There are many wonderful things about working in education. I mean seriously, in what other profession can one be charged with influencing and guiding the direction of all youth and ultimately society?
It's a pretty awesome power and pretty amazing responsibility that which we hoist upon our shoulders every single day kids walk through those school doors.
Having said all that, with great responsibility comes even greater expectations.
It's no secret we live during a time of high and increasing levels of accountability. To make things more interesting, no educator can walk 5ft without talking to someone who's experienced the education system. This means we are surrounded by lots of 'experts' who definitely won't shy away from telling us how we can do our jobs better. :)
The key to all this responsibility is the ability to reinvent oneself.
If you're a veteran educator, take a moment to think about how the educational front has evolved and really transformed itself over the years. If you're a mid-career educator, you too have experienced and seen first-hand the fluidity of the educational process. For those brand new to the profession, you might not have seen widespread systemic shifts, but you've no doubt seen smaller shifts that impact your school and your district within your community.
If you've survived a systemic shift it's because you were able to reinvent yourself.
You were able to adapt and you were able to adjust based on the prevailing winds.
Some of your strengths required a retooling while some of your weaknesses were pushed to center stage.
But you survived and you persevered...
You might have even thrived and come out even stronger on the other side...
The beauty is that all these changes we are experiencing in life and society are a direct result of educators reinventing themselves and adapting to quickly moving landscapes that are constantly evolving. The more we educators reinvent ourselves, the more quickly the landscapes outside of education transform. This is quite the double-edged sword conundrum!
So, in closing, don't be afraid of having to reinvent yourself and don't steer away from taking a risk to do something you've never done before. Keep your repertoire sharp and keep it fresh. And remember, sometimes a fresh start or new direction is just what we need...
It's a pretty awesome power and pretty amazing responsibility that which we hoist upon our shoulders every single day kids walk through those school doors.
Having said all that, with great responsibility comes even greater expectations.
It's no secret we live during a time of high and increasing levels of accountability. To make things more interesting, no educator can walk 5ft without talking to someone who's experienced the education system. This means we are surrounded by lots of 'experts' who definitely won't shy away from telling us how we can do our jobs better. :)
The key to all this responsibility is the ability to reinvent oneself.
If you're a veteran educator, take a moment to think about how the educational front has evolved and really transformed itself over the years. If you're a mid-career educator, you too have experienced and seen first-hand the fluidity of the educational process. For those brand new to the profession, you might not have seen widespread systemic shifts, but you've no doubt seen smaller shifts that impact your school and your district within your community.
If you've survived a systemic shift it's because you were able to reinvent yourself.You were able to adapt and you were able to adjust based on the prevailing winds.
Some of your strengths required a retooling while some of your weaknesses were pushed to center stage.
But you survived and you persevered...
You might have even thrived and come out even stronger on the other side...
The beauty is that all these changes we are experiencing in life and society are a direct result of educators reinventing themselves and adapting to quickly moving landscapes that are constantly evolving. The more we educators reinvent ourselves, the more quickly the landscapes outside of education transform. This is quite the double-edged sword conundrum!
So, in closing, don't be afraid of having to reinvent yourself and don't steer away from taking a risk to do something you've never done before. Keep your repertoire sharp and keep it fresh. And remember, sometimes a fresh start or new direction is just what we need...