I do the very best I know how-the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.
Abraham Lincoln I am a reflective learner and strategic thinker. Education is important to me, as a student and as an instructor. My education mission is “to provide a ‘S.P.I.R.I.T.E.D.’ learning environment in which students feel comfortable and confident to strive for their very best.” S.P.I.R.I.T.E.D. is an acronym that describes the experiential learning environment in which my students thrive: Stimulating; Positive; Initiative; Respect; Integrity; Teamwork; Enthusiasm; and Determination. Educating our young people is a passion of mine. I try everyday to make a difference in the lives of each student. Over the course of fourteen years my definition of education has evolved from content orientation to more ‘learning through experience’. I help my students learn how to make decisions, to solve problems, to think critically and divergently, and to take control of their lives, not be controlled by it. This perspective of education along with my mission statement, are integral to not only my success, but also, more importantly, key to the accomplishments of my students and the contributions they make to their community. We learn from our experiences, which in turn shapes the perspective we present to our students. To know why I present much of what I do, you first should understand the roots of my perspective. Shall we say my background is varied. I’m not entirely sure from which class I hail, lower, middle upper or any other label society has used. I am sure it doesn’t really matter; I am who I am today because of the past decisions I have made and others made for me. I was adopted by the only parents I’ve ever known when I was seven weeks old. I was born October 13, 1966 in Cook County General Hospital, Chicago, Illinois. I was “picked up” from the Cradle Society in Evanston on December 5th of that same year by Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Dold Jackson Sr. We flew home to Grosse Pointe, Michigan with the Detroit Red Wings hockey club. The one thing I know about my biological mother was she was single. My ongoing education is so much more than books and classrooms. My personal educational experiences were challenging. Adversity came at an early age when my parents divorced and my father moved from Michigan to California. I then became a human ping pong ball and zip code collector. I attended nine schools in three states over seven years from fifth grade through high school graduation. This taught me adaptability, flexibility and an affinity for conversation. After high school I immediately began to matriculate at The University of South Carolina because that is what I thought others and society expected of me. In short order I realized that I was not mature enough to handle college; I dropped out rather than flunk out. My mother’s next move was the best thing that ever happened to me; she told me to be out of her house in two weeks. For twenty months I supported myself working two jobs. During this time I grew to realize that a college education was necessary if I wanted to achieve my goals. I returned to USC more mature and responsible and graduated Cum Laude. I later earned an MBA from Indiana University and went on to have a successful career in marketing management. I’ve gained the perspective that a lot can be learned from life’s experiences, learning from mistakes, overcoming adversity and listening to sound advice from a variety of people. Much of the value that empowers me to play a positive role in making a difference in our emerging leaders efforts and perspectives is the varied life that I have lived and the lessons I have learned from my experiences. It is important to me that students are mindful of the life they are living and learn how to adapt, grow and thrive. I want our students to ask questions and be curious of what is going on around them, not to be mindlessly indoctrinated. As Carol Dweck puts it in Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, “Great contributions to society are born of curiosity and deep understanding. If students no longer recognize and value deep learning, where will the great contributions come from?” Deep learning does not come from studying for a test. Much of what I’ve learned has been through experience and reflections on those events. Our current system focuses too much on the development of test-takers, not thinkers and doers. Many teachers still “teach to the test” because that is how teachers are measured. We need to help students become lifelong learners, reflective learners that are pursuing a passion, not a test score. My role as a teacher has evolved to become more of an “entrepreneurial educator”. By that I mean that I try to instill in my students an entrepreneurial mindset. Much of what we we have to do, as adults involved in the growth of our youth, is to “help” students understand “how to” identify and “how to” take advantage of opportunities created by asking and answering, “what if?” or “why not”. I hope for my students to learn how to be passionate, to persevere and to never stop asking why and being curious. I lead by the example I set in the classroom. Every day I envision and implement innovative ways to promote the development of an entrepreneurial spirit. My vision is for learners of all ages, from all backgrounds, to learn by satisfying their curiosity, exercising their imagination and by taking risks and making mistakes in an experiential learning environment driven by events and reflection, not texts and tests. The aspects of schooling that are of interest to me include -
2/5/2021 10:52:06 pm
AHZ Associates offer high-quality and professional UK University Admission services to prospective students across the world. APPLY HURRY!!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Author: Dan Jackson
Experienced Reflective Learner and Strategic Thinker with an ongoing track record of of innovative, adaptive leadership in education and business management. Archives
December 2019
Categories |