Play That Funky Music (7 Steps Of Professional Growth)
My ELA comrades are fond of discussing ‘universal themes’ and ‘common plots’ in literature and in life. I can’t speak to every book ever written, but I will confess I have a much better idea of who’s going to die and who’s going to betray the hero in any decent sci-fi or superhero movie now that I’ve sat in on a few literature classes.
In a similar way, our personal journeys often share common elements. That’s why disparate support groups can build their discussions around the same 12 Steps without discounting each member's personal story, or church 'cell groups' can seek spiritual cohesion despite varied applications of the chosen text - every story is unique, but every story is the same.
We see this in history as well – it repeats itself, sort of, but never in quite the same ways. Universal themes and common plotlines seem to be, um… well - they seem to be universal. You know - common.
The ongoing kerfuffle over #edreform involves large-scale efforts to standardize curriculum, standardize tests, standardize teachers, and standardize kids. Good luck with that. In the meantime, while we decry the nonsense inherent in that approach, I'd like to outline the Seven Steps to Personal and Professional Growth which I believe apply equally well to educators and the common rabble alike. I'd like to suggest that a little personal reform, revival, or rebooting, is essential to break even over time - maybe actually grow.
Stay in place for long, and you're suddenly all kinds of left behind.
If some themes are universal, as my ELA brethren suggest, any classic tale of personal revival should work as a launching pad. I choose as mine the timeless wisdom of Wild Cherry.
Step One: Recognize when you’ve hit a rut or lost your edge.
Hey, do it now. Yay-hey.Once I was a boogie singer playin' in a rock’n’roll band.I never had no problems, yeah, burnin' down the one night stands.When everything around me, yeah, got to start to feelin' so low…
The first step towards fixing anything or making a situation better is recognizing there's a problem. Call stuff what it is. Many times that's actually the most difficult part - identifying Play That Funky Music (7 Steps Of Professional Growth) | Blue Cereal Education:
