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Teach Like a PIRATE
Teach Like A Pirate
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Introduction and Chapter 1 - Passion
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Q1. I do think this resonates with me as it suits my personality but I think some teachers may be not so comfortable. Q2.~ Content, professional, personal passions~have you found that your content passion may change due to learning new strategies, information, and personal learning? I like the thought of LCL~I think this could connect you to the students and where the teaching is remembered by the student. This can have an everlasting effect. I didn't realise I had a personal passion that included dancing/movement & music until I reflected after reading this section. It's connected to my teaching but it's because of my past. I don't think they are hobbies as such. I'm trying to find a new hobby which I find difficult-work full time, usually studying, mother of 3 and wife.
Q3. As long as I keep speaking with other teachers/educators my passion stays. Admin distinguishes it sometimes but I try and surround myself with passionate, innovative educators.
Q1. I'm not sure that I agree with the pirate metaphor. I know the author is using the idea of a pirate in a way that is not about the reality of how pirates operate in our world but I wonder if we really do want teachers who do not care much about public perceptions and reject the status quo- often there are teaching techniques and strategies worth saving that are part of the status quo. I do agree we need teachers who are willing to take risks, try new things and will work with and see value in a 'diverse crew'. Q2. Sometimes it is really hard to feel passionate about a subject you need to teach. I think most teachers are able to find some part of the subject that they connect with or a way of presenting the information that helps the teacher to also engage students in the subject. Do we have to be passionate about everything we teach?- no, but if we aren't passionate and can't find a way to be interested then we have to be very careful not to let our students pick up on that- and that's tricky.
Q3. For me, maintaining the passion for teaching is hard and easy all at the same time. I love teaching- working with students, colleagues and parents. It is invigorating and exhausting all at the same time. This year in particular I am struggling to maintain my energy levels. My passion is fed by my Twitter PLN, my professional reading and conversations with colleagues, what my students need and ideas they bring to the classroom and school and conversations with our parents and ideas they have.
A1 to be honest I think it's the pirate metaphor that put me off reading this book initially. I don't like the idea of pirates or naturally see them in the same way Dave does, I see what he's trying to do but for me it just left me wondering what on earth it would look like and why I would want to.A2 That said, I was really pleasantly surprised by the first chapter. I did like the way Dave broke down the different passions and it seemed a very realistic way of describing the challenges of teaching. As a primary school teacher I don't feel like its possible for me to feel passionate about everything I teach, I recognise the value of it and see the importance of most of the content but definitely don't approach it all with the same amount of passion. I liked how he stressed the importance of using your professional passion and personal passion to show in those moments. I'm not sure I do that all the time but will certainly be aware of it more in the future. However, I don't want to be caught 'faking' as I really believe one of the most important things as an educators is authenticity, so my challenge will be finding passion in an authentic and real way.
A3 I think it can be hard to maintain passion as an educator, so often (especially in primary) school we spend our days in our own classroom without anyone to share the joys, the stories, the hilarity and ideas with. For me, connecting with other educators, asking questions, learning about new things and trying new things. Twitter has been invaluable for this. For me regular change helps as well, the longest I've stayed in a school is 4 yrs, I like a new challenge and the learning that foes with it. Fundamentally though my belief that education is the most important thing a person can have in terms of their life chances is what maintains my passion.
I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying the book, looking forward to reading more! Thanks for the great Qs Corinne!
Hi everyone.All the twitter comments about Teach Like A Pirate inspired me to download a copy and get reading. I thrive on new ideas, resources and inspiration so seems like a good fit for me to read. As far as passions go, I know that I am afar more effective teacher when I love what I am teaching. I find it so much easier to be inspired and creative when I am teaching what I love or enjoy or am interested in myself. I like the quote from the book about encouraging the individuality of teachers. I teach in a level 5/6 where there are 5 classes and there is a strong push to all be doing the same. This is understandable to a point but I think it is vital that we allow individual teachers to out their own stamp on what they teach and how they teach it - that way our passions can come to the fore and we can support each other. I guess one of my biggest passions is learning and I really only discovered this relatively late in my teaching career! 10 years at home with my family, back into the workforce and studying for a Masters - sounds full on but I was astonished by how much I loved it. It took me to many surprising and unexpected places and now that I have completed it, I am definitely missing it. I love learning about non-educational things as well, hence my addiction to Masterchef and all things baking! How to keep up your energy for what you love, make time for it!
