Since I think of my career as an education much like that of a builder, I am continually thinking about making good change to elevate programs and service to children. Yet if you change too much too often you may not make the deep and transformative change possible. On the other hand if you continue to nurture a status quo that subpar, you also won't do the good work possible.
Positive change begins with informed vision--where are we going and why are we going there. As I think of this, I am thinking of the vision I have for teaching well, that vision includes lots of details most teachers take for granted, but details none the less that lead to successful teaching including the following:
- a place for everything, everything in its place--good resources and materials that are easy to access, use, and put away.
- inspirational, leading signage that signals to students the purpose of our learning community and the beliefs and processes that are most important to the learning we do together.
- a variety of seating and work areas that provide students with the space and comfort they need to study on their own and with others in a myriad of ways.
- a good varied program that meets children where they are and leads them to expected learning experiences and results.
- solid background information to inform the learning/teaching program.
- expert visitors, field studies, worthy project/problem based learning, apt practice, smart tech integration, and a focus on creativity, collaboration, communication, citizenship, compassion, and critical thinking.
- a positive relationship with every child and every family member.
- positive systems and processes of service delivery that include targeting services, regular schedules of dynamic service delivery, frequent informal and formal assessment, revision, modification, and enrichment as needed, and reflection to determine if the service delivery is meeting the priorities set.
- good energy, positive demeanor, and focused time-on-task with students and learning.
Overall the creation of a dynamic teaching/learning environment that brings out the best of every child who studies and learns there.
After 32 years of teaching, some may wonder why I haven't reached this vision yet. My first response is that good teaching is a lifelong pursuit, one that none of us reach in its entirety since every year there are new problems and situations to tackle and learn from plus the world is ever-changing and it's an educators responsibility to prepare students for their world today and the world of the future. With that in mind, educators have to be lifelong learners that continually revise and enrich their repertoire to teach children well.
I won't teach forever, but in the next few years I hope to get closer to my vision of teaching as well as I can for each and every child. This will take discipline, focus, collaboration, and a steadfast attitude and effort. I want to end my tenure as a teacher with the feeling that I went in there and did the best I could for each and every child.
After that I suspect that I'll spend some time in the realm of political advocacy for the rights and supports that uplift living and learning for all children. I truly don't feel like our country or world gives enough attention to children particularly children who struggle--I think we can better our supports for those children and by doing that we'll better our future too. There's so much potential to do what is right and good in this realm and I suspect that I'll find an inroad to working in this sphere at that time.
So this morning as I enjoy a cup of coffee and ponder life's events, I'll make some time for dreaming and vision setting--figuring out how I'll meet my initial goal of teaching well in 2018-2019 and my next goal of setting the stage for a different life as an advocate after that. Onward.
