I was listening to a podcast this week featuring Tim Ferriss, author of the Four Hour Workweek. Tim talked about our society’s need for the new – our focus on the latest and greatest, at the expense of everything that has come before. Listening to this podcast came on the heels of a conversation that I had with Trevor regarding the website, and the fact that we are nearing 300 posts. While we love posting new content here at Four O’Clock Faculty, I realized that there may be a great deal of valuable information in our past posts, and a great opportunity for me to reflect upon past posts.
So, today, I’d like to try something called Last Week, Last Month, Last Year. I will share previous posts and provide a short reflection on each. Here we go!
Last Week: First Gear
I have found that when introducing something new, it is important to go at a slow pace, to bring along those following at a comfortable pace. Too much change in a short amount of time can lead to people revolting against change, even when done for the right reasons.
Last Month: Genius is a Journey
Genius can come in many forms. It looks different sometimes. It might not come from the students that we would typically expect. It might come from the quiet student in the corner, and it might take all year to develop. Know that genius might not be readily apparent at first, but it might just be there anyway.
Last Year: When You Feel Like Indiana Jones
First of all, my kids still listen to this song in the car at least once a week. (Still purchasing CDs too!) We have now watched the movies several times as well, and I think that Indiana Jones has even more in common with educators. In 2016, we are all still facing too many trials and tribulations to count. But, it is even more important to… Hang on. Make sure that you are doing everything you can every day for every student, and that is all that matters.
I hope you were able to find something relevant to your own experiences in one of these posts or in my reflections. As always, thanks for reading and sharing, and helping me to become a better educator in the process.
Rich (@RACzyz)