If you haven't read it, it's a story about a dystopian society where all memories of the past are wiped from people's minds, and to sum it up, everyone lives in a world of sameness. There is only one "Receiver" of memory, and he holds all memories to inform the society's decisions. Jonas is named the new Receiver at the age of 12, and the story is an account of his journey as his eyes are opened to a world of feelings and choice. Reflecting on the story, a very quick read if you haven't read it, helped me to think about what I will strive to practice during the remainder of this school year and in the future.
1. Be a Giver AND a Receiver.
In the story, the "Giver" actually holds the title of Receiver. After he is charged with transferring all of his knowledge to Jonas, the new Receiver, he renames himself the Giver. This made me think of how I grow, share and learn. This being my first year in a position as a coach, I have learned so much from being in colleague's classrooms, attending professional development sessions and weekly coach meetings, and seeing the learning process as a bigger picture outside of one single classroom. I receive and reflect on vast amounts of information daily. I do not have all the answers, nor will I ever. A true teacher learns along with their colleagues and students. I feel we all need to do our best to not only receive information, professional development, etc. but to share what we learn with others. Learning and working together is so much more powerful than just being the giver of all knowledge. I love how Rachel Lang, a coach and mentor, says that she would change the title "teacher" to "lead learner"...so true!
2. Be comfortable with ambiguity.
In the story is a world full of "sameness". No change. Simple. Easy. And although this may appeal to some, where would that really lead us? We need to learn to be comfortable with the uncertainty of what is to come. That is part of the process of teaching for creativity. Trust in the fact that if we are doing our best each and every day, and that if we are learning and growing and are willing to do what's best for kids, then everything will work out the way it is supposed to. What worked last year with last year's students might not be the best for this year and this year's students. Yes, it may be more work, but it's worth it! Another great mentor, art educator and creativity advocate, Cindy Foley, spoke about this at TEDx Columbus this year.
3. Feelings, emotions, and mindset matter.
In the story, people no longer feel emotions such as love. When Jonas tries to convey this to his family, their response is that the word is antiquated. It's a world of autopilot. How often are we caught up in a world of autopilot? We may make a list for the day and check it off. But, nowhere on that list does it say, "Connect with..." "Really listen to...." "Take time to reflect on..." And those are the important things that we sometimes don't leave time to do! The way students feel in a classroom, the way we interact with one another, and our attitude play an important role in learning. I have read several articles lately that center around this fact and get us to reflect on the question, "Would you want to be a student in your classroom?" Motivation, engagement, and relationships play such an essential role in learning. If we don't have that, then everything else is lost. Pernille Ripp talks a lot about this in her book, Passionate Learners. A must read!
So, just as Jonas learned in the end, here's to a year full of risk-taking! Add to that some positivity and a growth mindset, and it will be sure to be a productive one!
Carrie
1. Be a Giver AND a Receiver.
In the story, the "Giver" actually holds the title of Receiver. After he is charged with transferring all of his knowledge to Jonas, the new Receiver, he renames himself the Giver. This made me think of how I grow, share and learn. This being my first year in a position as a coach, I have learned so much from being in colleague's classrooms, attending professional development sessions and weekly coach meetings, and seeing the learning process as a bigger picture outside of one single classroom. I receive and reflect on vast amounts of information daily. I do not have all the answers, nor will I ever. A true teacher learns along with their colleagues and students. I feel we all need to do our best to not only receive information, professional development, etc. but to share what we learn with others. Learning and working together is so much more powerful than just being the giver of all knowledge. I love how Rachel Lang, a coach and mentor, says that she would change the title "teacher" to "lead learner"...so true!
2. Be comfortable with ambiguity.
In the story is a world full of "sameness". No change. Simple. Easy. And although this may appeal to some, where would that really lead us? We need to learn to be comfortable with the uncertainty of what is to come. That is part of the process of teaching for creativity. Trust in the fact that if we are doing our best each and every day, and that if we are learning and growing and are willing to do what's best for kids, then everything will work out the way it is supposed to. What worked last year with last year's students might not be the best for this year and this year's students. Yes, it may be more work, but it's worth it! Another great mentor, art educator and creativity advocate, Cindy Foley, spoke about this at TEDx Columbus this year.
In the story, people no longer feel emotions such as love. When Jonas tries to convey this to his family, their response is that the word is antiquated. It's a world of autopilot. How often are we caught up in a world of autopilot? We may make a list for the day and check it off. But, nowhere on that list does it say, "Connect with..." "Really listen to...." "Take time to reflect on..." And those are the important things that we sometimes don't leave time to do! The way students feel in a classroom, the way we interact with one another, and our attitude play an important role in learning. I have read several articles lately that center around this fact and get us to reflect on the question, "Would you want to be a student in your classroom?" Motivation, engagement, and relationships play such an essential role in learning. If we don't have that, then everything else is lost. Pernille Ripp talks a lot about this in her book, Passionate Learners. A must read!
So, just as Jonas learned in the end, here's to a year full of risk-taking! Add to that some positivity and a growth mindset, and it will be sure to be a productive one!
Carrie
