Week 2 – Self
Week 2 – Self
This week’s experience is about SELF. Teaching is one of the most human professions there is, yet very little time is dedicated to exploring the personal dimension of our roles.
Our goal is to try to reconnect with our vocational call, our inner values, and explore the particular dimensions of self that are associated with education. It is only then that we can tackle the ultimate quest for any educator: expressing ourselves authentically through our roles.
Please complete and submit the following prompts and interactions before Monday, May 9.
Our vocational call
We are all in different stage of our careers, but we all decided to become educators following a unique vocational call. Please answer the following questions which reflect on our collective why, why we chose and still elect to be educators.
NOTE: answers are anonymous. We will present a summary of the answers but without individualizing any of them.
Personal Values
This exercise will help discern and prioritize your personal values. Please complete the activity in the PDF below and fill in the form with your 9 prioritized values.
Towards a spirituality of education
When it comes to exploring the personal dimension of being an educator, Parker Palmer is our main point of reference. Parker Palmer is the author of The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life, a profound and touching meditation on the inner life of teachers.
The following article provides us with some truly valuable insights on what is at stake when educators try to live an undivided life.
“An authentic spirituality of education will address the fear that so often permeates and destroys teaching and learning. It will understand that fear, not ignorance, is the enemy of learning, and that fear is what gives ignorance its power.”
Can you relate to this phrase? What forms does fear take these days in education? (Answers are anonymous and confidential)
Our students´selves
The short clip below is from the 1945 movie “The Bells of St. Mary’s”. Not surprisingly, despite the passing of 80 years, the situation depicted is still woefully unresolved and the object of many controversial discussions on what school should be.
Please discuss in the forums below.
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