“We cannot become what we need by remaining what we are.”
-John Maxwell
As I take a look at the extent of impact on students I have, I realize that I have a lot to be proud of. But I also recognize that if I stop now – if I think that I have it all together and cease trying to grow – that I am letting down the students and colleagues who depend on me.
When I was in high school I played percussion in the band. I made it into the highest level ensemble as a sophomore, but one day during rehearsal the director frustratingly looked at some of us and reminded us, “Some of you worked so hard to get into this level, but that doesn’t mean you stop working hard now!”
It can be easy to work hard to achieve a certain level of performance, and then coast. We can feel pretty comfortable and then take for granted our ability to keep making an impact. But my instructor reminded me not to stop working, but always be looking to improve.
I am reminded of this statement to this day. No matter how much I can look back with pride, I still need to continue to growth. This is true for all of us. We cannot assume at any point that we’ve got it all nailed down. We’ve got to continue to learn, to grow, to develop as educators. Our students are counting on us.
- I’m interested in being better tomorrow than I was today.
- I’m interested in trying new approaches and strategies to best serve my students.
- I’m interested in exploring available tools to serve students’ needs.
- I’m interested in reading, listening, and connecting to others across all domains to fuel the ideas I can bring back to my team.
- I’m interested in reflecting on my successes and my mistakes.
- I’m interested in listening to students and to families.
- I’m interested in driving visions for the future.
- I’m interested in utilizing all available resources to inform my decisions.
- I’m interested in receiving feedback from my colleagues and students.
- I’m interested in sharing my trials and experiments and ideas with those around me, and interested in hearing others’ reflections and experiences.
- I’m interested in inspiring educators to do likewise.
I’m interested in becoming the best person I can be, to play a role in steering education in the best direction possible for the sake of the educators and students with whom I have the privilege of working.
If we expect our students to grow and develop as people, it makes sense that we expect the same from ourselves as well. Who is with me?
What are your favorite methods to fuel your growth? What are you interested in becoming? Share your own thoughts with us all by leaving a comment!