Buzzkill
This year I started by 12th year as an educator. It’s been twelve years filled with joy, sadness, victories, defeats…and a lot of buzzwords and phrases. Maybe you’ve heard them…rigor…data-driven instruction…grit…achievement gap…standardized test…accountability…professional learning community…blah…blah…blah.
Of all the words I’ve heard there are only three that REALLY matter…because we are, after all, in the business of educating children. I’ll share them…for free…unlike many of the ‘gurus’ out there. Have your sticky notes and Papermate Ink Joy ready? Here goes…
Teach…Learn…Relationship. If we have good RELATIONSHIPS, those we are TEACHING….actually LEARN. I’ve been an instructional coach for five and a half years and the best teaching and learning, from both ends, has occurred when there’s been a genuine relationship between me and the teacher I was coaching. And the best teachers I’ve seen in action; the one’s whose students learned the most…had great relationships with their students.
Now please don’t get me wrong. I know that sometimes it is easier said than done. There are those children that it can be rather difficult to establish a healthy, non-losing your teaching certificate because they pushed you over the edge relationship with. But if you’ve been in the game for more than a couple of years you know that it’s worth it in the end.
So the next time you’re tempted to read an article by the latest education guru, or pay tons of professional development dollars for a seminar…DON’T. Just remember…teach…learn…relationship.
Until next time…