Friday, January 24, 2014

Do your actions align with your beliefs...?

As educators we all have beliefs about education and the formalized process of 'learning.'

We are probably quite passionate about our beliefs and most likely feel pretty confident in our execution.

Try the simple task of writing down your top 5 beliefs about education. Then, simply go down the list and think about all the things you do on a daily basis.

http://goo.gl/PDjOuk

If you are a teacher, then this is going to be the things you do in your classroom. If you are an administrator, then think about the things you do in your building or in your district.

When thinking about all the things you do on an average day, keep your top 5 beliefs in mind. Are the things you are doing every single day aligned with your beliefs? Are your actions representative of what you believe? Are you saying one thing but doing something completely different? Are your actions in agreement with your philosophy of education?

The truth is that if you actually spent some time doing this activity, you most likely came across a few things you do that don't really align with your beliefs.

In fact, you probably do a few things that contradict and completely go against your top 5 beliefs in education.

Don't beat yourself up too bad over this as it's pretty normal and pretty common.

Do however spend some time figuring out ways to adjust your actions to ensure they become more closely aligned with your beliefs.

Moving forward, keep your top 5 beliefs about education posted on your desk or on the wall in your office as a constant and frequent reminder.

Take it a step further and don't be afraid to revisit your top 5 beliefs and adjust as needed... remember, as we grow in our development as educators, it's not unreasonable to think that our beliefs could shift and change in time...