So how are you all doing? Everyone has been in school for almost a month now (or more)-- the excitement of the first day, meeting your students for the first time, discovering that your students are not quiet at all as they were for the first, oh, say 20 minutes-- you are now all "in the thick of it."
A couple of people have told me they felt as if they were "tossed into the deep end of the pool," and I hope they will not mind me borrowing this metaphor for a moment. They're right-- starting to teach (particularly as an intern) IS like being thrown into the deep end when you don't really know how to swim. Keeping your head above water is a major goal at first, and I'm sure that many of you feel like this is where you are right now. Some of you may feel like you are making small paddling motions and might feel further along than you were 2 weeks ago. If you keep paddling like this, eventually you'll find a passing doggie paddle that will probably move you up and down the pool, and you won't feel like you're drowning any more.
So what do you do with the coach who is encouraging you to try a new stroke from the side of the pool? What do you do with the coach who emphasizes you PLANNING how you will execute this new (and probably more efficient) stroke? Will you stop, take some time to learn a more efficient stroke, or ignore the coach on the side of the pool, telling yourself, "This is working for me just fine right now-- and it's better than it was when I first got in the water!"
Returning to "Mastery," we have the character of the hacker-- doggie paddle is better than drowning, to be sure, and you're getting your feel for the water-- but the true commitment to mastery comes once you have figured out enough basics to "manage." We will all hit plateaus in our teaching and learning, but what will you do to ensure that you do not relax into homeostasis? Your students need an Olympic swimmer, and while you may not be that Olympic swimmer today, is your commitment to developing strong and efficient strokes or is it to just paddle up and down the pool?
To quote George Leonard, "The questions are: How do you deal with homeostasis? How do you make change for the better? How do you make it last?" (p. 112) Where you are at the moment is a difficult, challenging, overwhelming place. Being able to hold your head above water feels like a major achievement--it is, but how will you make sure that your next step is a change for the better and then again, and again, until continual change and improvement IS the practice? It may seem overwhelming to try to have a long-term view at this moment, but this is a very important place in your career. Beginning practices can become lasting. What will be your commitment to your time in the water?
