We did an exercise this week in getting to the basics of our core values. We started with a list of 20, or so, words that might represent our core values in education. We were then asked to choose 5 of those, then reduce to 4, 3, and finally to two. This was a tough exercise as it made us truly think about what our most important values in life, and education, actually are.
I came up with "happiness" and "authenticity". I chose happiness because I believe if people are happy, they will perform better, learn more, and treat people with respect and dignity. Authenticity, to me, means sticking to your values and beliefs even through the harshest of environments and situations.
Taking this forward into my professional career will be of utmost importance, for if you cannot stick to your core values, what do you have left to fall back on? Many decisions will have to be made, both big and small, over my career in athletic leadership, and I will need to rely on my moral compass to guide me through difficult positions. With people relying on your judgment, it is important to be consistent in your ideas and your values.
In this week's class we also delved into the world of critical reading and writing. We did numerous assignments that utilized our writing skills and our abilities to obtain the true meaning of text. In the book "How to Read a Paragraph" by Richard Paul and Linda Elder, there was a particular graph that was useful, and will continue to be as I move forward in continuing education and work assignments. The graph was entitled "Analyzing the Logic of What We Are Reading". This graphic had 8 wedges and we highlighted a few to use as we analyzed readings. The ones we highlighted were, "The Author's Fundamental Purpose", "The Author's Point of View in Respect to the Issue", and "Assumptions the Author is Making in His or Her Reasoning". In reading anything in which you need to extract information, this is a good place to start taking it apart. This will carry through all of our classes, and ultimately help us gather necessary information in our internships and jobs.
