THE WAY OF THE TEACHER II....

There are many ways to look at the work of teachers.  It is popular today for school districts all over the country to adopt "rubrics" that describe teaching.  It is important also to recognize that each "rubric" presents a certain view of what teaching is supposed to be.  Even among all the so called "research based rubrics" there is no one view of mastery teaching. 

“Teaching is not rocket science. It is, in fact, far more complex and demanding work than rocket science.”  ( Richard Elmore )

In the 4 Fold Way- anthropologist  Dr. Angeles Arrien, looks at 4 universal archetypes that can provide us with what I believe to be a deeper vision of what teaching can be.

The four universal archetypes that Dr. Arrien writes about are: The Way of the Warrior or Leader; The Way of the Healer; The Way of the Visionary; and the Way of the Teacher.  Dr. Arrien states:

 “The four ways reflect a pervasive belief that life will be simple if we practice four basic principles: Show up or choose to be present, pay attention to what has heart and meaning, tell the truth without blame or judgment, and be open, rather than attached to outcome.” 

 I  have read that it takes approximately ten years, a decade of intense reflective work, to become an “expert” in anything.  The craft of teaching at a master’s level certainly meets this criterion.  Following a rubric, or any teacher evaluation instrument, will not take anyone toward mastery of the craft of teaching.  This requires a much different kind of work. Dr. Arrien’s  work  may take us to a very different view of what it is master teachers really do.

4 Universal Archetypes

The Way of the Warrior or Leader’s task is to show up and be present.  Teachers must learn the art of being present every day with the young people in our classrooms.  We must learn to show up, regardless of how we feel or what life experiences we are personally encountering. When we enter our classrooms, we must be able to leave our own baggage at the door and be ready to witness and serve the young people we are responsible for.  The Way of the Warrior also involves the proper use of power.  Dr. Arrien’s work describes three kinds of power that are found universally in all cultures. These powers are presence, communication, and the power of position.  Masters of the craft of teaching must learn to integrate and understand all three versions of power. Master teachers must cultivate the power of presence in their classrooms.   Every person has a presence and teachers that become masters at their craft cultivate and grow their presence.  They do this by treating every one of their students with a high degree of dignity and respect.  They treat all of their students, regardless of the way their students are acting or behaving, as sacred beings.  They refuse to embarrass or discourage any of their students, working diligently at protecting the connections in their classrooms.

Masters of the craft of teaching have also cultivated their ability to communicate.  They learn, over time, to use their words effectively.  They choose their words carefully and learn to use words and timing so that when they communicate directives, consequences, or desires, students are more likely to be open to the messages shared.  Master teachers also cultivate their ability to truly listen to their students and to hear “beneath” the simple surface behaviors. 

 Lastly, the master of the craft of teaching learns to demonstrate the power of their position by their willingness to take a stand.  Teachers make literally thousands of decisions a day, and this power of position allows us to clearly identify what is important. We use the position of power to protect young people we are responsible for, refusing to use our positional power to coerce others. We implement our positional power to form partnerships with our students and our students’ families, as well as the community that our school is embedded within.

 The Way of the Healer is an archetype that pays close attention to what has heart and meaning.  Cross-cultural healers have always recognized that the power of love is the strongest healing force available.  Masters of the craft of teaching become incredibly competent at noticing others.  They notice small changes in their students, including new sneakers, new sweaters, new hairstyles, as well as moods and dispositions.  These teachers recognize the weather their students bring into the classrooms.  The healer validates his students’ feelings, providing them with a felt sense that they are seen, known, valued, and loved.

 Dr. Arrien defines four universal healing tools that include:  singing, dancing, storytelling and story reading, as well as silent rituals.  This certainly matches up well with the latest research concerning how our brains learn best.  Often science has a way of catching up to our older wisdom ways. Stories are powerful healing tools and strategies. The brain thrives and learns deeply with presented patterns and experiences shared in contextual ways.  When we share and weave stories into our content, discipline measures, and ways of classroom engagement, our children and adolescents find relevancy and a personal meaning attached to the created stories.  

 The Way of the Visionary is to tell the truth without judgment or blame.  This leads one toward cultivating authenticity.  As educator and author Parker Palmer states, “We teach who we are.”  Masters of the craft of teaching become more and more authentic and comfortable with whom they are. As human beings, we create and nurture our authenticity, becoming passionate about bringing our personal visions into the world.  Masters of the craft of teaching have a vision of what great teaching and learning environments feel like, working to make that vision a reality in their classrooms.  They become proactive in their own learning rather than reactive to what is happening around them.  The Way of the Visionary also recognizes that each and every individual is unique. Masters of the craft of teaching know this and adapt their teaching styles and content to the unique learning profiles and needs of every student they touch. Although we as teachers teach groups of students, we must always remember that teaching is ultimately connecting with each unique mind and heart.  We do not teach groups. We teach individual, unique, young people. Masters of the craft of teaching know that there are no duplicate human beings and that we cannot standardize the human spirit without damaging or diminishing the spark of hope and creativity in each child or adolescent.

 The Way of the Visionary also recognizes two pathways exist, calling forth meaning for each individual student.  One pathway is external and seen.  This pathway can be quantifiable. It is the pathway of behaviors, spoken words, and seen interactions and communication. The second pathway is internal and sensed.  Currently schools spend very little, if any, time on the internal world of our students. Our students carry on in a world of their own, filled with private logic, biases, beliefs, customs and cultures. When we teach to the mind and attend to creating focused attention through mindful practices, we give our students the tools and resources to move within to their interior worlds.  Educational Neuroscience practices and strategies begin to balance this aspect of our teaching and learning processes. This pathway is qualitative.  The master in the craft of teaching gathers both kinds of data, quantitative and qualitative, to assist in modifying his practice as a teacher. The data gathered and the modifications designed with regard to instructional practices, assessment, and engagement center on the educator’s practices, not the students’ behaviors!

 Finally, The Way of the Visionary speaks to encouraging and assisting our students in finding their unique gifts and strengths.  Masters in the craft of teaching focus on student strengths rather than spending enormous amounts of time and effort trying to “fix” weaknesses.  The Way of the Visionary sees what cannot be seen just yet. We mirror back, to our students we serve, the strengths they possess. Master teachers help students remember and discover their purpose.

 The last of the Four Fold Ways is The Way of the Teacher.  The way of the teacher is to remain open to outcomes. The master in the craft of teaching learns that we cannot control the outcomes of what we teach, nor can we control what our students do with what they learn. 

 The master in the craft of teaching must become comfortable with states of not knowing, the mystery of how the perception and design are ingested in each young person’s mind and heart.  This “allowing” involves a great deal of trust from us, knowing that we have taught, led, and mentored our students to the best of our abilities. If we continue to reflect and grow our own skills, our students will model and remember their purpose and sense of self. They will flourish with time and a bit of space and patience. It is difficult not to want to control everything for the children we serve and teach.  Yet deep within, we must trust the unfolding process because the harder we try to “control” everything the less control we actually achieve.  Trust is a critical component of becoming a master in the craft of teaching.

The Four-Fold Way, adapted from the work of Dr. Arrien, takes us underneath the current story of teaching and learning. Its potential can lead us on a path to becoming masters in the craft of teaching through presence, openness to the outcomes, shared authenticity, and a desire to see and feel the inner pathway and world of each and every student.  The Way of The Teacher calls us to explore and examine our own lives, continually reflecting and improving our practices and dispositions—the wisdom cultivated—as we sit beside our students.  

Do feel free to respond and let me know what you think.  Teaching involves a complex  set of skills as well as an artistry.