cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by http://heretakis.com
A superintendent was in one of my workshops with his administration team, and he raised his hand and said the following:
A lot of what you are talking about and sharing is great, but where would you find the time?
My heart sunk immediately.
Hearing the lead of an organization say that in front of his staff made what I was sharing optional. What bothered me about the statement is that the work I was highlighting of so many teachers in our district, he acknowledged as being “great”, yet you could tell that it would never be something that he would see as a priority.
As an administrator, it is imperative that you have to be a “defender of time“, so you can’t do everything in your school, but if we were to take a look at a lot of the tasks that we do in school, do they lead to “great” or are they something we just do because we have always done it that way. If we want to get better, we should look at what we need to do, while also what we need to get rid of.
If you look at any person that has done something awesome, the question that always comes up from others is “where did you find the time?” It is not about time, but it is about an attitude and a way they live their life. Most people that are really fit and in shape, don’t find the time, they make the time. They know it is important and it is just what they do. That’s it. Is that any different from any endeavour?
Does every teacher have to be “great”? Not necessarily, but I believe that this is something we should all strive for to benefit our students. As I think of this notion, I heard this quote and it sticks out to me regarding this thought process:
“People do not fail in life because they aim too high and miss. They fail in life, because they aim too low and hit.” (Unknown)
Thoughts?
