This quote particularly struck a chord with me. I think so often when new things come around in education (in everything, not just math) there are many teachers who ignore it, cast it aside, or claim they’ve been doing it that way all along. When we cast aside new things as things we’ve always done we lose the opportunity to develop and grow as educators.
I’ve recently sat in many meetings (one a week to be exact) with a teacher whose first comment for everything is “I’ve been teaching this way for years” or “This is nothing new to me” At first I was annoyed with his attitude and the need to put everyone down. Now I just feel bad that he doesn’t realize so many important truths about teaching. He is done growing as an educator and has accepted his way as best- losing the opportunity to entertain new ideas.
- It’s ok to not have all the answers
- Change isn’t bad
- Just because we’re doing something new now doesn’t mean what you did before was wrong
- Being vulnerable opens you up to many possibilities
- Teachers are never done growing and learning new things
Please try not to be this person who can’t accept anything new. Please try to be the kind of teacher who entertains new ideas. Who compares them to what they know and what they currently do. Who sees the differences in how we teach now and how we’ve taught in the past.
What are your thoughts on this quote? How do you allow yourself to see things as new and to continually entertain new ideas about education? Have you ever encountered a teacher similar to my teacher friend?
