There’s no doubt in my mind, Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle and his philosophy behind ‘Starting with the why is one of the most genuinely powerful theories I have ever come across. Its simplicity and ease to understand, but complexity in its personalisation is nothing short of incredible. I have continued to use and model establishing a clear ‘why’ for over twelve months, revisiting it with people, discussing elements that may have changed as they continue on their journey, underpinned by strong modern learning practice. As the workload builds and the general busyness of school life begins to take over, how often do we really stop, take a minute and remind ourselves why we do what we do?
Just last week, I invited a staff to begin thinking and sharing their why. Using The Golden Circle and Sinek’s amazing TED Talk we began to explore people’s motivations and drivers. Some sat patiently listening and digesting the views of their peers; others launched into questioning why they got out of bed that morning, what they wanted to bring to their classroom, and what they wanted their students to aspire to. And quickly they fell into the ‘what’ trap: What they wanted as outcomes, what they believed their purpose and role was. Of course, they could see that the role of the educator has evolved away from the knowledge brokering sage on the stage and one of a guide on the side, but their underpinning elements still revolved around what they wanted their students to achieve. So we stopped. And, I asked them the question again, ‘Why do you get out of bed in the morning?’ I followed it up with, ‘Do you think the why has changed, and is that okay?’ The silence was breathtaking. A room of highly-skilled educators reflecting on why they chose to teach as a profession and then asking whether it was the same reason as they continued, some into their third decade. And it struck them. Like a firework that lights up a cold winter night… Our why can evolve!
Before we went to Waitangi, a group of us visited Russell Kororareka, ‘the hell hole of the Pacific’ (the catch phrase plastered all over the island) to take note of the settlement. The Māori settlement quickly gained notoriety when prostitution arrived in the area, together with the whaling trade and new settlers. Busby had originally planned to have the town of Victoria built, but these plans were later scrapped when the capital city was moved.
And therein lies the fundamental conundrum for the modern educator.
Gilbert and Bull (2015) remind us that if we want to create learner-responsive experiences, and also foster flexibility and ‘processing power’ so our young people can generate their own solutions, we also need to be ready to work in this way: … a future-oriented education system must be led by teachers who are adaptive, intellectual adults, not “consumers” of ideas, or followers of models and templates developed by others’ (p. 3).
And yet — what we must remind ourselves continually is that each and every one of these ideas is just a theory; an informed idea based on our own experiences and the experiences of others. But, because education — indeed, knowledge itself — is mutable and complex, we must hold these ideas lightly, understand that what worked today may not work tomorrow; what worked for one school or student may not work for us. The minute we become wedded to a certain idea, we fail to adapt to the urgent and changing needs in our community.