Habit 1: Be proactive
Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind
Habit 3: Put first things first
Habit 4: Think win/win
Habit 5: Seek to understand, then to be understood
Habit 6: Synergize
Habit 7: Sharpen the saw
The full title of the book is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. When I first read this book, I had recently made some radical life changes. Though I've never felt I've needed these 7 habits as reminders of how to improve myself, I felt fortunate for the great deal of leadership training I had/have received in my life, and I often reflect upon these habits, whether through Covey's lens or my own experiences, to measure myself as an entrepreneur, a leader, and an instructor. One of the hardest roles I have ever had in life has been humbling myself to that of a formal student, often working with instructors my age or younger. I have gained an incredible appreciation for my own background knowledge and for those who must find creative ways to instruct me when I don't fit the mold of "traditional" in many respects. Through this and my childhood learning experiences, I have developed a passion for teaching those who cannot be defined by boxes society traditionally asks us to draw.
A short time ago, I was introduced to Mary Rose O'Reilley's Radical Presence: Teaching as Contemplative Practice. As I read her 7 chapter inspirational, I projected Covey's framework of Habits upon O'Reilley's work. If I were to frame her work in Covey's terms, I would classify the 7 following teaching habits:
Habit 1: Create spaceHabit 2: Teach within a contemplative frame of reference
Habit 3: Incorporate gestures of friendship
Habit 4: Listen like a cow
Habit 5: Exercise authenticity
Habit 6: Embrace dissonance
Habit 7: Know the ideal from reality
Whether you're considering a position in industry or academe, I highly recommend these two readings. These might come in handy for your teaching philosophy or for your leadership philosophy -- which I also recommend adding to your portfolio if you're going into industry. In life, we will be or we will encounter many different types of people who may or may not fit our expectations. These two books provide excellent scaffolding for the way we should think as leaders of all types.
Adept job of fusing philosophies. Your personal account cements them together.
ReplyDeleteMy friend, Troy Punneo, teaches the 7 Habits regularly in bars in Portland. Excellent life lessons there, certainly. Thanks for sharing O'Reilley. I look forward to checking it out. I see Cole is used; I'm a fan.
ReplyDeleteBrandy--You might check out Michelle's syllabus assignment, where she references using some of your work as a model under required materials. Nice complement.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads-up. Michelle made a very nice syllabus! She's also in my grading group, and I have a lot of nice observations of her work as a DI.
DeleteShe's talking about the fact the university updates the ENGL 1301/1302 textbooks every year. If students fail ENGL 1301 in fall semester, they might be able to pass 1301 and 1302 in spring/summer respectively; however, that puts 1302 into a compressed summer schedule, which might be daunting for many students -- especially those who had difficulty passing 1301. The textbooks are expensive, and must be repurchased for the relevant year. I discussed this with my students and expressed this as an encouragement for them to get themselves through 1301 and 1302 (also to get them done so they can move on to more exciting courses with the skills of 1301/1302 in their foundations). It was very kind of Michelle to offer the shout!