One of the things that I love about working in education is each year I get to start over ... with a new group of students, teachers, staff. This allows me time to reflect over the summer and make changes to ensure that this year is better than last year.
Sound familiar? This week most people are making New Year Resolutions to eat better, exercise more, and finish projects ... essentially "be better" than last year.
Not only should educators embrace annual resolutions to "be better," we also have the opportunity for micro-resolutions ... this semester is going to be better than last semester, this unit is going to be better than last unit, this lesson is going to be better than last lesson, and today is going to be better than yesterday. What a great opportunity to be reflecting and ever-improving.
In fact, I would propose that having this "ever-improving" attitude is the primary characteristic of an excellent educator. Schools that have a culture of goal-setting, professional development, reflection, innovation, and continuous improvement will be vibrant learning environments for students. In contrast, schools with a "good enough" mentality ... "last year's program was 'good enough' to repeat this year without any changes" ... are ineffective in educating our dynamic, ever-changing student population.
This doesn't mean completely "reinventing the wheel" every year, but rather looking at every program and considering ways to optimize its effectiveness. Along with each of us personally and professionally, each program at our school can improve.
This blog wouldn't be complete without a nod to Carol Dweck's work on mindset. Much of the "ever-improving" work in education should be placed under the "growth mindset" umbrella. Not only should we be making improvements, we should be learning, growing, and developing. This applies to educators as much as it does for students. Schools (modeled first by administrators and teachers) need to embrace a growth mindset. Dweck is an important voice in 21st Century education. If you haven't heard about a growth mindset in education, begin reading (start with the articles linked below).
Developing a Growth Mindset in Teachers and Staff
Complementing this discussion, a Japanese business term, Kaizen, is being embraced by those in the education world to "continuously improve" schools. Here is a short article describing how to use this business concept in schools.
Applying the Japanese Philosophy of Kaizen to School Reform
As many of us return to school with resolutions to improve, let me close with another growth mindset quote for all of us Padawans ...
"Much to learn you still have." Yoda
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