#IMMOOC Blog Post 6a: Sharing Matters
Sharing matters. I've learned so much from this amazing, massive network of innovative educators. I've read many blog posts this season. Everyone's journey is so unique and there's so much to learn from each other. Below are three posts I'm still thinking about.
Off the Beaten Path: A Music Teacher's Journey by Theresa Ducassoux @TDucassoux
Last week Theresa talked about the importance of celebrating strengths mentioned in Part III of the book, Innovator's Mindset by George Couros. She reminded me that we all learn more when we build on strengths and success instead of mistakes. She writes:
"I think this continues to show the benefits of personalized learning for my students. By allowing students choice in the music they practice, they will be more invested in it and more likely to find success. This success builds confidence which leads students to choose more challenging music and continue the growth processes. The key here is allowing students the choice to achieve that initial success. The more I process all of this, the more I believe that noisy classroom and all – this is going to be a great thing for my students!"
This makes me think of Daniel Pink's book, Drive. He shares that we all are intrinsically motivated when we have autonomy, mastery and purpose. Theresa is empowering her kids to choose the pieces they would like to play, increase their skills as they practice and send their work out to the world via Flipgrid. As she mentioned, it makes for a noisy, messy experience but it's also simply awesome. I look forward to hearing more about her school year.
Our Real Impact by Lynn Thomas @THOMLYNN101
Lynn's post was deeply touching about an experience with her son's health and how important relationships are in a school system. She writes:
"When we are looking at policies in-depth consideration needs to be taken about the REAL impact they have, not how they will ‘reduce absences’ or encourage ‘accountability’. In the end, policies and everything we do impacts living, breathing PEOPLE. Let’s remember that and we will go a long way in improving mental health and wellness for everyone."
How we treat others matters. This is a great reminder of how we can't let the system take over and run policies like a business. People thrive when they feel valued and so often actions speak louder than words. Although I don't lead a school system, this is so relevant when thinking about the culture in room 253. I want my students to feel valued and cared for. Rules can't be black and white. We have to put people first.
Not Easy, but Worth It by Annich Rauch @AnnickRauch
Annich's post a few weeks about was so timely for me. I believe this post came out in week 4. It was the middle of October and life was very hectic. I was struggling with the balance of work, home, and #IMMOOC. I even started to get a little down on myself. I work hard daily to keep my head above water while others seem to put their awesome out into the world with ease. Then I read Annick's post. She writes:
"What you see, the successes, the final product, all the things that get done, those are just on the surface. What we fail to see is everything that goes on in the background. Everything that happens behind the scenes. Everything under the water, that goes unnoticed. The blood, sweat, and tears. The HARD work. The TIME. The stress. The sacrifices. The late nights and early mornings. People don’t see those as often which leads to a skued perception or the illusion that success comes easily, quickly, and effortlessly."
It's true. We all struggle and we all work hard when creating a final product. We do the world a favor when we share failings and hardships. No one is perfect. Everyone struggles but those with an innovator mindset persevere when it's hard, celebrate mistakes, pick themselves back up when they fall and share their awesome with the world. It's not easy but it's worth it.
