Rocking the Boat
Task Zero, Review
Most of the book supports my initial statement about leadership (as posted in my Twitter “In The Room” post), which is even followers are leaders. In the book, Meyerson gave us many examples of how tempered radicals are not always the most prominent and outspoken person on a team. As she explained the different ways tempered radicals can work within their constraints to affect some desired change, I recognized that I am, in many ways, a tempered radical. I wouldn’t describe myself as being rebellious, but there are times when I would act in such a way to show that I do not agree with a certain policy and there is a better way to approach it. I will not loudly voice my discontent, but will step back and think about the situation from all angles, confer with colleagues, and privately bring up the issue with the involved parties. As a teacher in CPS, I feel that some of the issues mentioned in the book are not as prevalent as in the corporate field. For example, as a young, Asian woman, I do not feel my age, ethnicity, and gender plays a part in my progression and growth as a teacher. I understand that we are not “color blind,” but at least at my school, we have a very diverse teaching staff and I believe it does create a unique dynamic in the workplace. However, there are some issues that arise when having such a diverse group of people; and sometimes people can be very vocal about their discontent. I feel THEY need to read this book to see that their actions will not necessarily get them what they want. Instead, if they want to “complain,” you have to be part of the solution not the problem. To me, this book contained rational, no-brainer moves all people should know to work in any field.
Task One, How am I different?
Meyerson focused on race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender as being the three main ways people are different. As mentioned earlier, I do not feel that these three areas differentiate me from my colleagues at school. As a teacher, I feel the areas that differentiate teachers from each other are their years of teaching experience and in the case of secondary education, which subject area you teach. As I look back to my first few years of teaching, I found that my lack of experience was viewed differently by my colleagues. For example, with some teachers, they saw themselves as mentors because they had more experience in the classroom. I appreciated how helpful they were with sharing best practices and general tricks for getting through the school year. In working with my department team, they were excited to have a “newbie” on the team because I was eager to try new things and bring in new lessons to their existing curriculum. However, on the flipside, some people were hesitant to “trust” me because of my lack of experience. This was evident when my administrator was hesitant to allow a student observer from a local teacher preparation program because I only had a few years of teaching under my belt. After being at the same school for 6 years, I recognize that the staff has created a welcoming environment for new teachers by checking in periodically, inviting them out for social gatherings, and collaborating on lessons and culture and climate aspects. Although we have a very diverse staff, we all respect each other as people and educators and it allows us to work more efficiently and effectively towards the same goal, to make sure our students are successful after high school.
Task Two, Becoming a Tempered Radical
Although I feel that I identify with most of the places along the tempered radical continuum, the chapter that spoke to me the most was Broadening the Impact through Negotiation. I do not see myself moving in any particular direction along the spectrum in the near future based on the current working environment I am in and the career goals I have. I found that the lessons in the Chapter 5: Broadening the Impact through Negotiation to be good tips for working effectively with people with differing views. Usually when a new “mandate” is communicated to us from the Network or administration, many teachers are quick to voice their disdain, but I typically will not have an immediate response. Meyerson suggests stepping back, looking inward, and taking stock of other person’s interests. By not giving an immediate reaction to a situation, others cannot categorize you as being for or against something and, therefore, cannot judge your actions as having some purpose or agenda. When I hear colleagues voice their opinion, I will either be supportive of the person based on their stance, which can be prejudicial because I might not listen to a valid argument or suggestion if it goes against my choice. To combat ineffective “discussions” among those with differing opinions, I think establishing “norms” is helpful to allow everyone a chance to express their opinions.
Task Three, Facing challenges
Meyerson identifies the 4 areas of challenges for tempered radicals: the difficulties of ambivalence, the incremental lures of co-optation, potential damage to their reputation, and frustration and burnout. The most prominent challenge I face is the incremental lures of co-optation. As someone who doesn’t voice their opinion openly to most people, others feel comfortable with sharing their opinion with me. That can usually lead to me agreeing with them or just going along with them because I do not want to be too radical or rebellious. For example, if there is an afterschool event the administrator asked teachers to attend (but it is not mandatory), I will attend the event without complaining that we are not getting paid for our time there, etc. So although I would prefer not to stay for the event, I will do it because I see the value of the event for improving the culture and climate of the school, also, it is important that I am seen contributing positively to the school. In the end, only a small percentage (and usually the same people) attend and participate in the event. The danger in continuing to act in this way is that I can be taken advantage of and will feel unappreciated. In the future, I’d like to offer suggestions to the administration for making long working days more palatable and increase participation among the staff. Some of the suggestions I will use from the other chapters include designing small wins for feedback and learning (asking for small changes) and using third parties (other colleagues).
Most of the book supports my initial statement about leadership (as posted in my Twitter “In The Room” post), which is even followers are leaders. In the book, Meyerson gave us many examples of how tempered radicals are not always the most prominent and outspoken person on a team. As she explained the different ways tempered radicals can work within their constraints to affect some desired change, I recognized that I am, in many ways, a tempered radical. I wouldn’t describe myself as being rebellious, but there are times when I would act in such a way to show that I do not agree with a certain policy and there is a better way to approach it. I will not loudly voice my discontent, but will step back and think about the situation from all angles, confer with colleagues, and privately bring up the issue with the involved parties. As a teacher in CPS, I feel that some of the issues mentioned in the book are not as prevalent as in the corporate field. For example, as a young, Asian woman, I do not feel my age, ethnicity, and gender plays a part in my progression and growth as a teacher. I understand that we are not “color blind,” but at least at my school, we have a very diverse teaching staff and I believe it does create a unique dynamic in the workplace. However, there are some issues that arise when having such a diverse group of people; and sometimes people can be very vocal about their discontent. I feel THEY need to read this book to see that their actions will not necessarily get them what they want. Instead, if they want to “complain,” you have to be part of the solution not the problem. To me, this book contained rational, no-brainer moves all people should know to work in any field.
