“The focus on compliance and implementation of program in much of today’s professional development does not inspire teachers to be creative, nor does it foster a culture of innovation. Instead, it forces inspired educators to color outside the lines, and even break the rules to create relevant opportunities for their students. These outliers form pockets of innovation. Their results surprise us. Their students remember them as “great teachers” not because of the test scores they received but because their lives were touched.” – G.Couros #IMMOOC
Not only are students expected to be compliant in school, so are the many educators who are bogged down with data and test scores. Forced to teach a curriculum that will help students perform well on “the test”. Educators who are told to teach to a specific schedule and scope and sequence feel that they have no or little time for innovation. This leads many to color outside the lines and break the rules. That’s when great things can happen.
Many times I find myself not following the status quo and in turn, breaking the rules. Ultimately when I do that, I see the best results. I learn so much about individual children when I deviate from the norm and do what I feel is best for my students. That’s when the best of me collides with the best in the child.
Great teachers are not remembered for what they said or what they taught but rather how they made a student feel and how much they may have touched students’ lives. When I think of the teachers who made an impact in my life, it is not what they taught me but it is how they made me feel as an individual. As educators , we have the chance to make the difference in the many lives that we touch. Taking a moment to remember that it is more than just data and test scores, but rather, there are young lives that we are dealing with and we have the potential to make a huge difference.