I originally posted this blog on the EdReach Disruptors channel last week. In addition to my readers over there, I wanted to share it here for those of you that may not have read this. If you are not a follower of the EdReach crew, I strongly urge you to check out some of the great stuff they are doing.
The Jerk Store Called...
Ever since I was a young, I was accused of being a
troublemaker. I questioned authority and was seen as a boat rocker. I never took things at face value and many
would have considered me a skeptic. In some cases, I was called an outright
jerk…and other colorful names. Now, I always thought these character traits had
value and allowed me to be a more reflective and honest person. However,
recently I have been told that maybe I need to stop doing that. I have been
told that I do cause trouble and when I question and challenge things it's not
good or productive.
When I say that maybe we don't need principals or need to
look at that role differently, people get upset. When I question if the flippedclassroom is an instructional model we should value, I ruffle some feathers.
When I share my beliefs about homework and how I think students should learn, I
get raised eyebrows. When I share honest opinions and observations that I have
as a teacher in a public school, I have people that are frustrated with me and
my honesty. Recently, I was told that if I would just conform and go with the
flow, I would be much happier.
The problem is…I can't do that. I'm not even sure I know
how to do that. When I see something that in my opinion is wrong, I'm going to
say something about it. When I see there might be a better way to do something,
I'm going to speak up. On top of that, I ask a lot of questions to hopefully
cause some thinking and in some cases to challenge conventional so called “wisdom”.
I just can’t seem to keep my mouth shut when there are things that are just not
“right” for kids and learning in our schools. My sense of right is not the same
as others, but I at least welcome the conversation and discourse.
I really think that far too many teachers conform, go
with the flow and take just about everything at face value. They don't
challenge things. They don't question things. They don't stand up for what they
know is right for the profession and for the students they teach. As a result
of this, they're taken advantage of and in the end it is the kids that suffer.
I just can't help but think of the positives that could come about if more
teachers would stand up and question the status quo. Just think of what kind of
educational system we could have if we had teachers advocate for themselves and
for their students without fear of repercussions. We teach our students to
self-advocate and raise questions but are we modeling that in our own lives and
careers?
Yes, some people don't like me. Some people think I'm a
jerk or that I cause trouble or that I speak my mind a little too freely. That
is probably true. There are probably times I should keep my mouth shut and just
go with the flow and toe the line. However, I just can't help but think that if
I do that nobody's going to step up. Nobody's going to speak out and we're
going to keep doing things the way we've always been doing them. I challenge
you to stand up to speak out, be a troublemaker, rock the boat and challenge
things. Even if things don't change, I can hope people will start talking and
writing if for no other reason than to react to me. I hope people will start
reflecting and looking at things in a different manner. At the end of the day I
just want people to think. Thinking and conversing is how change will be
possible…
