The Commitment to Greatness
In defining the vision of greatness we seek to achieve, we should never settle into the mindset that we are as good as we are ever going to get—at anything. In fact, it is my belief that, as teachers, this kind of thinking can be detrimental to our success. The real truth is that greatness is a moving target, and we should always be aiming for it.
In education, the landscape changes daily, sometimes by the minute. Our kids, our classes, schools, policies, curriculum, all shift so rapidly that it often seems we are in a constant state of flux. With this constant metamorphosis that is education, we find that we continually need to transform ourselves to account for this routine, sometimes even disruptive, change. We should also understand that it’s simply not okay to accept mediocrity—it’s not okay for us, it’s not okay for our schools, and it’s certainly not okay for our students. Being mediocre doesn’t challenge us and it definitely doesn’t change us, and this won’t suffice when the world around us is evolving at a rapid-fire pace. Because of this, every one of us must have a clear and malleable plan for how to move beyond average and work toward greatness. We owe it to our students, and we owe it to ourselves.
The bottom line is this: those who focus on their own professional growth excel. Dave Burgess, author of Teach Like a PIRATE, says it best: “The world becomes a better place because of your greatness.”
With just the right plan and a solid commitment to accomplishing our professional goals, we can become teachers who don’t just change students, but teachers who change the world.
ARE YOU READY?
You must be willing to put in the time and energy necessary to move toward being the best teacher possible for your students and for yourself. Perhaps you wish to...
- Heighten the sense of community and belonging in your classroom
- Design better lessons and more engaging activities
- Create environments that have students on fire for learning
- Become an accomplished educator, securing the best evaluations every time
- Build strong relationships with students and your peers in education
- Redesign your planning to include antiracist teaching and learning
- Expand your practice to help other educators grow from your experiences
If you are ready to move towards greatness, begin chronicling your journey by crafting your commitment statement. Click on the downloadable Commitment Statement organizer below to help you get started. As you create your statement, incorporate powerful verbs such as inspire, create, discover, design, thrive, and transform. Think about the impact you wish to have on students, who you are as a person and as a teacher, and what you wish to become as you seek to live out your purpose each day.
Now, go, my friends. Begin your own journey to greatness right now.
