A friend recommended I read Seth Godin's the dip this morning. She was moved to make some personal fitness goals, and the snippets she shared about sounded just about right. So I found myself tucked into a comfy chair in my local bookstore devouring the little jewel.
I've been thinking all year about quitting teaching. In Godin's terms, it is a cul de sac, a dead end. Teaching is not going to get me where I want to be. Not going to take me where I want to go. And I know that eventually I will need to quit. But I want to quit at the right time and for the right reasons.
With the education system in turmoil, it is inevitable that a mass exodus of teachers is not far off. We as a profession are in a dip, and there is definitely some pay off for those that stick through this. Namely, experience and expertise as the few veterans who were innovative enough to shape the system coming out of the dip. I want to be one of those. But it is not enough for me. So I've started thinking about what I want for myself. What does my ideal career look like?
I want to be the best.
Godin makes the case that unless you're number one, you're nothing. And this is true. However, he also makes it clear that you need to correctly choose WHAT to be number one in. I already know I am not the number one English teacher. Nor do I strive to be. I don't have the unending love for literature that number one should, and I don't really care to increase my knowledge in this area except for what is necessary for teaching literature to high school juniors. I do the bare minimum to succeed at that level and I'm ok with that. However, the fact that I'm ok with being average is the number one reason I should quit, according to the dip. And I agree. BUT, I do want to be the best educator. I want to be an expert, I like being the expert, and in fact thrive on playing that role. I NEED to be number one. And education is my thing, so where do I fit? Where is the need?
I want to be a presence.
Not only do I want to influence my market, the district, the audience, the school, whatever it may be, I want to have an online presence that continues that influence on a broader plane. It strikes me as quite possible that my entire presence could exist online, with the push to increase 21st century skills in the classroom, which is rapidly moving online. But it can't be just there. The need to have tangible relationships, people who vouch for me and my expertise, requires daily interaction on a personal level too I think. And I need to have that too.
I want to continue my own education.
I thrive in the classroom, where not only can I be the expert, but where I can challenge the status quo (not hard to find or do in Idaho) and also take in the experiences and expertise of others in my field. I love hearing what new teachers are thinking, and adding to their knowledge and ideas based on what I know.
I recently spoke with two acquaintances going through the same grad program I completed a few years ago. Their ideas and passion and energy were incredibly invigorating. And they were begging to sit down with me so I could help flesh out their AR proposals.I felt alive. I felt like I was doing what I loved to do. I felt right.
So with those things in mind, I posed Godin's questions to myself:
Is this a dip, a cliff, or a cul de sac? Teaching is unquestionably a dead end. With a system in turmoil that refuses to change, there is no where for a teacher to go except to continue teaching. Increased education is not rewarded monetarily, with pay scales frozen across the country, and the opportunity for promotion doesn't even exist, unless you count the step up to Dept. Head, whose increased responsibility to order pens for everyone is a joke. TEACHING as a profession is a cul de sac. The broader market of education offers more opportunity, though that is far less familiar territory for myself. Needs more research.
If it's a cul de sac, how can I change it into a dip? My first thought is to change my practice. There are several ideas I have been experimenting with in my classroom, and others I've pondered incorporating. I was talking to another teacher friend about my ideas, and came to the conclusion that I could work myself out of a job. After reading the dip, I realize working myself out of a job could actually GET me a job at a higher level, exactly where I want to go, in this era of budget cuts and teacher lay offs. If I can show districts how they can cut costs (although at the expense of jobs)through new and innovative ways of disseminating information to students, I can basically guarantee myself a job as a consultant at the very least, and possibly more with foundations that increasingly invest in education.
What chance does this project have at being the best in the world? Well, if my world is Idaho, then I'd say it has a pretty damn good chance. My ideas is in line with systems that have been put in place over the last few years in the state anyway, but that have yet to be used at any rate. Using resources already in place to continue to cut costs and work towards increases in success? I'd say there is a REALLY good chance I could be the best. I also see the possibility to turn this into an independent venture in the future if I wanted to.
Are you avoiding the remarkable as a way of quitting without quitting? Absolutely. If I remain average, just as everyone else is remaining average, then there is no one to beat, and I continue to stay under the radar ensuring further mediocrity. All of which I hate.
I went for a run this morning. And as I ran down the hill (some of which I ran up, but not most of it) I realized THIS was how I wanted to feel every day of my life. Education is in a BIG dip, has been for a long time. If I put in the effort, and I don't start to feel that freedom that I felt running this morning, then I will get out. I will quit. But hopefully I make the impact I intend to first, and quit because I can, not because I have to.
Well, shit. I think I need to schedule a meeting with my boss.
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