We’ve been talking a lot at my school lately about “purpose” and “engagement.” A learner might be engaged in a task busily completing the directions of the assignment, but their engagement level increases significantly to a higher level of comprehension, problem solving, and making deep connections if they also know the purpose of the task. As teachers, we’ve been challenging ourselves through simple practices to help learners discover the purpose behind a learning target.
This is true for us as adults as well. As an administrator I have learned that the purpose of an expectation or protocol is not established (with true roots) simply because I explain or introduce the purpose at a faculty meeting or in the staff notes, even if I think I explain it well. Rather teachers have to come to know it in a personal way and discover its purpose.
For example, for public schools the State of Michigan has implemented the 3rd Grade Reading Law which has led to quite a makeover of how we address (and document how we’re addressing) the needs of struggling readers. It takes time, something no one has much of...The goal is the power of collaboration and collective efforts in this process which is the key to student success. However, I can’t wave a magic wand and make all understand that purpose.
I work closely with my leadership team to provide authentic opportunities for everyone to encounter and discover its purpose in a meaningful way. Because it is law and does not come from within, many mindsets get stuck at the compliance end of the documentation.
The demands of education have changed and there is very little patience left for compliance related tasks, even though these tasks are often an important part of the process. It is an underlying conversation or tension that crawls beneath each “change” introduced…even if everyone has a common understanding of the positive intention of that change…even if everyone is trying to embrace a growth mindset by taking risks and not being paralyzed by failure in the face of change.
This sense of discovery in purpose is not “one size fits all” or “one and done.” It is a layered process and takes time. We all have our own unique pace and so do our students. We also have an individual responsibility to chip away at the burdens of our temperaments and mindsets that might be a barrier to engaging in the greater purpose or we risk losing the “joy” that led us to our calling and vocation. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit and will be given endlessly if we practice the path of holiness through intentional growth in virtue. It’s not easy.
It is my goal to meet each educator where they are at and to invite them into the conversation over and over again because each voice is important. The same is true for teachers and their students. We need to meet our students where they are at in helping them understand the purpose behind the busy work they are engaged in. It takes a lot of work and heart to do this day after day. We have so many needs, but God is with us and ready to meet us where we are at.
In Day # 3 of his Surrender Novena, Fr. Dolindo teaches us a deeper purpose of the words our Lord Jesus Christ taught to us. How often do you say the Our Father with a heart of compliance versus a heart of purpose? This novena has deepened my sense of purpose when I pray this traditional prayer.
He writes: “Hallowed be thy Name,” that is, be glorified in my need.
“Thy kingdom come,” that is, let all that is in us and in the world be in accord with your kingdom.
“Thy will be done earth as it is in heaven,” that is, in our need, decide as you see fit for our temporal and eternal life.
If you say to me truly: “Thy will be done,” which is the same as saying, “You take care of it,” I will intervene with all my omnipotence, and I will resolve the most difficult situations.
For as long as I have said the Our Father, “Hallowed be thy Name” has always been a pretty fancy way of saying, “Hello great King and Father!” But now I have discovered greater purpose in this single line of of a prayer that I have recited since childhood. Now when I say, “Hallowed be thy name,” I also am saying, “Lord, I come to you in my need, those known to me and even unknown. Only you know my needs Lord and only You can save me. Through this act of humility, YOU ARE GLORIFIED.”
What more will the Lord make known when we humbly surrender to Him our needs, our anxieties, and our purpose?
