It seems so fitting that we would be asked to blog about taking ourselves to the edge this week. My husband and I made an impromptu trip to Chicago, IL. last week during my Spring Break. The picture above shows us as the Sky Deck of the Willis Tower, the worlds tallest structure! We have definitely taken ourselves to the edge physically, from stepping into a glass box over 1,300 feet above ground, or hiking to the top of Cloud Peak at 13,167 feet!
Now, what does that look like for our jobs as teachers? This week, we have been asked to "take ourselves to the edge" and explain what that is like in our professions. We have been asked to answer the following questions:
We usually think of "going to the edge" in terms of athletic endeavors. How might this concept apply to your job? Personally, I think of taking my students work outside of the school. I want to provide them with audiences that will make them really think about the work they are creating. I would really like to push it even further and provide an opportunity for this outside audience to reflect of the student work that they are seeing - ask questions, provide feedback… I think this experience would be very beneficial for my students.
What I gain even if my efforts fall short: I think that even when I fall short, I learn valuable lessons about myself and my students. When this happens, and it does and it will, I think it is important to push through it. Reflect on what went wrong and how I can change it the next time I tackle something similar. I also share these shortcomings with my students - any time I make a mistake, I make sure my students know it. I then have the opportunity to show my students how I can work through it to turn my mistake into something great (or start over with something new if that what it takes)! This is a valuable real-world lesson that students will need to learn sooner or later (if they haven’t already) and schools have to be a place where they feel comfortable to try and experiment.
Do you think that you always need to take yourself to your edge? I do not think we always need to push ourselves to the edge. I feel like there are times when doing the “safe” thing works and I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing. I think when we get into a rut of doing the same “safe” things over and over and over again, is where we can come into some trouble, for both ourselves and our students.
Are there times when "good enough" really is good enough? I have certainly been there; I have thought “this is as good as it’s going to get...I’m done.” however I do try to push myself and my students to go beyond that “good enough” point. There are many aspects working against us at times for this to happen perfectly every time, however. We do not have time on our side. We have a certain amount of material to cover in an already too short amount of time, and it can be very difficult to manage that. Even saying that now, I know I have allowed more time for some projects and had to cut others short because I wanted students (and myself) push it a little bit more! Money and materials is another thing that can definitely hinder moving beyond “good enough”. I have had to tell students on multiple occasions that they cannot do something because we didn't have the materials or the means to purchase them. It is definitely a tough situation to work through, however I feel that it is a great lesson for students to understand as well. They are then challenged to find something within the art room, the school, their homes or the community that they could use to make their ideas work - it is an awesome challenge for them and can be very rewarding when they succeed!
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