I’ve used a Mobius strip for my website logo. Why a Mobius strip? It’s intended to show that learning is infinite. I learn to teach and I teach to learn. Since my teaching niche is focused on adults – both formally in the classroom as well as in the workplace – I may not be teaching the youth of the future, but I am teaching those that still have a significant ability to make a difference.
As I continue to learn about how to be a better teacher, I leverage the life learnings I have rather than the teacher training that I don’t – these include:
- Incorporating the ideas of “Servant Leadership” It fits well with my personal beliefs as well as many of my students who are firefighters, EMTs, and emergency managers. They have a built-in drive to help and I should model that for them.
- Building on the ideas within “Where Great Teaching Begins” by focusing on outcomes, rather than outputs and by using the biology of learning – the dopamine hit to help students gain the “aha” moment.
- Becoming a better storyteller – to help others understand the “why”, to figure out new ways to introduce old material as well as new material, to make it relevant for the ages. I am to incorporate diversity and inclusion in sharing these stories so that all can see themselves as being successful in this field. I am thinking of looking for the many Native American and African American stories that speak to building resilience. This may, in fact, become the basis for a book that I write.
As Jane Goodall said….“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Hopefully, I will play a small part in building my students’ skills, knowledge, and confidence to do just that.
