Moving ahead in education, I want to be cognizant of those who support my efforts and good work with honesty, care, and thoughtfulness. I want to steer my teaching/learning ship in that direction.
I also want to be cognizant of those that do not support the work I do with care, but on the other hand, stymie and confuse that work with undue criticism, dishonest rumors, little effort, an unwillingness to entertain or listen to new ideas/answer questions, and inaccurate reporting of information and events.
Those who don't support you will often work to undermine and demean you. It may take you a while to recognize those efforts, but after a time, you'll recognize a thread of activity that adds up to disrespect and lack of support.
In the face of efforts like this, it's important to shore up your own work to make sure that you are supportive to others in ways that are fair, honest, and worthy--this is an important and critical aim with regard to work in any field.
You also have to keep good notes of what happens, when, and why. For example recently I asked a simple question, and when the question was repeated to me from another source, it was a much different question. Fortunately I have the original email on file if the question is brought up again.
None of us are perfect and we all have our areas of strength and our areas of challenge. Further each of us, if it is important to us, is developing our work and craft all the time. It is important to stay cognizant of this as we support one another with our best effort and energy. Some will not care about you at all--they will not support you. It's important to recognize this as you do your work.
Though worrisome, this is a reality that exists, and one that sadly stands in the way of the good work possible when educators work together to do what is right and good for children.
