Reflections in this section of the blog represent both personal thoughts and the completion of an assignment for EDUC 533 Dynamics of Change. The topics will range from Meaningful PE to the Change process and in the end connect the two together as I look to change my teaching practice to focus more explicitly on Meaningful Experiences in PE.
“Moral purpose means acting with the intention of making a positive difference in the lives of individuals, such as employees and customers or clients, and society.” (Berg, 2018, slide 7) Moral purpose in education seems like it would be an easy thing to figure out. I do not know very many people that get into education as teachers who are not in it for the students. I believe that those who cannot figure it out tend to leave the teaching profession early in their careers, realizing that the lifestyle and demands along with the challenges of working with children and youth may just not be for them.
Lindqvist, Nordänger, and Carlsson (2014) discuss the reasons for teachers leaving the profession in Teacher attrition the first five years – A multifaceted image and in their study of 87 Swedish teachers over a 19 year period found that the 4 who left early (before year 5) exhibited some similar characteristics; they seemed predestined to leave expressing no inclination to take teaching seriously, they seem to have chosen education as a gamble and generally had a negative view of education. I have not come across much research that validates my beliefs about poor performers or teachers not in education without a congruent moral purpose. Research on attrition point to pay as a factor, along with organizational issues related to support from administration, student discipline, a lack of decision making power, inappropriate or unmanageable assignments, and accountability pressures. I think it would be safe to say that educators whose moral purpose is strongly developed are able to look past these stressors and continue to teach while those whose moral purpose is not as strongly developed or aligned may simply cite these issues and stressors as reasons to leave. Personally, reflecting on why I am an educator I come up with a few simple reasons; (1) I like children more than adults, (2) I grew up in a family of educators, (3) I enjoy experiencing the learning with children and seeing them grow and develop over time, (4) I enjoy sharing what I know with others and facilitating their learning new things. Beyond these reasons, I am a physical educator because from the time I was little my life revolved around sport and activity. Sharing my experiences, knowledge and skills in the gymnasium simply comes naturally to me, and I cannot imagine doing something else. As a change leader moral purpose needs to guide your decision making and I believe that my goals to create and maintain a Phys Ed Professional Learning Community (PEPLC) speak to this. Over the past few years I have worked to develop this PEPLC and to share with the others my experiences and learning from my MPE and MED programs, while simultaneously learning from the others in the PEPLC. I believe that others see in me a leader in the PE community dedicated to improving my own and my colleagues teaching practices through constant relevant professional development topics. Within my organization, the vision statement for the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) is "to provide high quality education to every student every day”, while the mission statement for my school says "Millwood Elementary School (MES), a safe, caring community based on holistic learning environment, is committed to empowering lifelong learners to develop their full potential as proactive, respectful and responsible contributors to society by optimizing all resources and providing diverse, challenging learning experiences." I believe that my approach to both my learning, personal growth and journey along with my teaching practice speak to both the HRCE vision and the MES mission statements. Sources: Berg, S. (2018). "Moral Purpose", Chapters 1&2 Presentation in EDUC 533. From Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a Culture of Change. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Lindqvist, Nordänger, and Carlsson (2014). Teacher attrition the first five years – A multifaceted image. ScienceDirect, 40, 94-107. doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2014.02.005
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