What would it take to make you love your work?
This was a question posed at a workshop I attended on culture. Culture of a school, of an educational service agency, of an organization, etc. All of the leadership team at my work attended, and it actually did do some good. As many of us know, gone are the days of people working 9-5 at the same job for 30 years. People move around, take on new positions, pursue more entrepreneurial endeavors, and so on, so it takes some work to create community and a positive culture in a workplace.
Millenials are often more concerned with their title than than past generations, so making sure their title really reflects what they do and who they are can be important for their satisfaction. More flexible hours and the opportunity to work remotely factor in when caretaking is a concern. I'm fortunate to work in a place that is responsive to these types of requests. I am on a 180-day contract (like a teacher) but the days are spread over the entire year, so I can have most Fridays off to spend time with my new baby. Some of my colleagues have those neat monitors that go up and down so they can sit or stand when they're working at their desk. I've also spotted a couple of those weird ergonomic chairs.
Honestly, I already do love my work, but I've been wondering about this question in terms of classrooms. What would it take to make students love learning? Classroom, content, creativity, choice, community, meeting outside needs, time.... I used to do a little of this thinking with classes at the beginning of the year when we created norms. But what else might there be to it? What are we missing?
I think we need to SLOW down. This year, I've got a group of students who get really excited about learning; however, I feel like I'm always rushing them along. Just when they begin to get the hang of one thing, the curriculum says it's time to move on to something else. They want to write and read, FOR REAL and have time to play around with the tools I'm giving them. District assessments, state exams and jam packed curriculum seem very counter-intuitive to what we know about real learning. Thank you for the thought provoking post!!
ReplyDeleteEmily
Really wise thinking to think about how to be flexible to help both OUR climate, and our classroom climate. Just read another post that reminded us that our kids are just like us in so many ways. You drive the point home!
ReplyDeleteI love how you used this question in terms of your classroom. Made me really think about this for my class as well!
ReplyDeleteErin, thanks for your writing and sharing. The question you posed helped to remind me that I DO love my job. If I won one hundred million dollars tomorrow, I would still go every day to my middle school job and work with these wonderful, wacky people. I really liked what you wrote. Jen
ReplyDeleteErin, thanks for your writing and sharing. The question you posed helped to remind me that I DO love my job. If I won one hundred million dollars tomorrow, I would still go every day to my middle school job and work with these wonderful, wacky people. I really liked what you wrote. Jen
ReplyDeletea great question!
ReplyDeleteI think this is a question that should be posed to kids throughout the year, honestly. We should reflect of the components of learning, so we can move closer to the mark. Great post...great thoughts!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great question. What a great writing prompt for students.
ReplyDelete