Your Lasting Legacy
No one goes into the education profession for accolades or to make big bucks, although I wish the latter were a reality. The choice one makes to teach and lead is almost always grounded in the innate desire to make a
Your Lasting Legacy
No one goes into the education profession for accolades or to make big bucks, although I wish the latter were a reality. The choice one makes to teach and lead is almost always grounded in the innate desire to make a positive difference in a child's life. On some days, this might seem like an impossible task as a myriad of challenges makes it difficult. While these may vary, the result can lead to questioning the chosen career path. However, when the dust settles, educators can take solace in the fact that the actions they do take to help kids learn do make a difference in both the short and long terms.
Culture, in a classroom or school, is built on a strong relational foundation. Without trust, there are not relationships. Without relationships, no real learning occurs. While achievement often gets the most attention or scrutiny, it's the interactions with kids that set them up for success and often have the most impact well after they have left a classroom. In the final chapter of Disruptive Thinking in Our Classrooms, I highlight the following areas to make this a reality:
- Show you care
- Believe in ALL kids
- Work to unlock potential
- Impart trust
- Focus on "what if" instead of "yeah but"
If the goal is to get students to think disruptively, then the right culture has to be in place. Hence, the importance of developing powerful relationships that have the potential to withstand the test of time. Steve Goodier shared a brief story titled "A Teacher's Hand," which speaks to the immense impact educators have when they embrace the tenets above:
Thanksgiving Day was near. The first-grade teacher gave her class a fun assignment—to draw a picture of something for which they were thankful. Most of the class might be considered economically disadvantaged, but still, many would celebrate the holiday with turkey and other traditional goodies of the season. These, the teacher thought, would be the subjects of most of her student's art. And they were.
But Douglas made a different kind of picture. Douglas was a different kind of boy. He was the teacher's true child of misery, frail and unhappy. As other children played at recess, Douglas was likely to stand close by her side. One could only guess at the pain Douglas felt behind those sad eyes. Yes, his picture was 