A friend of mine's daughter took a picture of herself using his phone. She is 18 months old. He should be glad she didn't do something else with it. He captioned it, "Caden's first selfie." We call these pictures "selfies" because it's a picture taken of yourself, by ... yourself. I thought his daughter looked adorable with her big smile. I am not a fan of my own selfies because I think they bring out my worst qualities (too many to list).
As I thought about education today, I reflected on how selfies apply to education. We all know "education selfies." Education selfies have personal agendas. They may promote good learning and teaching strategies, and even have great ideas and concepts. But, the strategies and concepts they offer come at a price. The cost may be as little as an "atta boy," or personal recognition by a respected peer in their school district. Or it may cost more, like a solve-all education program they're peddling. In the end, education selfies are not team players. They may be on a team, but they're rooting for themselves to succeed. If their students do well, it's an opportunity for them to leverage this for their own benefit.
I also thought about those I know who are "education selfless." They share whatever resources they have and don't ask for anything in return. They don't keep score. Selfless educators give their time to those who need it: students who need help but can only come before school or during lunch, novice teachers in crisis mode, and parents who need reassurance. They're too focused on changing the world one student at a time to worry
11-26-13 THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG Sharing Thanks on Twitter with Educators — Whole Child Education
Sharing Thanks on Twitter with Educators — Whole Child Education: THE WHOLE CHILD BLOGSharing Thanks on Twitter with EducatorsNovember 26, 2013 by Tina BylandLast night, ASCD and an inspiring group of educators dedicated an entire hour to sharing the many things we are all thankful for over Twitter. The chat left me in an incredibly grateful mood. Whether you are thankful for your school community