Critical Thinking… Or Critically Thinking… Is there a difference?

The prompt for Seminar 9: Critical Thinking asks that we reflect on what someone may learn about us if they reviewed our work in this seminar… That’s an interesting question. Ironically, I find lately that I’m “critically thinking” about most things related to my work, not often sure I’m finding the right path forward. It’s been a difficult road the last few weeks… My administrative team and I spent most of the summer trying to package new materials, resources, technologies, state mandates, and other “changes” into their simplest form possible… hoping not to overwhelm or underwhelm. We recognize the daunting work responsibilities that lie before good teachers (emphasis on good teachers added), but we’ve also reached a complex crossroads. Burnout, frustration, and a feeling of being underappreciated, seems to have permeated deep into many of our teachers today (and I’m not referring only to my staff). Education has certainly changed. We are asked to do more for students… in some cases, we are being asked to educate children… and raise them too. Societal problems lay at the base of this mountain. Innovation, growth mindset, and creativity are becoming harder and harder to find… Maybe I’m to blame. We try awfully hard to be the filter that traps the many things that affect a teacher’s ability to teach… but it’s becoming harder and harder to successfully manage that filtration. I’m trying to embrace the concept of less is more from Chapter 10, but becoming hyper-focused on what constitutes the less for all things is an overwhelming quandary. I am continually trying to shift the focus in order to remain in focus… I need to get better at most things associated with this seminar.