Teaching Log #1: My Core Beliefs

Idealist.

That's a word that's been used for me many times. Not just as an adjective, but as a derogatory noun.

I like being an idealist.

Being an idealist has caused me a lot of confusion and heartache because the world is not what it SHOULD be, but I still want to be one.

That's why I'm starting this new sub-blog: Teaching Log. Because through my six years and three schools of teaching, I've lost a lot of my original vision for how I wanted to teach. I've gained lots of skills, but lost enthusiasm and I'd like to have both. I think that that will make me the best teacher I can be.

It's nice to be at this point. Illness and moving into other countries and then across countries beat me down considerably to the point that I became disillusioned. At the time ND was born, I was actually considering leaving mainstream education for good. But since she's been here I feel so much happier. This past year I suddenly found myself enjoying the juggle of teaching and mom-ing. In some ways it helped me take things less seriously and, as a result, made me feel excited about the parts I care about.

When I was earning my teaching degree at Lewis and Clark in Porltand, we had to write out a statement of our core beliefs. I'm curious to find mine and see how it compares to how I feel now, but before I do that, I want to write what they are right now. I often feel pressure to lose sight of these beliefs. Some of them sound crazy to other people, other teachers in fact. But I know they can't be completely off, because I sense them so deeply in my heart, and because people with whom I truly connect - friends, special parents of students etc, - appreciate my beliefs. Some of them get clouded over by the chaos that goes on in normal life, especially in a school. Some of them NEED to be challenged so that I can strengthen or modify them to fit my reality and to help me function amongst my teaching peers.

I feel that by externalizing and refering to them throughout the year, as well as through logging about my progress with them in a public place (this sub-blog), I will be able to meet more of my goals and feel more committed to my belief system.

So without further ado:

I believe that:

1. Children are born with a natural sense of wonder about the world.
2. As children grow, there is an assault on childhood and by their natural sense of wonder, by a world that doesn't value their freshness, creativity and intuition.
3. Children need assistance and support in gaining the skills they need to express their creativity and develop their minds.
4. Likewise, they need support in cultivating and maintaining a natural sensitivity towards others.
5. Children sometimes need quiet and sometimes need noise, sometimes need stillness and sometimes activity in accordance with the natural rythmns of their days, bodies and lives.
6. Children need all the help they can in creating positive feelings about themselves and others.
7. Classrooms should be honored and sacred places... not sacred like a temple, but deeply respected. Adults should not burst into classrooms during work times or talk to each other in a way that ignores or devalues the work taking place in the classrom.
8. Children should be pushed to take responsibility for their learning. This should happen naturally for most.
9. Children should be partners with their teachers and with each other.
10. Teachers should be honest, forthcoming and respectful towards their students.
11. Respect demanded by teachers is false respect.
12. Respect earned by adults is long-lasting and creates an atmosphere of trust in which more learning happens more deeply.
13. Depth is more important than breadth in curriculum.

Towards these ends, I have the following practical goals for the year. Anything I'm leaving out may be something I'm forgetting right now, may be too much to take on, or may be something I already free proud about doing:

1. Journaling should be a real internal practice for students. It should be an opportunity to engage in the world, not just to practice writing skills.
2. Stick to my plans. I tend to get excited about new ideas or projects and jump to them before I complete old ones.
3. Have ongoing science/nature investigations. Only a few times during the year will I be able to go very deeply with them, but if we have a pet in the classroom, their should always be the potential for more.
4. Our morning meetings should have a variety of activities. Instead of doing weather during the calendar all year, I should do it in depth for a month along with journaling. The morning messages required in my classroom, need not always be letters. They could be poems or other kinds of writing too.
5. Doing something with little preparation is not a failure if it means I can spend more time on something else deeply. If I can always have one part of the day for deep learning, I've done a tremendous thing.

I'm at a loss right now for more. I think I need to sit on this a little and return to it later. But I also know that if I don't go ahead and publish this blog entry now, I may never remember to do it. So stay tuned for possible revisions which I will add in as new posts.