Well look at this- my third blog post this month! (I barely made it 😜) As I’m sure you can imagine, life has been busy. Who thought it would be a good idea to squash a two year M.Ed. into 12 months again…? Oh wait… that was me! 😅
When I looked at my various syllabi early on in the semester, I knew October would be a heavy month, both for my own courses and for my TA class. October was all about leading class discussions, preparing book talks, drafting a case study, submitting my first papers, preparing sources for an inquiry project, completing a materials analysis, grading midterm exams, and so much more. Little did I know, the impending November might be worse! For a lot of this semester I’ve been living in the week-to-week mentality (which is basically survival mode). I’ve seen a shift the last few weeks in my perspective as I start looking ahead toward the “end” of this semester, and all the assignments that brings along.
Last week in my Literacy Assessment & Professional Development class we had a great talk about growth mindset. I’d always considered growth mindset to be one of those trendy education buzzwords, but in my shift back from teacher to student it feels a lot more relevant. My professor included the graphic below to really situate us as learners in what the differences are.
This is a good reminder as I look to re-entering the classroom next year, especially as I look reflectively at how I want my teaching to remain the same and how I want my teaching to change. Another one of my professors, Dr. Barbara Stengel, challenges us to interact in the world with “radical candor and infinite compassion”. Wow. Those are heavy words to carry today. I feel the weight of what she asks us to do each time she says that phrase. Radical candor and infinite compassion. Mull on that for a while… What could radical candor and infinite compassion look like in your home? At your job? With people in society?
I wish I had more time to really write to you about the successes and challenges I face here in graduate school. It has been immensely eye-opening and humbling to return to school and both look back on my previous teaching while also looking ahead to my future in education. More another time, friends…
Maggie's Musings & Moments 