I look at the description of Millennials, and I see that in some of our newer teachers. They are really team-focused and generally upbeat. We are now working on taking a few of the stronger people and mentoring them for leadership roles within the schools. Hopefully, we can make them into long-term faculty at our school and they can become our future leaders.
I really enjoyed the Who Moved My Cheese video. It was fun matching up people I know and work with to the characters in the story. As I spent time with people today I found it hard not match them to one of the characters.
For the next couple of classes we need to be online early. I am looking forward to the lessons and wonder what could be in store. Talk to you all next week.
Mike, I enjoyed the 'Who Moved My Cheese' video as well. I had a similar experience as I now find myself placing people I have known in the past to the characters portrayed. Interesting that you see yourself as a Gen Xer. I am technically a Baby Boomer but I am closer in spirit to a Gen Xer.
ReplyDeleteMy parents were raised during the Great Depression and many of the values that were passed-on deal with working hard, saving, and a sense of community. During the Depression the only safety net was the community or extended families that kept each other from starving/freezing to death. Sacrifice for the greater good was big on the list. And, alms were given quietly to preserve human dignity.
I guess I feel like an anachronism. Born at the end of one generation and not really feeling part of the next. I shall call my hybrid generation 'Boom-Ex'. I think the Millenials have a lot to offer and there will always be a tension between generations. It sounds to me that your school has done an excellent job dovetailing all of them into a cohesive, functional system.
Hi Mike!
ReplyDeleteFellow Gen X'er here, Van Halen and Billy Squire are the BEST! Ok, so that's a little telling. They call it vintage rock now! What a hoot. That must mean I'm a vintage chick....sweet.
You know, your comment about some of the characteristics of the Millenials is really important, especially if you want to keep them and develop leadership skills in them. In the "happy" school environments up here (in our little rural schools) I hear teachers talking about their pods or teams. They meet frequently and do projects with the kids together. I can totally understand why a millenial would be unhappy in some of our schools. They are just simply too small to have teams that can accomplish much, and there are not many opportunities to work together because they are on survival mode. Doing everything they can to cover the basics. It's so hard to support new teachers in this kind of atmosphere. One of the things that many teachers crave is time to connect with other teachers in their grade or discipline. We give them that opportunity, between schools, once a year. That's it. I understand a little more about keeping and nurturing new teachers after reading this article and hearing your comments.
Thanks!
Mary
Thumbs up for the movie. I too am on the fringe of being a gen Xer and I was raised by uptight and very conservative parents. I don't think it is safe to be too generalizing about any group. We are also the sum of our individual environments and the interaction with them. Sound familiar? Providing work opportunities that meet peoples needs is a smart thing to do. It will result in better outcomes and teach students how to collaborate through example.
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