I chose this podcast because dealing with negativity and protecting myself from negative mindsets is a priority for me. I struggle with maintaining a positive self-image and over the years, I have worked hard to surround myself with people who are encouraging, supportive, and care about my growth, so this podcast was a great reminder of how to keep that negativity at bay in my professional (and even personal) life.
In the podcast, George Couros provides four strategies for maintaining your positivity and drive. These were:
- Be Kind, Always: Respond to negativity with kindness, recognizing that others’ criticisms often stem from their own insecurities.
- Don’t Take It Personally: Understand that negative feedback is more about the other person’s issues than about you.
- Focus on Your Purpose: Stay aligned with your goals and values, allowing them to guide you through criticism.
- Surround Yourself with Supportive People: Build a network of individuals who uplift and encourage you.
These four strategies align with my personal beliefs on maintaining a positive mindset both professionally and personally. Maintaining my “light” and positive mindset is especially important while teaching since my mindset can have a significant impact on students and fellow teachers.
Identifying the Mindset in the Episode
Among the eight characteristics of the Innovator’s Mindset, a few definitely stood out to me in this podcast.
- Resilient: Couros discusses the importance of bouncing back from criticism and staying true to one’s mission. This is something that I often struggle with. I must really focus on positive energy to rebound from negativity.
- Empathetic: He encourages understanding the root causes of others’ negative behaviors, promoting compassion over retaliation. Empathy is something that I feel is my strength, but sometimes, I am less empathetic of adults who project negative energy. This is something I am trying to improve upon.
- Reflective: By sharing personal experiences, Couros models self-reflection as a tool for growth and maintaining one’s light. Being reflective is how I evaluate any situation that I encounter in my personal and professional life and this has created several areas of growth for me.
All three of these characteristics are important to my work as a teacher, especially at the middle school level where students are constantly dealing with negative energy from peers. I try to always model these characteristics for my students and even share my own experiences through teachable moments, to help my students learn how to stay positive when they encounter negativity.
“No matter how good you are at your job, somebody hates you. Often, the reasons come out of insecurity but that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with.”
George Couros
This quote really reminded me of the importance of having empathy because negative reactions by others are often reflections of their own personal struggles.
Connecting to Instructional Practice
Teaching is a very challenging job. There are so many obligations and pressures placed on teachers which can really hinder one’s ability to shine. These stressors can also impact interpersonal relationships among colleagues. I think for me, this stresses the importance of resilience and purpose. If I can stay grounded in my purpose, despite external negativity, I will be able to set a good example for others and maybe even encourage my colleagues to do the same. I feel that negativity is more common in a middle school environment due to the natural challenges many of our students are experiencing because of their age. Teachers, at times, can lose that empathy towards students. At times negativity works its way into co-planning sessions, faculty meetings, or even outside of school at social events.
Couros reminds me to “Focus on my Purpose” which is helping my students grow in their love for math and learning in general.
Applications for my Classroom:
- I can model resilience by showing them how to persist through challenging math problems or lessons.
- I can create a more student-centered, engaging learning environment to help students develop positive relationships with their classmates and encourage them to support each other rather than compare or criticize. This promotes a more empathetic and growth-oriented classroom.
- I can build confidence in trying new approaches, helping my students learn that short-term discomfort can lead to long-term growth.
Application and Reflection
Barriers to innovation were both implied and discussed in George Couros’s episode, “4 Ways to Not Let Others Dim Your Light.” The most prominent barrier discussed was the negativity or judgment of others, especially from peers or colleagues, when someone tries something new or different. Couros emphasizes that these reactions often come from insecurity or resistance to change, which can cause innovative educators to feel discouraged or to second-guess themselves. I have encountered this directly in my role as an online math instructor. I often face criticism by fellow teachers that are overwhelmingly negative. Things like, “students can’t learn online” or “you must have it easy teaching on a computer all day”. These comments do tend to get me down, but I remind myself that I am seeing growth in my students, I work hard to rethink how I deliver instruction and engage students, and I am constantly growing by thinking outside of the box and discovering ways to open the door to learning for more students.
Couros promotes staying grounded in your purpose and surrounding yourself with supportive people. Based on these ideas, I think it may be fun to create a “Math Voice Wall” where students regularly share their strategies, mistakes, and insights anonymously or publicly, and celebrate them. I have actually heard of this in other readings or creating a positive classroom environment and since math can be a challenge for many students, I think this could be a way to promote resilience, empathy, and a supportive class community. In this way, I will not only innovate instruction but also protect your own “light”, and my students’, from being dimmed by fear of judgment.
Conclusion
Overall, I really enjoyed listening to this podcast. While I already know many of these strategies, this podcast provided a great refresher for me and also some things to consider as I wrap up this school year and start thinking about how I can improve in my professional practice for next school year.