Where am I now?
Setting Goals: Instrumental and Missional Thinking
A few short and long term goals immediately come to mind as I contemplate my future as a math teacher.
My short term goals mostly are derived from my perception of the current state of affairs of some nagging items. For one, I would like to have a fully functional and updated class website for my math class. I absolutely need to do better job of updating my site as often as possible. This minimally includes current and upcoming assignments and helpful links. Most of the structure is there, I need to maintain it better.
Another short term goal is to fully review the new curriculum that was purchased for this current school year. We sort of hit the ground running with it this year. However, I feel the need to sort through some of the material and resources, both online and physical, and to prioritize some content over other content. At the same time, I must be aware that content prioritization may change depending on student needs.
Moving on to long term goals, I see one major long term goal that stems from my second short term goal. As I gain experience and familiarity with 1) curriculum 2) resources 3) everything surrounding the teaching of math I would love to amass a sort of personal guidebook that pulls together all of my and/or my students’ favorite resources. There are so many “mathy” resources available, it can be overwhelming. However, finding high-quality, cognitive demanding material will be paramount. A centralized collection of materials that center on a given mathematical concept would be perfect for me.
Finally, another long term goal is simple. I would like to return to school (yet again) to obtain a Master’s Degree in Mathematics Education.
Rocking the Boat.
Task Zero, Review
Rocking the Boat by Debra E. Meyerson is a summary of the research findings on change-makers within various organizations. Throughout the book, the author spirals around several individuals who have made a difference in their place of work not by enacting sweeping initiatives from their positions as a company head or department chair. In fact, the people who were change agents can be identified as “the everyday worker” who would fall somewhere in the middle of the corporate hierarchy. Because of this lack of power, perceived or real, those who desired to enact change within their organizations had to do so in a much more subtle way.
A common theme among all the “tempered radicals” was self-restraint, patience and consistency. Meyerson provides many examples of people who react, but neveroverreact to challenges or threats. Some of these same people were willing to wait for months or years to see the fruits of their labors on effective change. Finally, the change-makers were able to compromise without losing their identity.
While I can certainly agree that to make effective change one does not need to be 1) the boss or 2) the loudest person in the room; I found the book to be somewhat commonsensical and repetitive. I would have liked to have heard about other “tempered radicals” in other contexts in lieu of many of the same characters/situations threaded throughout the pages.
Task One, How am I different?
Meyerson points out three primary ways people feel “different” from the majority:
Task Two, Becoming a Tempered Radical
Looking at the spectrum of tempered radicalism, I would place myself on the far left: “Resisting quietly and staying true to one’s “self.” I am not sure if this is a product of just “being who I am” or being extremely lucky to have worked in schools with very capable leadership. I am proud to teach where I do and proud to work for/with my administration. I feel valued and respected. There have been very few instances…in fact, none that come to mind, where I felt like I had to simply resist. I am not sure if this is how my situation will always be, or if I will always be this way. For now, it seems to be working well. I feel like I am in a position to speak freely and to have my concerns/opinions heard. If somewhere down the line I felt that me, my coworkers or, most importantly, my students were being mistreated, I am positive that my “quiet resistance” would be radically amped up. I suppose the specific situation would merit the appropriate response.
A story that I enjoyed and whose methods I like was that of Sheila Johnson who quietly increased the number of minority applicants through her “covert” efforts. It was important to Sheila that this situation be remedied, so she took upon herself, causing no harm or raising any alarms to fix the problem. I like this way of doing things. No need to create a new committee. Without too much fanfare, one person can get the job done.
Task Three, Facing Challenges
The challenges that Myerson presents that resonate the most with me are 1) the difficulties of ambivalence and 4) frustration and burnout. Under the ambivalence umbrella, anxiety; guilt; loneliness and accusations of hypocrisy are mentioned. I would argue that most teachers have experienced at least one of those psychological tolls.
All teachers know that it is impossible to cover every single angle of every topic to reach every child in his/her own unique way. Yet, we often feel guilty thinking “there’s more I can do.” I know I do. I sometimes struggle with the balance of what is “work” and what is my “life.” That’s the tough thing about teaching; our job is people, young people. We call the students “our kids.” Any failure of our kids can be perceived as our own failure. Then comes the guilt.