Thanks Corinne for tweeting this out - another group of people to learn from and with!
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Q1 initially I didn't like the pirate metaphor because it makes me think of real, contemporary pirates, not the Disney ones that I think Burgess is referring to. However I do agree that we need to be continually thinking out of the box and innovating, not just doing things in a particular way because that's how it's always been done.
Q2 As a primary school teacher it's nearly impossible to be passionate about every thing I teach, but I do understand the importance of everything I teach, so that helps - I suppose that helps me channel my professional passion when the content passion isn't there.
Q3 After 20 years it is really hard to maintain content passion at times. I am getting to a point where I feel 'not this again'. What keeps me going is my passion for student learning and my passion for continually finding new and better ways to engage students. In my early years it was all about teaching content, but now I'm more fired up about teaching students to be life long learners, helping them to become reflective, set goals and discover their own agency. I'm trying strategies like Daily 5, project based learning and genius hour to put my students in the driver's seat. So I guess while I'm less enthused by some of the content, I'm more and more enthused by the pedagogy. It's endlessly fascinating and continually rewarding.
I've really enjoyed reading all your comments. One thing that appears constant-primary school teachers teach so many subjects, it's hard to be passionate about all. Unlike high school teachers who choose theirs. Also, interesting about LCL. My initial school only taught with lifelong learners in mind. So it's been interesting to see teachers who focus on short term gains. I understand why they do but I can't change my philosophy because of outside pressure. Thanks so much for your contributions so far. Keep them coming...
Hi Everybody!Thanks so much for taking the time to both read Teach Like a PIRATE and to comment in the discussion group. I really appreciate it. I look forward to peeking in and following your thoughts on the book.
As for the pirate metaphor, as mentioned in the intro, I have no fondness for the reality of what pirates do! It solely refers to the spirit of a pirate as being one who is comfortable taking risks, heading off into uncharted waters, and not being overly concerned with maintaining a way of life (or teaching!) that is conventional. Of course, it also serves as the acronym for the system and provides us the "hook" metaphor!
Passion: I really feel one of the most transformative revelations I've had as a teacher is when I realized it was ok to not love and be passionate about everything I teach, as long as I could always love and stay passionate about being a teacher. Those professional passions are like a safe harbor during the many storms we encounter along the way. In addition, the search for how to add LCL's to my lessons has really rejuvenated me and is one of my ongoing areas of focus.
Thanks again for all of your thoughts and comments!
I think the pirate metaphor is one of those "hooks" that grabs our attention! It definitely got my attention on Twitter and I knew I had to find out what it is all about. I am definitely not passionate about all subjects everyday, but I am passionate about the profession. It was a nice reminder to think about finding new ways to become passionate about subjects like grammar that I have come to dislike teaching. I just need to work harder and finding ways to engage my students and myself. Pinterest is a good place to start.
Q1 I am not a fan of the pirate metaphor. I keep thinking of Johnny Depp and frankly, it is a little distracting. However, I like the idea of the analogy of controlled risk taking for both myself as a teacher and as a goal for my students.Q2 I am a high school science teacher and I am passionate about Science but not about geology. Rocks bore me to tears. I used to struggle with any unit of work that involved geology. Which brings me to Q3 ...
Q3 I am passionate about learning and when I focus on this fact I can teach anything. I have found ways to teach geology that focus on fun learning activities that I can be passionate about rather than focus on dull old rocks! It is my mindset that creates the passion, by changing the way I thought about it, I became more passionate about the material. I think this is the secret to passionate teachers - they are in essence passionate learners. I loved the questions that Dave asked in this chapter and I really enjoyed answering them, I think I am going to print the answers up and add them my inspiration wall on my desk, to remind me of my passions on a daily basis.
