Helping others find their element!

Recognizing potential and creating opportunities for others will open doors. In Ken Robinson's The Element, he devotes a chapter to how people helped him. He cites mentorship as a key component in finding one's element.

Ken Robinson says:
Mentors connect with us in a variety of ways and remain with us for varying lengths of time. Some are with us for decades in an evolving role that might start as teacher/student and ultimately evolve into close friendship. Others enter our lives at a critical moment, stay with us long enough to make a pivotal difference, and then move on. Regardless, mentors tend to serve some or all of four roles for us...recognition....encouragement....facilitating....stretching.

Mentors serve an invaluable role in helping people get to the Element. It might be overstating things to suggest that the only way to reach the Element is with the help of a mentor, but it is only a mild overstatment. We all encounter multiple roadblocks and constraints on the journey toward finding what we feel we were meant to do. Without a knowledgeable guide to aide us in identifying our passions, to encourage our interests, to smooth our paths, and to push us to make the most of our capacities, the journey is considerably harder.

I am fortunate to work with a colleague that fits the bill of mentor, not just for me, but for other teachers, staff, and for the students in his classroom. He continually points out the good and holds us accountable for what we can do and for what he can see as the potential in each of us. Students who would have long ago quit, are still in school. Students who thought less of themselves are now leaders of other young people. Students who never thought they would graduate felt that he believes in them enough for them to try and succeed. Teachers who start out overwhelmed become focused. He sometimes talks about retirement, but I wonder what we will all do then?

CouldI fill that role?

Finding our Element

I know I've found my element.

When I walked into an elementary school 27 years ago for an interview for a Kindergarten teacher's assistant, I smelled the chalk, the books, I don't know, maybe the sweaty shoes on the rack at the door. I just knew that I had to get the job. I belonged in school.

I've always loved school. Maybe that's why I went back to get my education degree and then my masters in distance education. Learning and teaching is my element. Sometimes I don't know if I'm teaching or learning and it really doesn't make that much difference. :-)

Ken Robinson, in his book The Element talks about many people who found their element in spite of going to school. I certainly don't want to be that person that closes doors, or restrains a student from finding his/her element. It would be my pleasure to be that person that helps a students find their element and then help them make it happen. Because, according to Robinson, we are only truly happy when we are in our element.

Big Plans

This time of year, I seem to get more excited than at any other time. Yes, we are finishing up the school year, with only two months left to go. But, what's really exciting is the fact that I get to work on plans for next year!

Small school principals always have enrollment on the brain and it is difficult to budget when you have low enrollment. However, we also have the opportunity to work with staff to come up with new and different ways to attract students to our schools. We are always working on doing more with less.

One project I have the students interested in is a school garden. We are just waiting for the snow to melt completely and the yard to dry up so that we can get someone to help us get the plot ready. The students want to plant all sorts of vegetables and flowers. They also want to plan berries and fruit. I'm not sure how we are going to do all of this, but I already have some parents volunteering to bring rotor tillers. We also have some organizations and community members donating seed and a couple of trees for our garden. We just need to wait for the weather now.

The past few weeks I have been reading some of Ken Robinson's work and thinking of how we can broaden the opportunities for students to explore and discover their creative spirit. I've been talking to staff and students about what they would still like to learn. And, I've been thinking of ways in which I and my staff can be the inspiration for students so that they can find their passions. We also want to organize our teaching and learning so that they get the core and also be able to spend some time developing their God-given talents. One idea is to organize the timetable so that we can spend 1 afternoon a week "encouraging the spirit". That way if we have volunteers coming to help us, they only have to come to the school 1 day during the week. Also, this allows the students and staff more uninterrupted time to work on projects.

I would like to see the students grouped according to interest and ability, not age. That way, there can be more opportunities for mentorship, family atmosphere, and modeling by older and younger students. The older students would be more familiar with the tools and how things are done. On the other hand, the younger students are less intimidated by the media, are freer with their imaginations, and are more likely apt to take risks. This atmosphere could be beneficial for all.