“Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence.” – Unknown
When I read this quote this morning, it got me thinking about the unprofessional/unethical behavior we’ve been reading about in Atlanta and other school districts across the country. I am probably old fashioned in my belief that teachers need to be not only models of learning as they teach, but also models of great citizenship. Some disagree. Regardless of your vision of what an excellent teacher should be, every student who leaves our classroom, ever score that they receive, every minute they spend in our classes is a representation of us. Our expectations, our preparedness, our professionalism, our collegial relationships and our teaching quality are all directly related to how we see ourselves.
My question to you is very simple: As we prepare for another school year, what work will you autograph and what will it say about you?