After reviewing Dr. Pumpian's lecture and this video by Dr. Steven Covey it is clear to me that sharpening the saw in your professional and personal life is important. This may mean spending your weekends not working in your classroom, but instead rejuvenating through activities you enjoy. This may mean putting work on hold to build up the personal and spiritual relationships in your life. This may mean not bringing home papers to grade, but instead writing or reading something for enjoyment. It is also important to sharpen the saw in the professional sense as Dr. Pumpian highlighted. Attending professional development, collaborating with your team, reading professional books or journals, watching videos that inspire you to try new things in your classroom, or even participating in twitter chats are great ways to sharpen your saw and fine tune your craft. I think it is important to attend to both your professional and personal development to keep a good balance. It is also important to be able to recognize when you are out of balance. Are you able to apply the other 6 Habits? If not, then maybe it's time to sharpen the saw and rebalance your center.
This is one of the reasons I entered teaching. I love that my job will never be stagnant. I love that teaching is always evolving to meet the needs of learners. I love that each day I walk onto campus is never the same as the one before. I love that my learning will never be over. In order to be an effective teacher, I have to sharpen the saw and continue to learn.
Commitment
I commit to sharpening my personal and professional saw. As the second semester comes to a mid-point it is important to look at the balance between my personal and professional life. I can say for sure that in the short term, this MA program is tipping the scale to the professional side. However, looking at the big picture, I know that taking this time now to put in the effort into my career development will pay off in the end. And, I know that the time I put into my personal life now is very focused and purposeful.
Plan
First, I will be working with my group of students to develop their understanding of balance. I think the idea of a garden is a great way to communicate the need to cultivate ourselves. We will look at the four areas that Covey outlined in the video above and discuss why each area; mind, body, soul, and heart are important to attend to. They will add a page in their book on their iPads explaining through pictures and captions what they can do to tend to their "garden".