Striving for Excellence: Five Essential Ways to Grow as an Educator





I can't think of an educator out there who doesn't want to be excellent.  And if I ever find one, trust me, I will do my best to talk them into another profession because kids deserve educators who strive to be the very best.  "Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence."  Quoting Vince Lombardi on Super Bowl Sunday (Go Pats!) seemed appropriate as I think about the ways in which we can strive for excellence.  Here are five essential ways to grow as an educator.

 1.  READ:  Students are expected to read daily. How can we expect less of ourselves or not model a love of reading?  This doesn't mean you have to read educational books all of the time.  Reading could mean online news articles, educational blogs, children's literature, or novels.  Don't have time to read?  Listen to a book on Audible or a podcast during your commute.  Here are a few of my recent, recommended reads:

  • The Power of Moments by Dan Heath and Chip Heath.
  • Radical Candor by Kim Scott
  • George Couros Blog - click here
  • The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

2.  REFLECT:  I am finding great power in using blogging to reflect.  If you haven't tried it, just begin by writing; you don't have to publish anything.  However, I would urge you to consider publishing at some point.  Check out this Derek Severs video if you aren't hesitant.  

 3.  SET GOALS:  These goals don't need to be extravagant or overly ambitious, they just need to move you in the direction of excellence.  Maybe you set a goal to read more or get connected on Twitter or begin blogging.  It doesn't matter, but educators can't strive for excellence without a plan.

 4.  CONNECT:  As George Couros states, "Isolation is often the enemy of innovation."  With social media, connecting with other educators, authors and inspiring professionals is easier than ever.  If you are reading this, there is a strong likelihood that you are connected on Twitter.  This weekend, I attended #EdCampMALeads in Franklin, Massachusetts.  I was able to spend four hours connecting with like-minded educators who share my passion for learning and leading.  Many of these educators I had connected with on Twitter or Voxer, but nothing compares to face-to-fact conversations and the opportunity to meet new people and grow my PLN.   I left with new ideas feeling inspired and reenergized.  

5.  TAKE RISKS:  When I reflect, the times of greatest growth were also the times of greatest discomfort.  The first time I presented at our state administrators conference, when I was still in a teaching role stands out to me.  I was fortunate to have a mentor at the time who presented me with opportunities to stretch myself and try new things.  What I have learned is that with this level of discomfort, comes a rush of adrenaline and an opportunity to grow.  Recently, I decided to give Breakout EDU a try at one of our curriculum meetings as a way to get my staff to delve into the 8 essential elements of project-based learning while also introducing an engagement tool.  I knew this could be a total flop.  But with big risk, comes big reward.  The meeting was a blast!

 As the Patriots prepare for the Super Bowl tonight, they are picturing perfection on every single down.  Will every down be perfect?  Of course not.  But in the pursuit of perfection, just maybe they'll be excellent.  And how about us?  If we are relentless in our quest for perfection, maybe we'll be excellent too.





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