What kind of chicken are you?
[This blog post is a response to a TED Talk by Margaret Heffernan that can be viewed here.]
In my classroom, I have a poster that says “Ubuntu – I am because we are.” I was introduced to this South African phrase during high school softball, and that softball team was like a family to me because we cared about each other and were there for each other in the sport and in life. We motivated each other and collaborated as a team; we won and lost together at no fault of an individual. I firmly believe in teamwork and investing in people. In my classroom, my students know that we are a team. I am not me without my students and my colleagues, and my students and colleagues are not them without me. I believe that my students make deeper connections to academic content when they feel a connection to their classmates and teacher because you can’t learn from someone without mutual respect. Success is found where struggle meets collaboration. You don’t need to be superbly intelligent or creative, but rather have social connectedness and cohesion.
Margaret Heffernan (2015) stated, “What matters is the mortar, not just the bricks.” It’s not about the school; it’s about the people that are in the school. When you spend time with people and have true communication that forms bonds, that is more valuable than anything money can buy. Teachers are people. They need to take a break, have a laugh, and build trust and friendships. If teachers decide to worry about the pecking order instead of collaboration, they are not doing what is best for the students. Life should not be a competition. Heffernan (2015) remarked, “If the only way the most productive can be successful is by suppressing the productivity of the rest, then we badly need to find a better way to work and a richer way to live.” We are all in this game of life together, no one person more valuable than another, especially in the world of education. Just like how doing a good deed for someone makes you feel good in return, bringing out the best in others brings out our best selves.
There is no need for a superchicken model in teaching because we all want to see our students and colleagues succeed. Softball and teaching are not that different after all. It just takes a little Ubuntu and some average chickens.
References
Heffernan, M. (2015, May 15). Forget the Pecking Order at Work. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_why_it_s_time_to_forget_the_pecking_order _at_work/transcript
