Ignoring the price tag of change

Seems like everybody's got a price,
I wonder how they sleep at night.
When the sale comes first,
And the truth comes second,…

Wanna make the ED CHANGE,
Forget about the Price Tag

Yes, I am quoting Jessie J’s song “Price Change” with a slight adjustment of my own. 

Recently, I have been reflecting on my own actions, words, and ideas and when I heard this song on the radio it became clear.  Over the last 4 months I have heard:

Change is glacial

Things can’t change over night

When you ask questions, you may offend someone

Is fighting the system worth it?

Some comments have discouraged me, while others have created a sense of empowerment.  I have seen, first hand, that some comments come with a “price tag” and Newton is definitely correct in saying “For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction”.  However, I am now “Forgetting about the price tag”.

By worrying about whether or not a comment might offend someone or if the fight is worth it, we might be inhibiting needed improvement.  For some, change is a criticism of tradition, but in reality, change could be an improvement of regular practice.  I disagree with change for the sake of change, however some may argue it is blatant ignorance to say the current education system in flawless in design.  Already, some have reported on the real 7 lessons of schooling.

Of course, there are many positive aspects to our education system and I am extremely proud to be a teacher, but does this imply that I should not question tradition?  Some educators are ruled by policy and law, but feel that their own ethics and morals come into question when they follow these rules.  Which one should “trump” the other?  Should a teacher be able to stand up with honour and a constructive virtue in the face of a policy, and say “Why do we allow this?”?  And if so, should he/she be able to do it without the fear of consequence or remorse?

Recently, I had a conversation with a colleague who stated

“We are people of hypocrisy; we teach students to critically think, to respectfully question authority, and truly be a confident and progressive student, then we turn around and become a follower of policy without ever thinking on our own.  Those who do inquire about the reasons are immediately conquered, sometimes, by the exact policy they are fighting in the first place!”

This is a powerful statement, if it is true.   My heart sank when he told me that.  Do you feel as you can challenge policies and be heard?  Are you scared of being repressed by means which are out of your control?

In my district, we do have avenues to follow which are set in place to allow teachers to offer feedback and critique.  I pray and hope these are offered to ALL teachers!

If you are scared of the “price tag” of change then consider the following statement.

Fear of repercussions may influence your actions; however the gratification of attempting to produce needed unquestionable change can never be stolen from you.

Do you feel offended?

"Just because you are offended doesn't mean you are right" - Ricky Gervais

When I heard what Ricky said it made me reflect on my own experiences.  I have been accused of offending people through what I have said or written about, and I have informed others that they have offended me.  When people say the words “you offended me”, I fear that some feel that that this a just argument and whatever was said or done should be taken back and be apologized for. 

If this is true, what if by being offended you have offended someone else.  Now who is right?  We need to start looking at why one feels offended or attacked by a statement or action.  When you read something and your first reaction is one of insult or disgust, I encourage you first ask yourself “Is what is being said true or false?”

If the statement or action is one that should not have been taken in the first place, you need to address the person directly.  I encourage the dialogue to not start with “You offended me when….”, but instead “I disagree with….. because …..”  This should create a dialogue, discussion or a debate between two people that could end up creating new ideas that neither person thought of.

If you agree with the statement or action and still feel offended, then you need to reflect on your actions and ideas.  I remember, when I first started teaching, a person in my staff room criticizing a certain aspect of teaching that I modeled daily.  Even though I agree with the criticism of the action, I felt truly attacked.  It was not until I realized that this person was not insulting me but the action, that I could truly embrace the needed change of my teaching style.  After some thought, I tweaked my pedagogy and noticed an improvement in my classes.

Debate and disagreement are not negative words.  If you put any two people in the same room together, there will always be something they disagree on.  Does this mean, one person is better than the other, or one person is more right than the other?  Not at all!

When I first created a twitter account and read the posts on #mathchat, #edchat, and #edreform I usually logged off with a sour taste in my mouth.  There were copious amounts of tweets that forced me to challenge what I would call “regular” teaching.  These tweets were not directed at me, but I still felt as if the people tweeting were purposely trying to offend the “traditional” teacher.  I decided to embrace these new ideas and truly can say I have never looked back since.

Here is what I have I learned:

·         A defense in an argument should never be “Well, you offended me so that means you need to stop saying what you are saying”.  Just because you are offended, doesn’t automatically discredit the statement or action.  We need to start having discussions with people that disagree with us, or else how do you ever hear from the other side of the argument?

·         If you offend someone, that doesn’t mean what you said was wrong.  Doesn’t mean it was right either.  Reflect on what you said and look at it from another perspective.