EGO
There are a lot of egos in education. It doesn’t matter what kind of educator you are, paraprofessional, teacher, or administrator, there are many educators that have egos. From conversations I’ve had with many amazing educators across the globe, it seems that sometimes the higher one may climb the “status ladder,” the more of an ego they can develop.
Typically, the symptoms to look for when diagnosing an educator with “Ego” are:
They believe they are never wrong.
They already know the answer to the questions they’re asking.
They don’t truly listen to others’ opinions.
They have their own agenda and will see it through.
Now I won’t lie, I’m guilty of having an ego throughout my career in education. I had one at certain points while I was a middle school ELA teacher, a few moments during my brief two-year stint as an Assistant Principal, and probably more than I’d like to admit as I have served as principal extraordinaire these past eight years. What I have learned though, is while having an ego may work at first, it will definitely not help you sustain your effectiveness.
The main reason an ego will eventually bring you to a halt is simple, an ego prohibits us from the main ingredient to being effective educators: positive and trusting relationships.
Just because we have X amount of years in the classroom, or have worked our way to earn a new degree or job title, doesn’t mean we have earned the right to have an ego. Are these amazing accomplishments? Of course! But still, no one person will ever have all of the answers.
I’ve learned throughout my journey in education, that the best way to be an effective leader, and now I’m talking personally and reflectively, is to not only use some of the following phrases but to actually mean them and live by them.
That’s an area of growth for me, can you help me understand it better?
What are your thoughts? What do you think?
How can we make this better?
I made a mistake.
I’m sorry.
How can I help?
By admitting we’re not perfect, we don’t know it all, and we need our colleagues to help us become better, it helps us reach our goal of inspiring and improving the lives of our students. The questions and statements recommended above will lead to collaboration, trust, and positive relationships. With that crew mentality, there is nothing that is going to stop us from continuing to change lives for the positive.
Please check out my latest book, The EduCulture Cookbook: Recipes & Dishes to Positively Impact Classroom & School Culture with EduMatch Books & my podcast, Punk Rock Classrooms.
