What is a revelation to one is common sense to another.
We're all at different places of the learning curve with every pursuit we endeavor.
For example, a pastime for me is playing Scrabble. I enjoy the puzzle like quality of the game. Mostly in the winter, I play a lot of Scrabble with a relative That relative is a master Scrabble player who beats me at the game almost all the time. The more I observe how he plays and challenge myself to play against, him the better I get at the game. I'm learning all the ways he masters the game both offensively and defensively which is making me a much better player
The same is true with my collegial team. Every day I notice their mastery with regard to teaching and I make that part of my teaching and learning too. I challenge myself to get better by replicating aspects of their craft that I notice to be positive and enriching for children and collegiality.
And, a good friend of mine has a great attitude and routine for health--I'm watching and I'm learning.
I think that sometimes we become frustrated in areas we want to reach for, and in those areas, we forget to observe and work with experts who can challenge us and lead us to betterment. I want to think about how I'll relay that lesson to my students so they can learn early on that good teachers are anyone in their midst who can lead them ahead in areas that matter to them.