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Q4 - what's the mix of content passion, professional passion and personal passion you bring to your work?
Q5 - (from Andrea Stringer) Have you found that your content pasion may change due to learning new strategies, information and personal learning?
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Thanks so much for taking the time to both read Teach Like a PIRATE and to comment in the discussion group. I really appreciate it. I look forward to peeking in and following your tho..."
Hi Dave, thanks for joining the discussion. It's great to have your insights. Taking risks and heading off into uncharted waters is something I'm doing more and more in my career, but in my early years I wasn't at all comfortable with that. I wonder if it has something to do with gaining experience and feeling confident in your ability to steer the ship no matter where you end up.
Q1: The pirate metaphor cracks me up. Then again, I am a middle years educator at heart. If I didn't like pop culture and drama, I wouldn't survive. Also, I find the pirate imagery quite evocative in the context of the US where Dave is working. It's a very "guy" image of swaggery swashbucklery defiance of established hierarchies and systems. If you're going up against NCLB and the Race to the Top, you have to think bold and subversive. As a dual US/Canadian citizen, I get it. But, it's not a hugely relevant in the Canadian prairies where I now live. All I can think of is the Arrogant Worms' song, "The Last Saskatchewan Pirate".Q2: Passion. If I can't get excited about something and show how and why it's meaningful, why should kids care? Ultimately, I can teach until I'm blue in the face, but students will only learn if they can grab the material and make it their own. That takes passion on their part... and many of them may need to borrow some from a teacher until they find their own hooks into the material.
Q3: I spent the first 2 decades of my professional life working to support international sustainable development networks and partnerships. A good chunk of that work towards the end involved backstopping incredible young people who were out to make the world a better place. Working with them sustains my passions... which I am now bringing with me to the world of formal education. Over the next 5 years, I hope to establish a grade 7/8 sustainable development program for the province of MB as a way of providing a framework for passionate teachers and students here to make a difference in the world.
Q1. I like the pirate metaphor... just as long as no one is expecting me to dress up like a pirate in Maths class!Q2. I think we need to be real with the students. I believe that we need to be passionate about learning in and of itself. Sometimes, the bit that we have to learn may not be that exciting, but the process of learning always is!
Q3. One of the ways I keep my passion for teaching is to stay in touch with passionate educators! This is the only way I manage to stay positive.
Q4. I am lucky, in that I am a high school teacher, and I am teaching in my KLA, mathematics, which is something I love to play with and something I love to teach. I am also passionate about teaching. I am aware that some of my personal passion sneaks into my classroom, and I think this is an area I need to explore more and implement more deliberately.
Q4: Content: As a high school teacher, I am already working in the subject area I am passionate about. But within the realm of Science, I have a particular fondness for Chemistry. I love that the content can be very abstract, and when taught in the right way can help students to develop higher order thinking skills. Professional: Equity. I strongly believe that every child has a right to a quality education. I am passionate about public education that is of a high quality and free to all. Personal: learning, reading and writing are my passions. The latter is relatively new. I like to discover and try new things because it reminds me what it feels like to be the novice in the room.Q5: i definitely think that my passion for teaching and content changes. For example, I have recently incorporated a new approach to encouraging higher order thinking and developing students writing skills. It has reinvigorated my enthusiasm for the material I teach, as well as kick starting my personal interest in writing.
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I have a few questions for you which we'll discuss over the next couple of days. Please let us know which question you are answering in the thread by either quoting or using the question number.
Q1: After reading the introduction to the book, what do you think of the pirate metaphor? Is it a good framework for the type of qualities teachers need to bring to their work?
Q2: Passion. Do you agree that teachers need to feel passion for every thing they teach?
Q3: How do you maintain your passion for teaching day in and day out, year after year - what drives you as an educator?
Tomorrow I'll be posting some more questions for discussion focusing specifically on content passion, professional passion and personal passion and how they relate to your work as a teacher.