Happy Friday Everyone!
This past Monday, the BCPS teachers and administrators attended a professional development day put on by ESU 8. A key takeaway from the day's learning for me was to avoid describing yourself by beginning the description with "I'm just a...". Many of us have said "I'm just a teacher.", "I'm just a custodian.", I'm just a farmer.", "I'm just a secretary.", "I'm just a small business owner.", "I'm just a freshman." etc. When we begin with "I'm just a...", we are downplaying ourselves. We are portraying that we are less significant or not important. This is definitely not the perception we want to give, but I believe it is common because we don't want to appear arrogant or toot our own horns. What we really should say is "I'm a teacher who cares for all students and works relentlessly to instill a love for learning within them". "I'm a custodian who keeps facilities sanitized and clean so students have a clean learning environment." "I'm a farmer who is a steward of the land and feeds the world." "I'm a secretary who is the first contact for my company and keeps everything organized." "I'm a small business owner who provides a valuable service to the community and surrounding area." "I'm a freshman who is a contributing member to the success of our school." We are all in this together and we don't need anyone to see their role in our success as insignificant and describe it with "I'm just a...". Let it be known that we all add value, we all play a significant role, and we all deserve better than "I'm just a...".
Happy Friday!!