Last night during Innovator’s Mindset MOOC George Couros mentioned a Chick Fillet commercial about a man who was stuck in a rut. A few minutes later @mexusmx posted the video on Twitter.
Between the conversations last night, the video, and preparing for my Kids Deserve It book study I began to think of my role at school. Am I in a rut or a groove? Am I on an island?
I like to think of myself as an innovative teacher. Relationships with students and doing whatever it takes to make them LOVE math are my thing. We ‘bring it in’ every morning to the song Can’t Stop the Feeling; I have been known to hop up on a desk to make an impact; and most importantly- I teach my students how to be kind to each other. With all these great things going on, could I be in a rut or on an island?
My answer is yes – I think I am. I say this because I don’t have people around me who will push me. I only leave my comfort zone when it is convenient for me…
Commercial link:
https://www.ispot.tv/ad/A8BN/chick-fil-a-stuck-in-a-rut
Nerdy Math Teacher 
I love the comment “could I be in a rut or on an island?” I often feel like I am on an island. I work in a building where innovation is not a top priority for many teachers. It is so hard to push yourself when you feel like you are all alone. I am thankful for my social media connections and the “push” I get from other teachers in my PLN.
I have decided it is OK to be on an island, as long as I can share with other islands and get the “supplies” I need to keep my creative process going in my classroom.
Happy to connect…
Sarah
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sarah – I feel like I’m on an island quite often. There are pockets of innovation in my school, but it is not our culture. When you add in that I teach Math others start to run… I realized my kids would come to me with math anxiety and their parents too. I even realized not every teacher would embrace the new strategies like I did, but I didn’t realize how far people would go to avoid math discussions. I love what I do but it does put me in the middle of the ocean. At least I’m getting to know some pirates! 🤓
LikeLike
It’s interesting to me that you talk about relationships with students, but not about relationships with adults. It is so easy as a teacher to have the majority of your conversations with ten-year-olds, but I think those adult relationships are equally as important.
I think that in joining a larger community in IMMOOC that will challenge and push your thinking, you are maybe not as much in that rut as you think. Ironically, as I got connected more with the online education community, I felt more like an island as a teacher. That’s when I really made an effort to reach out locally and find educators who could be my in-person support system. Those two worlds still sometimes feel disconnected, but I no longer feel like an island. I think if you look around you, you will find that there are people who could be your “go to” people to push you, either in person or people in this group.
My final thought… if you really feel like you don’t have somebody, check this out and try it. See who steps up to the plate.
http://robertkaplinsky.com/observeme/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Melanie – I do have much better relationships with 7-11 year olds than I do with adults. There is a part of me that struggles with the fact I am a 40+ year old ‘new’ teacher. I don’t feel like I completely fit in with the young innovative teachers, but I also don’t fit in with the veterans. Before IMMOOC, I was satisfied with my island. I will give the #observeme a shot. Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person