We expect great things from our students, but what about our expectations for ourselves? Students notice our reactions to different situations. They watch our every move. Are we modeling what we are teaching?
George Couros says that we look for our students to encompass the characteristics of "empathizing, problem finding and solving, risk-taking, networking, observing, creating, bouncing back, and reflecting." These exact characteristics "should be embodied in our work as well." We must model what we expect from our students. We must also encompass this mindset.
To get to the innovator's mindset, we must first challenge our own growth mindset. I have been guilty of questioning if I have what it takes to keep up with other educators that I perceive to be a step ahead of me. We all have setbacks and get caught up in comparing ourselves to others, but we have nothing to prove. We are in this for the students. We are in this each day to create new and better learning opportunities for our students. My focus should be on my ability to innovate and move forward.
We are able to open the door for new experiences and use our talents to lead us to new and better ideas when we have an innovator's mindset. I believe we can stop trying to prove ourselves, and instead we can put our energy into using our strengths to make an impact on students. We can use our energy to connect with other educators and share knowledge to benefit the students.
George Couros reminds us that "our role is to empower students to see themselves as innovators who take responsibility for their own learning and leading." We must also be empowered because what we model is what we get.
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