Saturday Sayings: The 3 R's of Teaching

Simply put, reading + risking + reflecting = meaningful change.  I suppose we could call them the 3 R's of teaching.  Is this equation evident in our schools or better yet, in our own classrooms?

Reading - I don't believe Regie's referring to reading a teacher's manual.  (That's most likely not the kind of reading that results in meaningful change.)  She's fully aware of how busy we teachers are, but she also knows that books provide a valuable kind of professional development that should find its way into our lives.  The professional books on my shelves and the piles still needing my attention on my living room floor are significant contributors to my teaching pedagogy.  They've helped shape me into the teacher I am today and the one I'll be ten years from now as well.

Risking - This piece of the equation is so important.  On a personal level, I'm not a risk-taker.  I don't enjoy putting myself into the unknown.  As a teacher though, I've learned that playing it safe is detrimental to my professional development as well as the growth of the learners in my care.  When I take risks, I give myself permission to not have all the answers before I try something new.  If I wait for all the answers, I'll waste a lot of time and probably never try anyway.  The only way to find them is to jump right in and do.  When I take risks, I also typically discover that my kids can handle a whole lot more than I ever gave them credit for.  They benefit from my risk-taking.

Reflecting - I'm guessing this is the part of the equation that most teachers are comfortable doing already.  I believe that it's made all the more powerful when reading and risking are involved as well though.  

Meaningful Change - We've probably all experienced unmeaningful change.  (Yep, I made up that word.)  How often have you found yourself asking, "Now, why are we doing this?"  Maybe the CCSS fits in that category for some.  Maybe a district or state mandate has created change that was not meaningful.  Those things are at times out of our hands.  For me, most often meaningful change happens when I take professional development into my own hands.  I'm not satisfied with the teacher I am today, but I'm the only one who can change that.  I read.  I risk.  I reflect.  If Regie's right, and I think she is, that means I'm bound to change in meaningful ways.