Pioneer or Settler?

Recently, I came across an article written by Christine Caine called "Six Characteristics of a Pioneering Leader", and after reading it my mind was racing at the connections to education and my current leap of faith.
(I first became intrigued with Christine Caine  while attending the IF: Gathering conference for Christian women in Austin, TX. Mind blown. She speaks with such conviction and instantly makes you want to pour love into yourself and others.)

 "It takes courage to let go of where we are and reach for what's ahead. It takes courage to uproot--mentally, emotionally and sometimes physically--to press on and fulfill what God's called us to do. To embrace new roles. Launch new ventures. Expand our reach."                                                           -Christine Caine

Caine defines a pioneer as someone who is "the first to open or prepare--a way, settlement, or region--thus opening it for occupation or development by others." She says a pioneer goes first, before everyone else. They are selfless, persistent, committed, bridge builders, self-starters, intrinsically motivated, and forward-thinking. They are a leader.
This is what educators should be pressing toward. As educators, we must open the path for our students to become pioneers themselves. We are the example for our students.

We need to learn to become flexible in a role and allow ourselves to move forward even when we don't always know the outcome. Take ourselves where we have never been. We want to guide our students, but be open to new territories. We have to let go, become flexible, and reach forward. Our students need us to be pioneers.

On the contrary, Caine defines a settler as someone who is "sedentary, stationary, maintaining." There are some parts of education that must be maintained, but we must be constantly be looking to develop ways that prepare our students for their future. In other words, we need to avoid becoming that educator that is a settler. The educator that does what they have always done. No excuses.

I am looking forward to paving the way for students in my new role. I am looking forward to showing them what it is like to be a pioneer. I am taking a big faith step to expand my reach and fulfill the calling that has been placed upon me.

What have you been called to do? Will you be a pioneer or a settler? My hope is that we all will become pioneers that pave the way to new and better ways for our students.

-LL

Christine Caine's "Six Characteristics of a Pioneering Leader" Article

Life Lessons.

 The article "30 Things About Life Everyone Should Learn Before Turning 30" by Nicolas Cole focuses on how our lives are full of lessons, some are small and others take a lifetime to learn. I got to thinking about my life and what lessons are most relevant to me as an educator.

During this school year, we have focused on Social Emotional Learning in our classroom. We had the opportunity to spend the first five days of school creating community within our classroom, understanding self regulation, and developing strategies to support students during the year. 

Nicolas Cole pinpointed some of the life lessons that our students need the most to be a successful citizen, develop their self-worth, and create relationships with others.

1. The most important relationship in your life is the one you have with yourself. 

-My students started the year by reflecting on the positive. Students were able to share with their peers positive aspects of their lives. Some students had more to share than others. Now, at the end of the year, all students have more positive things to say about themselves.
My students and I have built one another up all year long. The main focus for my students: YOU MATTER. Before you can create solid relationships with others, you have to feed into yourself. Part of my role as their teacher is to feed into them as well. I build up my students to enable them to cross bridges they never thought they could.

2. Trust is built through actions, not words. 

-As their teacher, I have to prove to my students they can trust me. I show them what that means by showing up every single day, greeting them at the door, asking them about what is going on in their lives, and making sure they know I care no matter what happens. My actions speak louder than my words. 

Finally, the life lesson that spoke to me personally is...

3. You are only as good as the last risk you took.
-Cole states that success over the long term is about constantly pushing yourself to take the next big risk. My students deserve a teacher that is willing to take risks in the classroom. They deserve to learn in an environment where risk taking is promoted and modeled. I am willing to show my students what happens when you fail. They have seen me time and time again get up and keep on moving despite setbacks and challenges.

My hope is that my students will walk away this year feeling more confident in themselves and their abilities, leave here a better person than when they showed up, and know that I loved them day in and day out. I am proud of their emotional growth and it all goes back to those first five days.

Be Brave.

Being brave is sometimes easier said than done.
Fear can isolate us and stop us in our tracks.
This quote from Ann Voscamp spoke to me...

"Fear is something we feel. Brave is something we do." 

We are allowed to be afraid and feel fear, but we should not let it keep us from experiencing great things.
Brave is what I need to DO.
Brave is what educators need to do to be better for our students.

I Learn.

"I Learn. This is not reserved for our students. We must all be learners." -George Couros

 

The past six weeks I chose to be the learner. The #IMMOOC journey has been nothing less than eye opening. I have had a complete shift in my thinking. My classroom has become more student driven--more of their voice and less of mine.

