To be completely transparent, when trying to write my "why" statement, it took me a while to land on why I do what I do. It sounds bad, but when you are entering into the fourth week of school in the second year of a pandemic, it can be hard to remember your why. The stress of lesson planning, data analysis, grading, intervention, paperwork, health protocols, and district requirements can begin to make your "why" kind of foggy and out of focus. But as I sat and thought about it and vented to my husband about my worries because I couldn't come up with my "why" he looked at me perplexed like it should be so obvious. He then said, "You do it for the kids, you have always done it for the kids." It hit me like a ton of bricks, and as simple and obvious as that statement may have been, I had struggled to come up with it on my own. I then went back and began viewing some of the things I had already created in my ADL program, to reflect on my own thought process about what I do and why I do it.
It's true, I do everything for my students. Even tasks that cause stress are done with them in mind. Planning the perfect lesson and making it as seamless and fluid as possible may cause a lot of stress, but it is done so that my students may be successful and be engaged while learning. As I reflected on my Learning Manifesto and my Learning Philosophy, I am reminded of my "why." With this information I am able to form the statements of why I do what I do, how I do it, and what I do:
The day we stop learning is the day we stop growing. As educators, it is our job to educate our students but we cannot stop there. A teacher who simply teaches to the test is also educating their students, but only for that one situation. We must also instill the desire to continue and drive their own learning in our students. When I think about why I do what I do, my thought is not to receive the highest test scores on my campus, it is not to have the highest class averages. While it can be a good thing to have these things, that is not my focus when it comes to my students. They are not pieces of data but they are growing human beings that will one day become a member of society as an adult where they can make their own waves. As educators, we must create an environment where a growth mindset is instilled in our students to help drive their desire to dive deeper into their learning. By doing this we can equip them with the tools they need to follow their passions and create meaningful change as they move into the world.
Our students are constantly getting a flow of information from all directions through the access technology has provided for us. This information is constant and often is not filtered which can be powerful in a positive or negative way. We have the power to be an influential river of information that a student can rely on as they grow that is designed with their best interests in mind. If we do not take action, All of this can help build a growth mindset, a sense of discernment, and lifelong learning strategies in our students in a world that has direct access to the growing mind of a middle schooler. We all know how influenced the mind of a 12-13 year old can be. This is why it is so important for us to step in and help guide our students in a direction that will help them continue meaningful learning down the road after they have left our classroom. Knowing why we do something has a lot of power. As Simon Sinek (2009) stated "People don't by what you do, they buy why you do it." This is so true, and I encourage you to watch his TedTalk from which this quote is stated to gather a full understanding of what he means. I want you to think back to why you got into this profession. And maybe it was a matter of circumstance, if that is the case, I want you to think of your favorite memory with your students. What part of that memory makes you involuntarily smile? That's it, that's your "why." Now, what are you going to do with it?
To learn more about why inspired my "why" take a look at my Learning Manifesto. To learn more about my "what" view my Innovation Proposal.
References
Kotter, J. [Dr. John Kotter]. (2011, March 23). The heart of change [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NKti9MyAAw
Kotter, J. [Dr. John Kotter]. (2013, August 15). Leading change: Establish a sense of urgency [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yfrj2Y9IlI
Sinek, S. [TEDx Talks]. (2009, September 28). Start with why: How great leaders inspire action [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA&t=164s
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