I love being an educator because...

My previous post detailed how my decision to become an educator wasn't based on the typical reasons one would expect from a passionate educator. It was great to read Jennifer Houlett's #blogchallenge post about how she always wanted to be an educator. It's awesome to see this type of enthusiasm from the beginning.

Although I came into the profession for different reasons, as I have grown personally and professionally over the years, I've developed a strong sense of purpose about the work of creating the most dynamic, empowering, and life-changing environments possible for student learning. I have grown in my passion and in my commitment to help others be successful.

When a person develops a passion and purpose for his or her work, it no longer becomes work at all. Fellow #MOedchat moderator Ted Huff made this clear in his #blogchallenge post. It is truly a privilege to be an educator and have the opportunity to work alongside forward-thinking, difference-making people every single day.

So I love being an educator because...

• It's great to be in a profession that has a legacy of changed lives and building dreams.
• We get to take risks and try new things and teach our students to be lifelong learners.
• I get to share in all the successes and celebrations of our students and school.
• I am surrounded by rock stars everyday. I am constantly amazed at the talents and contributions of students, teachers, counselors, support staff, and our entire awesome community.
• Educators care about one another and care about kids!
• It's great to have a sense of community and feel like we are all pulling in the same direction.
• Our work has significance! We are part of something BIG, much larger than ourselves.
• We get to have FUN! When students and teachers are smiling, there is more learning.
• Teachers are super heroes!
• It's challenging work! We have to be problem-solvers and find success even in impossible situations.
• Parents entrust me with their most valuable asset, their kids.

As you think about why you love being an educator, I would encourage you to watch these videos. They inspired me to think about my purpose and why my life's work is important.




Two questions that can change your life from Daniel Pink on Vimeo.

Going into education for all the wrong reasons

Like many young people, I struggled with direction about my career path during college. As I finished the general education requirements and the pressure to choose a major was mounting, I was still uncertain of what I was supposed to do. Before it was over, I considered business, law school, and even the Marine Corps, but in the end I decided on education.

And although I have no regrets about that decision, I really went into education for the wrong reasons. You see I didn't really have a passion for making a difference in the lives of students (I know that sounds really selfish, but that's the truth). I wasn't passionate about teaching and didn't long to see young learners have that "aha moment." I wasn't even really that crazy about school when I did my first tour of duty as a student for 12+ years.

So why in the world did I choose education? Where else can you make that kind of money and have three months off in the summer? Just kidding obviously. However, I did have a distant relative make comments like that to me. He did not respect educators.

The actual reason I chose to be an educator was I loved basketball. That was my passion. And as much as I loved playing basketball, it just made sense for me to want to coach basketball. So I majored in English with a minor in History with the intent to find a teaching position where I could also coach.

To be clear, there were some other reasons for my decision. My parents both valued learning and loved me, and several family members had been successful teachers. My dad would talk about teachers who made an impact on his life and that always got my attention. And, I had some teachers who really made all the difference for me, that really helped set me on a better path. One of my coaches, who I wrote about in an earlier post, was especially inspiring.

But the main reason for my decision was I loved basketball. So maybe that's not the worst reason ever to become an educator (doing is for money, prestige, or fame are definitely worse reasons). But it's also not the best. The best reason to become an educator is because it's a calling, because you feel that it's your life purpose to make an impact on the lives of students and help them be successful. That's truly the only great reason to become a teacher, because you love students and love teaching.

Now my story doesn't end there. I followed my basketball dreams, and it was a good thing. I learned a lot. And as my career story continued to unfold I began to find a passion for teaching and for creating the best learning opportunities possible for students. There really is something to be said for doing something your very best and watching as your passion follows that commitment. Over time I became a passionate educator. And I still love basketball too.

What is critical thinking?

It seems we are constantly having conversations--and for good reason--about the importance of critical thinking and discussing ways to increase the critical thinking for our students. We all just seem to readily accept that we understand what we mean when we use the term, yet if you stop to think about how to define what critical thinking is, it's kind of hard to do. It's much easier to give examples of critical thinking skills. We understand what it means to infer, to compare, or to classify for example.

But let's try to identify what critical thinking is without going to exemplars. First, critical thinking is a mental act. We cannot just look at a product a student creates and determine if critical thinking occurred. Since there is a mental act underlying the product, we must ask questions of the student to learn the thinking behind what they have created or developed.

Another important aspect of critical thinking is revealed in the meaning of the word critical, indicating that it is a type of thinking, or a type of mental act, that is of high importance to knowing or understanding. There are lots of mental acts that are rote or automatic to the extent they can't be considered a critical thought. For instance, 2+2=4 or Jefferson City is the capital of Missouri. But critical thinking allows us to make judgments about the truth or reality of new knowledge against a convergence of knowing that is widely accepted as what is true or real.

Next, critical thinking is not limited to a content area or learning discipline. Critical thinking can be generalized across all disciplines. This characteristic is one of the reasons critical thinking is so important to our students. Whereas content specific knowledge is requisite to understanding a subject, critical thinking can help us to understand all subjects.

And finally, critical thinking can be developed through practice and through quality instruction. Some educators seem to believe, if not outwardly expressed, that students' abilities to think critically are just a part of intelligence that is fixed. Clearly, this is not the case. As we have learned from Carol Dweck, critical thinking and intelligence can be developed through practice and hard work.

Center for Critical Thinking (1996c). Three definitions of critical thinking [On-line]. Available HTTP: http://www.criticalthinking.org/University/univlibrary/library.nclk