Defining Beliefs

This year will mark my return to the classroom after three years away as I served my district as an instructional coach.  I will not be returning to the classroom the same teacher that I was three years ago.  I have spent the last three years learning alongside some pretty amazing educators.  Every teacher I have collaborated with over the past three years has had an impact on me and helped me stretch my thinking.  I will be eternally grateful for their influence as I begin my new adventure.  

As I begin this year, one of my first opportunities is designing a classroom in which I will learn alongside my students.  Early in my career, I would have hit up the teacher stores, Teachers Pay Teachers, and Pinterest and would have my classroom completely set up before the first day of school.   I decided to approach this year as both a coach and a teacher.  The first question I always asked teachers as they began to consider making changes in their classrooms was:

What are your basic beliefs as an educator--those non-negotiables you have set for yourself that define who you are and what you believe?

About five years ago, I read the book Teaching with Intention by Debbie Miller. It was one of the most influential books I have ever read and had a profound impact on me.  In it, she builds the case for aligning practices in our classrooms with our philosophical beliefs about education.  One of my favorite quotes from this book is: 

"I'm convinced that success in the classroom depends less on which beliefs we hold and more on simply having a set of beliefs that guides us in our day-to-day work with children. Once we know who we are and what we're about in the classroom, we become intentional in our teaching; we do what we do on purpose, with good reason." -Debbie Miller

I am blessed to work with a district that collaborated with the community to establish core set of beliefs that guide our work. 

I am a huge fan of these beliefs and as you will see they have influenced my personal beliefs.  Over the years I have compiled a fluid set of beliefs.  I say fluid because as I learn and grow, my beliefs change as well.  

• Learning is a lifelong journey.  Each person you encounter on your journey has something they can teach you. Seize every opportunity to learn.
• Learning environments are most effective when they reflect the thinking of the learners and are collaborative, safe, flexible, and responsive to the needs of all learners.  Our classrooms is the real world.
• Learning is maximized when it is meaningful, relevant, purposeful, interactive, and extends outside of the classroom.
• Formative, ongoing assessment for learning informs our work on a daily basis.  
•  An inquiry-based workshop approach to instruction built on the design qualities of choice, affirmation, protection from adverse consequences, and affiliation is the foundation for higher level thinking. 

As I begin a new school year, I know that it might be tempting to let go of some of my beliefs in order to "fit" everything I am expected to teach in; however, I will have to keep one of my favorite quotes in mind "TEA does not have any rule that requires us to bore kids to death"  -Jeff Turner, superintendent of Coppell ISD.  

What beliefs are you taking into this new school year?  How will they shape your practices?