills, concepts, and knowledge in order to give students the ability to choose well for their lives and the lives of those they impact.
Honest, Respectful, Transparent Debate and Discourse
We need to reach for as much honest, transparent, and respectful discourse as possible. When secrets, hearsay, and conjecture rule, teaching/learning environments suffer, but when honest, transparent, respectful debate and discourse dominate, everyone benefits.
Balance
We need to strike the right professional/personal balances, and support that balance for colleagues and students too.
Voice and Choice
We need to encourage greater voice and choice amongst all stakeholders by eliminating old fashion "factory-model" systems and replacing those systems with greater distributive leadership that elevates and celebrates the ideas, questions, needs, and contribution of all stakeholders. Efforts like this build more dynamic teaching/learning organizations.
