Why? Why do we do what we do? Is it for the money we can make? How about the fame we can acquire? What about the attention we seek? Or rather, is it for another reason entirely? For me, my “why” is knowing that there is something out there so integral to society and human development that is broken. My “why” is knowing that I might have to be the one to fix it.
I have said it before and I will said it again, our educational system is broken, and no one seems to care. Sure, there are people out there that say they care, and in their own way I am sure that they do; but to me caring means taking action. I have met too many educators that have the mentality of “This is how it has always been, what is the point fighting it?” Unfortunately, many teachers are stubborn and resistant to change, especially the veterans. Who can blame them though? Schools go through more “initiatives” and “implementations” than any other industry I can think of. This should help modernize education, right? Maybe if schools and educators actually wanted to adopt them then yes. The problem is, teachers are so underpaid and underappreciated in the United States that the turnover rate is ludicrous. As of 2017, it was estimated that the average turnover rate for teachers in the United States was around 16% compared to the 3% to 4% attrition rate in places such as Finland, Canada, Singapore, and Ontario (Carver-Thomas & Darling Hammond, 2017). With this high of a turnover rate, how can there be any hope of success for initiatives, never mind consistency for students.
Many new teachers are scared of attempting to try and change things for fear of upsetting veteran teachers. Also, education has become so political and children so coddled that having any real expectations or standards is essentially career suicide.
“…education has become so political and children so coddled that having any real expectation or standards is essentially career suicide.”
Outside of my student teaching I have been in three different K-12 schools and in each one of them, administrators have changed the grades of my students to either appease parents, make sure they were eligible for sports, or pass the class/graduate. I have refused to stand by and watch this happen so at the end of each of these respective school years, I have left in hopes of finding a school that seems to have a moral compass similar to my own.
Why did I have this diatribe? To give the background I believe necessary in order to get the most out of what I am about to share. Years ago I saw a video on YouTube of Simon Sinek (2009) speaking about “how great leaders inspire action” (TEDx Talks). Immediately something went off in my, I knew what I had to do. Sinek speaks about what he calls “the Golden Circle” in which he explains why the best leaders, no matter what the field or industry, always start with “why”. He explains why some people are exceptional at what they do when they have the same access and resources, if not less, than those around them. It is because they have been able to determine their “why“. This concept is one that I have come back to more than any other over the years. Now, as I embark on my Mastery journey I have realized that the concepts of Sinek’s why and Robert Greene’s Life’s Task are entwined (2012). If I want to be successful in fulfilling my Life’s Task, I need to start with my “why” and implement the strategies my Masters program teaches me. If I follow this formula and don’t fall to any of the Emotional Pitfalls outlined by Greene, I have no doubt in my mind that I will be successful in my Life’s Task of turning education around (Greene 2012).
References
Cagle, D. (2013, July 30). Teachers Then and Now [Political Cartoon].
Retrieved from https://www.cagle.com/daryl-cagle/2013/07/teachers-
then-and-now
Carver-Thomas, D. & Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). Teacher turnover: Why it
matters and what we can do about it. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy
Institute.
Greene, R. (2012). Mastery [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved
from vbk://9781101601020
TEDx Talks. (2009, September28). Start with why – how great leaders
inspire action | Simon Sinek | TEDxPugetSound [Video file]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA
John Yula's Mastery Journal 