Hi Kathy
What an awesome contribution! You gave me shivers down my spine - and
reminded me of a couple of other pieces of work, that maybe I can share
with you.
My colleagues and I at what was then The Waikato Polytechnic in
Hamilton, New Zealand, were introduced to Purkey's work by Dr Patsy
Paxton, a South African who'd studied with Purkey in the U.S. We
subsequently incorporated invitational theory into our "Educational
Theory" course in a Certificate that we all taught - you can see our
account of the work at
http://www.invitationaleducation.net/journal/v7n1.pdf We were pretty
impressed with invitational theory and its ability to connect with
people from all kinds of ethnic backgrounds whom we had in the course.
If other readers don't know of Purkey and Novak's work, I'd warmly
recommend it. I still use Purkey's "being invitational with regard to
people, places, processes, programmes and policies" in my work as an
educator in a New Zealand university.
The other comment is around your comment "I am concerned that if I do
not change my feelings about myself and how I do my practice; I will
not be here much longer. "
And you seem to be wondering whether this is a valid research area. I
would certainly assure you that it is. The work I was thinking of is
not as 'threatening' as I'm reading in your situation - you seem to be
querying your very purpose as a teacher. But it does show an
interesting aspect of action research when the change occurs in the
person, not in the external situation, although of course the first
influences the latter. It involved a woman who did my action research
course in the 1980s. She was very irritated by having to teach a typing
programme called QuickType or something similar, which involved her
students in typing nonsense syllables amongst other exercises. Her
action research was really undertaken with the covert motive of
gathering data to show her boss that the programme was unsatisfactory
and should be replaced with something more meaningful. However in the
process of interviewing respondents and gathering data, she found out
that the only person who was irritated by the programme was herself;
her students actually quite enjoyed it. So the change in her practice
was an internal one. She had to re-adjust her thinking to recognise
that it was her attitude that needed to change, not the programme. I
report this fairly minor piece of research only to show you that
'internal research' has been written up as an action research
report...and that reflecting on our own practice as teachers is
entirely appropriate. In fact, my husband and I are about to present a
paper at ALARA which has exactly this focus. It's examining whether and
how we can work safely in cross-cultural contexts.
So, in my usual long-winded way, I'm saying PLEASE DO examine your own
health and how you regard yourself as a teacher and as a person, as a
valid form of research. I'm sure there are much more knowledgeable
members on this list than I in terms of referring you to relevant
research (Moira Laidlaw's excellent work in examining her own
interactions with her students both in the UK and in China comes to
mind here, but there will be many other examples). How can you be a
good role model for your students, encouraging them to be healthy and
to grow, if you don't apply the same lens to yourself? "No-one cares
how much you know until they know how much you care", and that's for
yourself as well.
Go well, Kathy, and look after yourself. And I just know that your
students will blossom because you have done so.
Warm regards
Pip Bruce Ferguson (New Zealand)
p.s. just in case you need reminding, I've just found this online
(thank you, google!) From
http://www.beaufortccc.edu/news/PDF/invitation.pdf
Being Personally Inviting With Oneself
Get sufficient sleep Get there early
Try a new recipe Grow a garden
Buy something new Listen to good music
Take a bubble bath Have lunch with a friend
Allow for private time Get tickets to a play
Learn to laugh more Rearrange the furniture
Try a new cereal Value your uniqueness
Attack your clothes closet Compliment yourself
Celebrate holidays
Develop loving relationships
Monitor your internal dialogue Take long walks
Get medical care when needed Eliminate smoking
Avoid high cholesterol foods Drink lots of water
Develop positive food habits Get a massage
Fasten your safety belt Join a gym class
Maintain dental hygiene Go to a spa
Take stairs instead of elevator Exercise at home
Beware of junk food Breath fresh air
Maintain one clothing size
Ration intake of salt
Practice defensive driving
Visit the dentist on schedule
Arrange an annual Physical checkup
Write a paper Participate in politics
Browse through a library Start a collection
Work on a degree Take a course
Visit a museum Join a book club
Share a hobby Learn a new sport
Keep up with current events
Attachment 7
Being Professionally Inviting With Oneself
Try a new method Dress professionally
Seek certification Arrive early
Join professional groups Serve on Boards
Write a professional article Attend a conference
Learn a new skill Brighten your office
Welcome change Be ethically aware
Release your imagination Manage your time
Write down your thoughts
Read professional journals
Encourage professional exchanges
On 12/08/2010 2:14 p.m., Kathy Bauman wrote:
[log in to unmask]"
type="cite">
Hello Dr Whitehead and all of
the e-seminar participants,
I would like to introduce
myself to you. Its taken me awhile to respond as I wasn't sure if I
qualify to participate. I am doing an action research project but at a
Masters level. I am 39 years old and live in Hanover, Ontario, Canada.
I am a teacher for the Bluewater District School Board. I was in a
junior level classroom in a small country elementary public school.
Three years ago I studied special education and became the learning
resource teacher for a large (just over 500 students) elementary ( are
students are ages 4 to 12) public school in my community. I am
working on my Masters of Education with Brock University.
My action research project
will hopefully change my life but I don't know if it would contribute
to the creation of living theory.
Are you familiar with Dr
William Purkey's work on invitational education? Our last course was
with a colleague of his named Dr John Novak. What I learned is
changing my thinking about myself as an educator. I learned that I
matter, not just my work. He said good teaching takes energy so take
care of yourself. That is an aspect of life I have neglected.
What Dr Jackie Delong taught
me rocked my very foundations as she wanted to hear my voice and valued
what I had to say!
My research question is, can
I improve my professional practice by being personally inviting with
myself? In my head the question is more blunt but I don't know if it
is appropriate to be blunt in a major research paper: Can I contribute
more to the education of my students by caring for and about myself?
I
am concerned that if I do not change my feelings about myself and how I
do my practice; I will not be here much longer. I have significantly and
negatively impacted my health by thinking that my work as a teacher was
more important than anything else, that I myself had very little value.
I have thought that my only value in the world was as a teacher in the
public school system. My identity was strictly tied
to how I felt I was doing at work and how those in the work setting
interacted with me. I could be destroyed by words
and actions of others at work because that was the only thing that
really held value for me I wanted to be valued and cared about at work.
I am a workaholic and have been very proud of my level of commitment to
my job. We work with children. We can fill them with hope, a
joy for learning, and invite them to believe in their potential. I
believe heart and soul what is written on the plaque by my desk, “A
hundred years from now... it will not matter what my bank account was,
what sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the
world may be different because I was important in the life of a
child.”( Kathy Davis, 1993) What could be more important? And yet, what will I be
offering to the education of students if I am no longer healthy enough
to work? I need to learn how to care for myself and give from the
overflow of my energy. This is the basis of my context and the concern
that fuels my research.
I
am not well read yet so if what I have written makes you think of
articles or books I should read I'd welcome that information.
If you are interested, I
would be happy to send you some details on the project to date.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Kathy Bauman
On 28-Jul-10, at 4:58 PM, Jack Whitehead
wrote:
Welcome to Alfred Kitawi from Strathmore
University in Kenya, Kathy Bauman and Encarna Martinez an educator
from Spain who join the e-seminar today.
Dear Alfred, Kathy and Encarna - when you
are ready do please share your research interests in the e-seminar.
Looking forward to your contributions. Jack.
