Throughout my professional development, several topics have resonated with my personal experiences.
From the readings, a particular quote stood out to me from Jones’ Sayings for Leaders:
“The moment you are very clear about what you want to do, things happen. Life comes to your aid—a friend, a relation, a teacher, a grandmother, somebody helps you…If you say, “This is what I really want to do and I’m going to pursue it,” then you will find that something miraculous takes place. You may have to go hungry , struggle to get through, but you will be a worthwhile human being, not a mere copy, and that is the miracle of it.”
-J. Krishnamurti
The quote resonated with me for its honesty and inspiration. It is by far my favourite quote that I have heard throughout my professional development. I’m a natural extrovert, and my life is based around my family and friends; so much of what we learn and how we grow relies on the influence of others. The truth of relationships, as revealed by Jones (2005) in Letters From an Elder Teacher, is that they help us to realize our highest conception of self.
My mother acts as a constant source of support within my life. At the beginning of the school year, I was ready to drop out and go travelling in the fall; in the winter, I changed my mind and chose to run for an Executive position within my volunteer organization. Regardless of what I chose to pursue or where I chose to go in order to pursue it, my mom acts as a perpetual guide and mentor, always encouraging me to follow my dreams and seek more out of my life. The quote resonates with me and with my love for her.
Two of the group presentations spoke to me as an individual:
Lindsay, Kathryn and Nicole’s presentation on THE COMMON GOOD
Their presentation was based on the work of Margaret J. Wheatley, “Turning to One Another: Simple conversations to restore hope to the future”.
To work towards the COMMON GOOD is to work beyond ourselves in helping other human beings in any way possible.
The FEAR of doing good…
-Why we don’t help others out of concern for ourselves, for our roles, for traditional power relationships, etc.
-Often people are fearful of doing the wrong thing or making things worse
-People are also lazy and wish to avoid implementing themselves in the problems.
I closely related to this presentation through past experiences as both a bystander and a victim within bullying situations; in the end, our highest conception of self favours the idea of being kind—without helping others, we are not respecting ourselves.
An interesting thought: If someone asked you for help, would you refuse them?
Then why are we so scared to ask?
Why disasters implement the COMMON GOOD…
-People act without hesitation during a crisis
-People are freed from social status during a crisis
-People are gathered and joined together by a common goal, by a common need and yearn for betterment
As a class, we collectively agreed that disaster should not be a requirement of helping others, but we do accept the positive side of a disaster in that it joins persons of every background together to fight towards a shared objective. Three years ago, my town in Saskatchewan flooded; I marvelled as RCMP rode in canoes to save people, as families struggled to salvage precious possessions, and as strangers became neighbours out of shared loss. This particular component of the presentation was highlighted to me through my own personal experience at helping build back our community after it was destroyed.
The girls also finished their presentation by asking everyone to share their contact information on a sheet to be later presented to the class in order to “build a community of practice”. They had us each write down our unique qualities or fields of specialization so that we can consult with one another for specific aid. I thought that this concept perfectly embodied their idea of helping others and creating a community targeted towards the Common Good.
From the readings, a particular quote stood out to me from Jones’ Sayings for Leaders:
“The moment you are very clear about what you want to do, things happen. Life comes to your aid—a friend, a relation, a teacher, a grandmother, somebody helps you…If you say, “This is what I really want to do and I’m going to pursue it,” then you will find that something miraculous takes place. You may have to go hungry , struggle to get through, but you will be a worthwhile human being, not a mere copy, and that is the miracle of it.”
-J. Krishnamurti
The quote resonated with me for its honesty and inspiration. It is by far my favourite quote that I have heard throughout my professional development. I’m a natural extrovert, and my life is based around my family and friends; so much of what we learn and how we grow relies on the influence of others. The truth of relationships, as revealed by Jones (2005) in Letters From an Elder Teacher, is that they help us to realize our highest conception of self.
My mother acts as a constant source of support within my life. At the beginning of the school year, I was ready to drop out and go travelling in the fall; in the winter, I changed my mind and chose to run for an Executive position within my volunteer organization. Regardless of what I chose to pursue or where I chose to go in order to pursue it, my mom acts as a perpetual guide and mentor, always encouraging me to follow my dreams and seek more out of my life. The quote resonates with me and with my love for her.
Two of the group presentations spoke to me as an individual:
Lindsay, Kathryn and Nicole’s presentation on THE COMMON GOOD
Their presentation was based on the work of Margaret J. Wheatley, “Turning to One Another: Simple conversations to restore hope to the future”.
To work towards the COMMON GOOD is to work beyond ourselves in helping other human beings in any way possible.
The FEAR of doing good…
-Why we don’t help others out of concern for ourselves, for our roles, for traditional power relationships, etc.
-Often people are fearful of doing the wrong thing or making things worse
-People are also lazy and wish to avoid implementing themselves in the problems.
I closely related to this presentation through past experiences as both a bystander and a victim within bullying situations; in the end, our highest conception of self favours the idea of being kind—without helping others, we are not respecting ourselves.
An interesting thought: If someone asked you for help, would you refuse them?
Then why are we so scared to ask?
Why disasters implement the COMMON GOOD…
-People act without hesitation during a crisis
-People are freed from social status during a crisis
-People are gathered and joined together by a common goal, by a common need and yearn for betterment
As a class, we collectively agreed that disaster should not be a requirement of helping others, but we do accept the positive side of a disaster in that it joins persons of every background together to fight towards a shared objective. Three years ago, my town in Saskatchewan flooded; I marvelled as RCMP rode in canoes to save people, as families struggled to salvage precious possessions, and as strangers became neighbours out of shared loss. This particular component of the presentation was highlighted to me through my own personal experience at helping build back our community after it was destroyed.
The girls also finished their presentation by asking everyone to share their contact information on a sheet to be later presented to the class in order to “build a community of practice”. They had us each write down our unique qualities or fields of specialization so that we can consult with one another for specific aid. I thought that this concept perfectly embodied their idea of helping others and creating a community targeted towards the Common Good.
Erin, Bailee and Kerri-Anne’s presentation on Qualities: Gifts and Challenges resonated with me through its close association with my own presentation. The presentation highlighted the importance of our own personal gifts and qualities and how they can be cultivated and shared through our professional development and future careers as educators.
The Book of Qualities (by J. Ruth Gendler)…
-Offers a description of many qualities
-Speaks to qualities as personalities; reflects their individuality
-Creates relations for readers to qualities
-Gives insight into good/bad qualities
-Demonstrates that some qualities can have both good/bad characteristics
The presentation highlighted the qualities of a good teacher, which I hope to always keep in the back of my mind as a guideline for the kind of educator I aspire to be. Last semester, in our Pragmatics course, our first activity was to describe the qualities and characteristics of our favourite teacher; by doing so, we were able to create a sequence of traits and aptitudes of great teachers. I loved how this presentation allowed me to apply knowledge I have already explored in other classrooms. Through my prior knowledge, I was able to gain even more insight into the idea of positive teacher qualities and how they can be shared.
My favourite tips for good teaching (as presented):
-Implicate humour!
-Find commonalities with your students (RELATE to them – I would hope to use empathy!)
-Answer questions, don’t just blurt information
-Learn from your students (you are a LIFELONG LEARNER)
-Always demonstrate a passion and love for your practice
The qualities that resonated with the presenters: Inspiration, Trust and Imagination
The qualities that resonate with becoming a teacher: Patience, Wisdom, Trust, Confidence, Imagination, Commitment and Inspiration
The qualities that personally resonate with me: Empathy, Honesty, Imagination and Inspiration