On Welcoming Myopia

I've been reading a bit on integral leadership, most recently on the IL website. What resonated with me was the gist of several articles: the difficulty of  theorists' important, substantive work truly informing the every day work of leading. Probably, this caught my attention because I am struggling with my new role, which, ostensibly, requires quite a narrowing of my professional lens. I have a specific task : improvement in 8th graders' ELA scores.  Not that there are not other components to the job description, but, in this era of NCLB, assessment scores are king. Seems myopic. Fortunately, however, ELA is all about engaging students in reading and writing, which presents myriad instructional possibilities for creativity and challenge. In New York, I think we just need to change mental models--- drudgery and mind numbing skill books begone!

I've been reflecting about how my knowledge, experience, and skill can inform my practice.  I don't want to over think things, which can lead to paralysis, but I do want to incorporate what I have learned over the years-- about learning, about teaching, about people,  about leading, about cultivating relationships. It's exciting almost, and each day I become more comfortable thinking about the new role. As much as I'd like to compartmentalize my life-- I no longer try. (Sorry about that ridiculous "ize" verb.)  So, yes, of course, my posts end up intertwined. I am in the process of identifying professional attachments to shed in order to enter more fully into this new role. How Ignatian. Also a good example of learning through writing. Hhmm.