This past spring when asked to figuratively pass the torch to a new cohort of districts beginning their personalized, competency-based learning journey, more than 200 Arizona educators who have been doing the work of centering learner needs, interests and passions for the past two years demonstrated just how far they’ve come. They wrote letters to the next group of educators beginning this work, and those letters blew me away.
“Don’t be afraid to try things outside of your comfort zone. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. Be all in.”
“Start small and celebrate every step forward. This work is going to be challenging – but understand that the resistance is usually stemming from fear of the unknown, and of failing. When your staff and students experience vulnerability, transparency and celebration of their efforts, you will see results.”
“Approach all the information you will be receiving with an open mind. Congratulations on being chosen for this opportunity – it seems like a lot, but don’t underestimate yourself or your students!”
“There will be a lot that makes you uncomfortable but just like our students learn through productive struggle, so do we! Keep an open mind, ask lots of questions and trying something is better than nothing! I’m proud of you and you’re got this!”
The letters that these educators wrote validated everything we’ve done. They wrote about embracing the change, building collective efficacy, having agency for their own learning and collaborating with peers – everything spoke to their authentic commitment to this work and what personalized, competency-based learning can do not just for their teaching practice, but for their students.
We often talk about a Portrait of a Learner, and the skills, qualities and dispositions that a diploma guarantees a graduate will have developed. These Arizona educators perfectly demonstrated what a Portrait of an Educator might look like: collaboration, communication with an emphasis on active listening, empathy for the perspectives and experiences of others, and curiosity to learn and explore relevant content. These educators were not compliant for the sake of compliance – they were all in.
“You are about to embark on a very emotional journey. In this journey you will have great growth that will impact your students. It will be challenging but will be very beneficial to your practice.”
“Our students deserve to be active participants of their education, and our teachers deserve the autonomy to do what is best for their students.”
“Big changes start with small but intentional shifts. Try to keep this mindset when it all seems overwhelming. The impact you will see on students will make this work of heart worthwhile.”
“Being the best educator you can be means always being a learner yourself. Embrace the process, question everything, but remember that you are already AN INSPIRATION!”
These are the kinds of sentiments we hope to see from educators deeply engaged in the work of transforming their classrooms and districts. They know it’s hard, but they also know that’s affirming of why so many of them wanted to be teachers in the first place: to provide the learners they serve with the experiences and opportunities that will open the door to a lifetime of possibilities.
