Well this is a bit embarrassing. It is Friday morning and I have not yet
posted a new blog post. I will not hide
behind my life and its many roles – who am I today? A student; a teacher; a husband; a father; an
artist; a poet; a friend; a comic and toy geek, the list really can go on and
on. It is not that I have not had
anything to say but much rather had too much to say. I have started a new post numerous times only
to get diverted by something more pressing and by the time I get back to it
something else has tickled part of my brain.
One of the things I have been doing at some moments of
downtime is watching various TED Talk videos, and finding that they do exactly
what they are intended to do – inspire.
In this video from Simon Sinek the idea of inspiration for me is focused
into a single phrase:
“People
don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
What a great line and very true on so many levels! While organizing my thoughts around this I
came across a new blog post from George Couros, also talking about the same
video and focusing on the “Why” concept.
In his post one of the lines that caught my attention was:
“…if we do
not clearly articulate “why” we are doing what we are doing, the “what” and the
“how” are lost.”
Another great idea that covers so many facets of not only
teaching but truly life in general; if we don’t know why we are doing something
are we really going to gain and retain anything from it? This led me to think about a link I found through Shelley Wright’s twitter which caught my eye and then again I was
directed to it the very next morning in class.
Not only was it awe-inspiring to see what Shelly was doing in her
classroom with technology but the fact that she was nationally recognized for
it is amazing and very well deserved.
The first thing Heather said to me when showing me this news in class
was:
“This is
your future.”
Wow what a statement right there. Then she follows that up with telling me that
not only is Shelley an amazing teacher, which I have gleaned since starting to
follow her blog and her twitter, but that she is also a current graduate
student. This is something that has been
eating away at my mind ever since it was pitched to me, not once but twice in
fact, by two different teachers suggesting I should pursue a Masters Degree in
different areas both of which interest me greatly. Honestly I never considered myself Masters Degree
material and really am ignorant of the process of being one but have wrongly
assumed that to do it I would not be able to be a teacher at the same
time. Obviously that is not the case and
now the idea has really taken root in my head and I am going to have to find
the time to get all the answers I need to figure out if this is something that
I can truly do.
So what this post really boils down to in my mind is
inspiration. Inspiration is the fuel,
the spark and the explosion to make things happen and the best part is it can
come from literally anywhere and everywhere.
As a student I am inspired by my teachers and how they bring new ideas
to class as well as my classmates and what they share. As a parent I am inspired by my kids and how
they see the world and are growing, learning and evolving. As a teacher I am inspired by how students
learn and the look in their eyes when connections are made or inspiration hit
them. As a photographer and poet I am
inspired by literally anything I see around me from simple frost patterns on
concrete to clouds covering the sun to a random series of words overheard in
others conversations. Without
inspiration change can’t happen and the ideas can’t grow, life does not move
without inspiration. So I ask you:
What inspires you today?
Wow, Jeff! That is a very inspirational post. I have also pondered the idea of working towards a Master's Degree. Unlike you, I haven't found my inspiration yet. Some days, I feel like a chicken running around with my head cut off, and I'm not a full time teacher working on her Master's at the same time! I hope I find my inspiration soon.
ReplyDeleteErika - thank you! the funniest thing I find about inspiration is it can be kind of like perspiration in that it does not always come at the most convenient times! lol. I have often found myself detoured from the task at hand because an idea or a thought has latched itself onto my brain and until I deal with it I can't do anything else. Your inspiration is waiting for you, lurking around some corner in your life waiting to pounce and when it does I say grab onto it and fly!
DeleteJeff, it is a pleasure reading your posts. I nanny four little boys, between the ages of 4 and 9. They are my inspiration. The youngest one is in his first full year of Pre K. He teaches me so many things that I have once learned and forgotten over time. Although I have gone the secondary route for Education, what my little friend in Pre K has learned from his teacher makes me think about being a Pre K teacher.
ReplyDeleteThank you, I am glad you enjoy them! Hopefully I can keep that quality up :P ! My kids are 9, 6, 6, 6 and 4 and I love every minute of being around them even when they are driving up the walls. The way the see the world and how they handle all the learning keeps my on my toes in a teacher mindset and working with these little kids reminds me how much fun I have with learning new things too, even if they can be frustrating at times I still love the learning! At those younger grade levels it doesn't hurt that they see you as a rock star pretty much every day - that is in fact another poem I wrote during internship so keep an eye out for it here or on my other blog!
Delete