Cage-Busting with a Beginner's Mind
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Most educators probably feel like first year teachers this year since we have had to redefine so much about how we do our work in a pandemic. The good news is that after winter break, we typically start to feel rejuvenated and more confident about the work we are doing.
January and February are good times to gain some perspective in all that you have accomplished and all you still want to do. This was a year of drastic, cage-busting change in education. Many of the bars that made up the cage of how we perceive what can and can't be done for children were flexed or pried open. Students don't have internet. We worked with the internet providers and sent out hotspots. The children don't have a place to study at home. We delivered old desks. Teachers want to know how to increase student interaction particularly in whole-class lessons. We watched a teacher's Zoom recording to see how she used visible student work to start a conversation where students had conversations about peers’ work.
You have been busting-cages all year, by asking "How do we do this for kids?" A global pandemic and some extra funding allowed more flexibility than we may have received in a typical year, but the question is an important question to keep asking in the future so that we can continue to do what is right for students. In Frederick Hess' Cage-Busting Leadership, one of the early tips for seeing your school or district systems differently is to "start with a beginner's mind." (2013, p. 40)
This January, take time to see your work from a beginner's mind, because in this new educational context, we all feel like beginners. It's a good time to ask naïve questions like, "I know we have always done it this way, but why?" or "I don't understand. Can you explain this?" See your work from the eyes of a new teacher, a new student, or a new parent. You've done your share of cage-busting this year to ensure we meet students' needs. Take stock of all you have accomplished and reflect on other ways we can support students. The more you can use what you have learned in this year of rapid change, the more we can involve others with the question, "How do we do this for kids?” throughout our careers.
Hess, F. (2013). Cage-Busting Leadership. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard Educational Press.