Over the past six weeks of IMMOOC, I have made a conscious effort to activate powerful learning experiences for my students. Most recently I took a Big Business/ Industrial Revolution project that is written into the curriculum and took all boundaries out of it. Choice was already written into the assignment, but I left the door open for students to take it where they wanted. My students more than impressed me! I could feel that students felt empowered with this project. The final products represented what my students were interested in, not what I told them to be interested in. The variety of projects ranged from digital projects using Sway/ Venngage/ Prezi/ Powtoon all the way to Legos/ Zoobs/ cardboard/ paperclips/ Strawbees. The word "no" did not exist in my vocabulary for this project. The oil, steel, and automobile industries came to life in our classroom. Students felt empowered and I could hear the buzz. This one little project left our classroom yearning for MORE!

I look forward to using my knowledge to allow for my students to experience better and more intentional learning experiences. My students have/will benefit from my learning and change in mindset. I encourage others to read The Innovator's Mindset by George Couros and challenge their own mindset.

"Embrace the challenge and see it as an opportunity to move forward." -George Couros

On the Journey

Innovation is a journey. George Couros reminds us that we will never "arrive" at a final destination, but continually move forward to create better learning opportunities. This innovation journey will constantly push us to give our students a place to build on their strengths. 

"Every human on this planet is so special, so aren't we all deserving of something better, of using our minds for innovation rather than memorization, for creativity rather than futile activity, for rumination rather than stagnation." -Erica Goldson

This whole idea of innovation being a "journey" lifts a huge weight off my shoulders. I am on a journey as an educator to better my practices. I can start today by being more intentional and connecting with other educators that have the same passions. I know that I am on my way and headed in the right direction because my focus is on my students. This is where it starts. Each morning I can begin by asking if what we are doing is going to cause my students to have a "hunger for learning." My mindset will open the opportunities for my students. The way I teach, guide, and facilitate will unleash my superpower and lead to innovation. Let the journey begin!

Becoming Connected

George Couros states that "as educational leaders, we must promote and capitalize on open, connected learning." This got me thinking. Am I connected? What does this look like for my students and for me? I am just stepping onto the path of being connected. Up until I started #IMMOOC, I would have been what George calls a "lurker" on Twitter. I just got on to explore, read, and maybe throw out something we had been doing in the classroom, but connected is not how I would describe myself. If I connect myself to others, I can better my practice. 

Derek Sivers' video "Obvious to You. Amazing to Others." says it all. This is me. This has been my struggle all along. In this video, he talks about how we think our ideas are so obvious, but our ideas might just be amazing to other people. We should just put it out there and let the world decide. Sometimes this is easier said than done. I don't intentionally keep my ideas to myself to hoard them, but find myself wondering if my ideas are really that great. I listen to other educators and wonder how they came up with such innovative ideas. Cue the "Let it Go" music.  I just need to let it go and put it all out there because all the ideas I have used from other people might just have been "obvious."

So, being a connected educator, gives us the ability to see what others are doing and can empower us to make changes in our own classrooms. I can walk away with new ideas and tweak them to fit my own classroom. I do this all the time when talking with my other friends across the district, so why not do this on a more global scale? Why not share my ideas and gain more from others that are also just trying to do what is best for their students?

Be More Dog #IMMOOCB3

At the beginning of the year, my principal showed us this video Be More Dog. Immediately, I felt this feeling of freedom. Why can't we all be more dog? Why can't we allow our students to be more dog? This video really opened my mind to the fact that our students come to us each day to learn, not just got to school. I wondered if our students came the first day feeling free to learn, or was it just another start to a school year.

As I reflect back on the previous years: what worked, what didn't work, what needed to change, and how did my role effect the students, I found that culture was something consistent over the years that I felt made a huge difference in how the year went. My students have looked forward to being in fifth grade, and I need to make sure this isn't just "school" for them. I need to give them a place where they aren't just looking for answers, but rather looking for problems to solve. I need to give them a place to explore, create, and interact with other students and adults. I need them to feel like they have a voice and people will listen. I need to allow for deep exploration. I need to empower my students.

George Couros said, "Imagine what school would look like if we really focused on empowering learners." I question myself often and what I offer to the students. Am I empowering learners in my classroom? Am I allowing my students to be more dog? Am I allowing my students to to run freely with their learning? Or, am I getting in the way?