Students
need an authentic teacher. They can
sense when their teachers are not being authentic. Authentic teachers fill their classroom with
purpose and a sense of joy. They show up as themselves. Because of this, their classroom is a better
place for themselves and for their students.
Values. An authentic teacher is true to her values,
to her students, and to her own uniqueness.
She is self-aware and has made a commitment to teaching. She has
reflected on the purpose of education and her role in it. To her, education matters. There is
consistency between her
beliefs and her actions. She has self-knowledge about her own identity as a teacher and is
true to herself, even if this means being inconsistent with the expectations of
others.
Originality. An authentic teacher is creative and teaches
with originality. He realizes that the
lesson he is teaching has never been taught just this way before. His teach and
is responsive
to the uniqueness in himself and in his students. His instructional decisions match
his needs and theirs. Every time he
makes a decision about teaching, it is original, because it is specific to his
students and his setting.
Mindfulness. An authentic teacher is present. Both her mind and her body are in the
room. She is primed to listen. She is
aware of what is going on right now. She
notices how things are instead of how they ought to be. A mindful teacher
manages her own emotions better because she is paying attention to self and
others. Because mindful teachers are
more aware of their own emotions, they feel the joy of a true connection with
their students.
Playfulness. Play is natural, not just in childhood, but
throughout our lives. As we grow older, we often suppress our playfulness,
thinking it is immature. Playfulness is
one of the reasons I smile whenever I enter an elementary school. The children’s playfulness is palpable. It resonates with a need deep within. Being playful doesn’t have to mean getting
out the dolls or blocks. It means
bringing a sense of wonder
to the task, rather than seeing it as work or punishment. Instead of saying, “It’s time to do our math
work,” what if we said, “It’s time to play with math!” Joyful playfulness unleashes our inner exuberance.
When
teachers don’t show up as themselves, they feel like imposters. Their
instructional decisions don't match themselves or their students. They are distracted.
Their actions feel robotic. Their
classrooms are missing joy.
As a coach, how are you helping teacher be true to themselves? Beyond best practices, teachers need to bring their unique, purposeful selves to every lesson. It may seem like an indulgence to coach for authenticity, but because of it, the classroom will be a more productive place.
As a coach, how are you helping teacher be true to themselves? Beyond best practices, teachers need to bring their unique, purposeful selves to every lesson. It may seem like an indulgence to coach for authenticity, but because of it, the classroom will be a more productive place.
This
week, you might want to take a look at:
Modeling
as an instructional strategy – how much?
Reflecting on your reflection!
Using author visits to support writing
(in ELA and across the curriculum):
Study shows teachers prefer coaching
for PD (and ideas for increasing impact):
National
poetry month is coming! Find ideas here
for getting ready:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/learn
This post will remind you why teaching
poetry is valuable. Along with some
wistful words, there are ideas for incorporating poetry into your classroom:
That’s
it for this week. Happy Coaching!
Want to know about new posts? Click “Follow” (bottom
right)
No comments:
Post a Comment