Task One, How am I different?
Meyerson focused on race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender as being the three main ways people are different. As mentioned earlier, I do not feel that these three areas differentiate me from my colleagues at school. As a teacher, I feel the areas that differentiate teachers from each other are their years of teaching experience and in the case of secondary education, which subject area you teach. As I look back to my first few years of teaching, I found that my lack of experience was viewed differently by my colleagues. For example, with some teachers, they saw themselves as mentors because they had more experience in the classroom. I appreciated how helpful they were with sharing best practices and general tricks for getting through the school year. In working with my department team, they were excited to have a “newbie” on the team because I was eager to try new things and bring in new lessons to their existing curriculum. However, on the flipside, some people were hesitant to “trust” me because of my lack of experience. This was evident when my administrator was hesitant to allow a student observer from a local teacher preparation program because I only had a few years of teaching under my belt. After being at the same school for 6 years, I recognize that the staff has created a welcoming environment for new teachers by checking in periodically, inviting them out for social gatherings, and collaborating on lessons and culture and climate aspects. Although we have a very diverse staff, we all respect each other as people and educators and it allows us to work more efficiently and effectively towards the same goal, to make sure our students are successful after high school.
Task Two, Becoming a Tempered Radical
Although I feel that I identify with most of the places along the tempered radical continuum, the chapter that spoke to me the most was Broadening the Impact through Negotiation. I do not see myself moving in any particular direction along the spectrum in the near future based on the current working environment I am in and the career goals I have. I found that the lessons in the Chapter 5: Broadening the Impact through Negotiation to be good tips for working effectively with people with differing views. Usually when a new “mandate” is communicated to us from the Network or administration, many teachers are quick to voice their disdain, but I typically will not have an immediate response. Meyerson suggests stepping back, looking inward, and taking stock of other person’s interests. By not giving an immediate reaction to a situation, others cannot categorize you as being for or against something and, therefore, cannot judge your actions as having some purpose or agenda. When I hear colleagues voice their opinion, I will either be supportive of the person based on their stance, which can be prejudicial because I might not listen to a valid argument or suggestion if it goes against my choice. To combat ineffective “discussions” among those with differing opinions, I think establishing “norms” is helpful to allow everyone a chance to express their opinions.
Task Three, Facing challenges
Meyerson identifies the 4 areas of challenges for tempered radicals: the difficulties of ambivalence, the incremental lures of co-optation, potential damage to their reputation, and frustration and burnout. The most prominent challenge I face is the incremental lures of co-optation. As someone who doesn’t voice their opinion openly to most people, others feel comfortable with sharing their opinion with me. That can usually lead to me agreeing with them or just going along with them because I do not want to be too radical or rebellious. For example, if there is an afterschool event the administrator asked teachers to attend (but it is not mandatory), I will attend the event without complaining that we are not getting paid for our time there, etc. So although I would prefer not to stay for the event, I will do it because I see the value of the event for improving the culture and climate of the school, also, it is important that I am seen contributing positively to the school. In the end, only a small percentage (and usually the same people) attend and participate in the event. The danger in continuing to act in this way is that I can be taken advantage of and will feel unappreciated. In the future, I’d like to offer suggestions to the administration for making long working days more palatable and increase participation among the staff. Some of the suggestions I will use from the other chapters include designing small wins for feedback and learning (asking for small changes) and using third parties (other colleagues).
Setting Goals: Instrumental and Missional Thinking
After reflecting on Stanley Katz’s article, I realize my goals are actually tools. I want to integrate more technology into my classroom, but what is the goal associated with using more technology? Before starting the MSU Urban STEM fellowship, I thought I had to integrate more technology in order to be a more STEM focused class, thinking student learning would improve just because I was using more technology. With the implementation of my ImagineIT project, I have just now started to realize what my goal is...and what tools I will use to reach that goal. My long-term goal in science teaching is to have my students act and think like scientists and to work with my colleagues to ensure they are challenged similarity in other science classes. I envision students having more opportunities to question, explore, and apply scientific concepts. Of course, this shift in science teaching lends itself to the integration of more technology. My short-term goal is to improve student learning through collaboration, one aspect of thinking and acting like a scientist. During this school year, I will foster collaboration by having students work on group lab reports instead of turning in individual labs. I will also use this opportunity to have students work on creating lab reports in Google Docs and using tools to include data tables and graphs. I’ve always wanted my students to turn in word processed assignments, but I quickly learned that many students are not as proficient with Office products as I assumed. So instead, I will have students work collaboratively on their lab report through a shared Google Doc and that will also give me an opportunity to provide immediate feedback and show students how to use the tools available through Google. I will work with my department team to modify our current lab activities to include more challenging questions to encourage discussion and foster collaboration within lab groups.