Thoughts on who you are working for.
Author: Jon Wright
THE SET UP
As I begin this latest blog, I want to challenge you with the following question. Why did you choose to go into the education arena? I am certain there are several reasons people choose this life. For me, the reason why I chose education is at the core of my being. I chose to go into education, special education to be exact, to help support and educate students with disabilities. I have also wanted to help give the parents of these students a semblance of hope for all of their futures. Basically, I work off of two core questions: “Is what I am doing going to be best for kids?” And, “Will it benefit the parents of the students I am working with?” I am now into the later part of Autumn of my career, and as an administrator, these two above quotes are my “go to” core values whenever I have to make a challenging decision.
Is this choice I am about to make in the best interest of the student or students?
Will my decision benefit the parents of the students under my care?
WHERE IS YOUR HEART?
Alas, I feel we are in a challenging time in education. Why did you choose to go into education? A modern trend I am finding is that people are seemingly wanting what is best for themselves instead of the students we are being paid to serve.
I don’t want to appear to be critical or a downer but if I truly look at the requests I have received over the past few years, many of the said requests revolve around the employee and not what is in the best interest of the students. Don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting employees allow themselves to get taken advantage of however, dig deep for a minute inside of you. Think about some of the decisions you have made, who are they best for? Does it make life a little easier for you to balk at possibly taking that student who drives everyone nuts? You know the one I am talking about, this is the kid who is NEVER gone from school.
MAYBE YOU ARE THE DIFFERENCE MAKER
What if, just what if you are the answer to this person’s future? What if because of you, a difference was made in this student’s life that will alter the course of their future for the better. You see? We never know what seeds we are planting. When I was teaching, I thrived on taking the challenging kids. I wanted to see if I could crack the code, learn how to “dance with them” and build a relationship with them in order to perhaps make that difference and uptick in how they operated as a person. Never underestimate the power of who you are. Hopefully, you can always look at things from the lens of “What is best for kids,” and navigate with that compass.
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