I've got the:
Part of the teacher gig is doing "inservice" before school starts and during the school year. It is, ostensibly, a time for professional work such as team building, goal setting, data crunching, problem solving and a whole cadre of other serious business. If one is lucky it ACTUALLY is these things for the most part. If one is not lucky, it's a major bummer. I've had both experiences and I can say, quite confidently, that the former is preferable to the latter.
During our department meeting today, we were tasked with making a sign with a single word on it that we would use as a touchstone for the school year. . . . a word to remind us why we were Doing. All. The. Things. Now--I don't know if other departments are doing this or not but I DO enjoy a wee craft so I was pretty happy about the whole thing.
But enough about that, let's talk about the WORD!!!
I picked the word "power" because that's what I want my students to have:
*The power to learn
*The power to grow
*The power to change
*The power to help
*The power to decide
*The power to persevere
*The power to question
*The power to lead
(I imagine you can see where this is going)
In order to facilitate my students having these cool powers, I need to have:
*The power to learn
*The power to grow
*The power to change
*The power to help
*The power to decide
*The power to persevere
*The power to question
*The power to lead
Hmmmmm. . . . . . . it's almost as if I need the same things my students do. . . . almost like a positive, productive learning environment is a two-way street of sorts. Shocking!
I'm shocked I tell you!! Gobsmacked!! (Insert very slow wink)
The thing is, education is something that should be happening between students and teachers. It should not be something that happens to them. Power is important. If a person feels they have power, then they will, invariably, use that power to direct the course of their lives. If we want our students to be active, interesting, compassionate, humans. . . they have to have the power to develop into such.
And we, as teachers, have to have the power to make it happen.
So there you have it. . . more education ramblings from some random area of my brain. Must be the start of the school year. . . I was not thinking these deep thoughts a week ago!
I AM brewing up a diatribe about disc golf tournaments. I just have to get it all figured out in my head first. ;-) You have been duly warned.
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