Finally, a common challenge for teachers is frustration and burnout. Some figures have 50% of new teachers quitting within five years. I have definitely seen it in coworkers that are frustrated or have left teaching altogether. The major sources of frustration that I have experienced are new district mandates (before prior mandates have been fully implemented), poor test results, and uncooperative/resistant coworkers. How I deal with each situation is slightly different. The new district mandates are rarely all that different from prior mandates anyway. So I continue to do what I do with a few minor tweaks here and there. Poor test results can lead to some of the best teaching. That’s the only way to look at it…find the source of the misconception and try to root it out! Finally, when dealing with resistant coworkers, showing how effective a new method/strategy/tool is can be the best motivator.
Task Zero, Review
Rocking the Boat by Debra E. Meyerson is a summary of the research findings on change-makers within various organizations. Throughout the book, the author spirals around several individuals who have made a difference in their place of work not by enacting sweeping initiatives from their positions as a company head or department chair. In fact, the people who were change agents can be identified as “the everyday worker” who would fall somewhere in the middle of the corporate hierarchy. Because of this lack of power, perceived or real, those who desired to enact change within their organizations had to do so in a much more subtle way.
A common theme among all the “tempered radicals” was self-restraint, patience and consistency. Meyerson provides many examples of people who react, but neveroverreact to challenges or threats. Some of these same people were willing to wait for months or years to see the fruits of their labors on effective change. Finally, the change-makers were able to compromise without losing their identity.
While I can certainly agree that to make effective change one does not need to be 1) the boss or 2) the loudest person in the room; I found the book to be somewhat commonsensical and repetitive. I would have liked to have heard about other “tempered radicals” in other contexts in lieu of many of the same characters/situations threaded throughout the pages.
Task One, How am I different?
Meyerson points out three primary ways people feel “different” from the majority:
- Those who have different social identities from the majority and see those differences as setting them apart and excluding them from the mainstream
- Those who have different social identities and see those differences as merely cultural and not a basis for exclusion
- Those who have not cultural but philosophical differences, which conflict with the prevailing values, beliefs, and agendas operating in their organizations
Task Two, Becoming a Tempered Radical
Looking at the spectrum of tempered radicalism, I would place myself on the far left: “Resisting quietly and staying true to one’s “self.” I am not sure if this is a product of just “being who I am” or being extremely lucky to have worked in schools with very capable leadership. I am proud to teach where I do and proud to work for/with my administration. I feel valued and respected. There have been very few instances…in fact, none that come to mind, where I felt like I had to simply resist. I am not sure if this is how my situation will always be, or if I will always be this way. For now, it seems to be working well. I feel like I am in a position to speak freely and to have my concerns/opinions heard. If somewhere down the line I felt that me, my coworkers or, most importantly, my students were being mistreated, I am positive that my “quiet resistance” would be radically amped up. I suppose the specific situation would merit the appropriate response.
A story that I enjoyed and whose methods I like was that of Sheila Johnson who quietly increased the number of minority applicants through her “covert” efforts. It was important to Sheila that this situation be remedied, so she took upon herself, causing no harm or raising any alarms to fix the problem. I like this way of doing things. No need to create a new committee. Without too much fanfare, one person can get the job done.
Task Three, Facing Challenges
The challenges that Myerson presents that resonate the most with me are 1) the difficulties of ambivalence and 4) frustration and burnout. Under the ambivalence umbrella, anxiety; guilt; loneliness and accusations of hypocrisy are mentioned. I would argue that most teachers have experienced at least one of those psychological tolls.
All teachers know that it is impossible to cover every single angle of every topic to reach every child in his/her own unique way. Yet, we often feel guilty thinking “there’s more I can do.” I know I do. I sometimes struggle with the balance of what is “work” and what is my “life.” That’s the tough thing about teaching; our job is people, young people. We call the students “our kids.” Any failure of our kids can be perceived as our own failure. Then comes the guilt.
Finally, a common challenge for teachers is frustration and burnout. Some figures have 50% of new teachers quitting within five years. I have definitely seen it in coworkers that are frustrated or have left teaching altogether. The major sources of frustration that I have experienced are new district mandates (before prior mandates have been fully implemented), poor test results, and uncooperative/resistant coworkers. How I deal with each situation is slightly different. The new district mandates are rarely all that different from prior mandates anyway. So I continue to do what I do with a few minor tweaks here and there. Poor test results can lead to some of the best teaching. That’s the only way to look at it…find the source of the misconception and try to root it out! Finally, when dealing with resistant coworkers, showing how effective a new method/strategy/tool is can be the best motivator.
In The Room.
About the collage
The "Where am I now" collage is collection of random items photographed for a spontaneous "quickfire" assignment. These photos were taken in the room that I was at the onset of the assignment: my dining room. As random as the items may seem, the idea is that we (I) can make a connection to each of them. As a leader, your presence in a room can have a profound impact on those around you.