List 5 words you believe are important in education.
This was the instruction given by Steve Wyborney at our last late start meeting. If you are an educator or parent, I highly recommend his blog. If you are lucky enough to work in the Ontario School District, seize every opportunity to interact with him. I guarantee you will walk away inspired.
So back to our late start meeting. We were asked to list the five most important words in education. Take a second to list your’s and invite a nearby person to play along.
Now rank the top 3 and share out with the person you invited to join you. Then share in the comments.
Here are my notes:
As you can see my words changed and so did my ranking. Did your words or ranking change after your discussed them? Do you think your day to day experience mirrors your list?
I have continued this assignment into the week that followed. However, instead of listing words I think are important, I listed the five words that best described my day.
March 9, 2017: Flexibility, compassion, patience, listening, observation
March 10, 2017: Meetings, celebrations, problem solving, solutions, surprises
March 13, 2017: Shifts, professional development, analysis, dictagloss, dialogue
March 14, 2017: Misbehavior, discipline, phone calls, frustration, routines (or lack of).
As I reflect on these days, I can see that while some of them (today) were not ideal. At the heart of my practice are the important words and I can make a connection from my daily words to my ideals. I really like this practice and hope to continue using it as a reflection tool. Thank you Steve for getting me started.
Have a great night everyone. And, if you haven’t already, go enjoy some pie!!!
Wendy Mair Clark 