It is so easy to assign worth and value to external things. Watching commercials, television shows, and looking at magazines in the checkout line, you see all of the glamors on display. How many times a day do you compare yourself to others? Be honest with yourself. Do you look at another person, a car, a home, or pictures on Facebook and compare yourself?
When we begin to design our life around the “things” we believe the world identifies as having value and worth, we spend all of our time chasing after them. One day we may wake up with all of these things but realize we do not know who we are, what our purpose is, and feel the need for more.
Life is not about the things you have, the titles assigned to you, the awards given, and the number of followers you have on social media. It is about the value you bring to others and yourself. What is your purpose in life? Everyone has one, and your identity is tied to your defining purpose. I have written about Ken Blanchard, his story of Johnny the Bagger, and how adding value to others is worth the time. Johnny did good work!
Teaching Value, Identity and Purpose
The world of education continues to change daily. However, the core of its purpose, identity, and value do not. Education aims to provide all children with quality development in reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and learning the skills needed to grow in a democratic society. The value of education at the core of teaching consists of helping students gain perspective of life in a better way and lead a successful life as responsible citizens. The identity of education is defined and shaped by the culture. Education has a long history of responding to the actions of the culture, issues, and societal changes. Not to respond to accept the trends, but to help gain understanding of facts to address issues. The teaching goals are to help shape better citizens, gain the skills for better jobs and know the difference between bad and good. Education shows students the importance of hard work and helps students grow and develop. “Education is something we do with children, not to them.”-Brenda Yoho.
If education can form a foundation based on the solid value, purpose, and identity defined, we can shape a better society to live in by knowing and respecting rights, laws, and regulations.
Feeling Good and Feeling Safe
Teaching and learning does not happen when we do not feel good or safe in the place we are. In my previous post, safety was a focus to begin to take steps to get prepared. In preparing for feeling good, we need to have a foundation of our core values, what our purpose is, and how we will be identified as the leader; know our core values, identity, and purpose. You will want to formulate together as a team what this will be for your school. Mission and vision statements are great to have if they are easy to read and applied. I have been a fan of We believe statement pages, We will statement pages, and Assurances from leaders to staff to compliment mission and vision.
