Beyond 21st Century Learning: Taking advantage of the blank slate | EduCeleb
Joel Olaniyan
10th July 2018
As many of us educators, on this part of the continent are or about going on summer break, it is necessary we remind ourselves of some basic facts and truths about what we do.
Whether you are starting a new job, starting a new school, or going back to a new position, I hope this message applies to you.
When you start the next academic year, I urge you to start with a blank slate. Why? Because it is “year one” of the rest of your career.
Don’t hope other people will do something for you that will put you onto a different trajectory. It starts with what you do and how you look at the world.
What is your priority at this juncture of your time? If it is “to be the best”, meaning, wanting to be better at what you’re doing or being best at what you’re about to do. That’s fantastic!
Far too often, we are focused on where we want to go, not where we are now, which harms both the present and the future of our career.
It’s nice to focus on doing an amazing job there, and doors will open for you when they are supposed to.” I know because of your focus on doing an amazing job right now, you will be successful, which means those (students) that you serve will benefit from your services.
As an individual, I always go back to a point in my career where I was ready to quit. A new opportunity came my way, and instead of going into the new opportunity with the same attitude, I changed how I looked at education and, more importantly, how I looked at myself. The biggest change was ME, not my environment.
Therefore, take advantage of whatever is in front of you, even if it looks the same as last year. You can always change yourself and adapt to the situation, but you may not be able to change the situation itself.
Shift your perspective and it will alter your path.
It’s just a reminder.
Yours in service.
Joel O. Olaniyan
The Educator Mindset