Wrestling with The Wolf
If I was to pick a motto, I might borrow one from an infamous scene in Pulp Fiction. It's the one in which Jules and Vincent need help out of a morbidly messy situation. A man pulls up to the curb, rings the doorbell and says "I am Winston Wolf. I solve problems."
I like to think of myself as a helper, a fixer, a puzzle master, a "solutions gal." Who doesn't find it immensely satisfying to quickly dispatch of an obstacle in the way of a school community? When faced with a challenge at work I find myself subconsciously asking myself only one question.
"How do I most quickly get to a solution?"
Sometimes, that strategy serves my school well. Doggedly pursing a tidy, concrete plan can look good and feel good. But here's the rub. The real challenges my school faces do not come with quick, objective solutions. In fact, sometimes they have no solution at all. They are sticky, complicated and sometimes uncomfortable problems.
At best, I get impatient with these types of challenges. "I don't have time to find the resources to solve that problem." At worst, I get cynical. "Can't be done, so why bother trying?"
Both these responses come from a place of fear. Fear that I will fail, or be seen as a failure. But avoiding or dismissing challenges because they are messy or complicated means avoiding the important work that must be done to serve faculty, students and the school community. If I don't wrestle with the big questions, how can I expect faculty to?
So, this year I am doing my best to cultivate a mindset that values the process and not just the solution. Because differentiating instruction is a constant and sometimes exhausting process. Building a community of character means being your best self everyday. And developing innovative learning experiences means you must be a persistent and curious learner yourself. These are not obstacles to leap over or boxes to check, they are part of an on-going journey.
So this year, instead of "How do I most quickly get to a solution?" I will try and ask myself "What path should I step on to? And how can I get others on to join me on that path?"
I hope "The Wolf" approves.
I like to think of myself as a helper, a fixer, a puzzle master, a "solutions gal." Who doesn't find it immensely satisfying to quickly dispatch of an obstacle in the way of a school community? When faced with a challenge at work I find myself subconsciously asking myself only one question.
"How do I most quickly get to a solution?"
Sometimes, that strategy serves my school well. Doggedly pursing a tidy, concrete plan can look good and feel good. But here's the rub. The real challenges my school faces do not come with quick, objective solutions. In fact, sometimes they have no solution at all. They are sticky, complicated and sometimes uncomfortable problems.
Both these responses come from a place of fear. Fear that I will fail, or be seen as a failure. But avoiding or dismissing challenges because they are messy or complicated means avoiding the important work that must be done to serve faculty, students and the school community. If I don't wrestle with the big questions, how can I expect faculty to?
So, this year I am doing my best to cultivate a mindset that values the process and not just the solution. Because differentiating instruction is a constant and sometimes exhausting process. Building a community of character means being your best self everyday. And developing innovative learning experiences means you must be a persistent and curious learner yourself. These are not obstacles to leap over or boxes to check, they are part of an on-going journey.
So this year, instead of "How do I most quickly get to a solution?" I will try and ask myself "What path should I step on to? And how can I get others on to join me on that path?"
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