Crocs in the snow. This image clearly represents who I am and my winter holiday.

Spirals of Inquiry as a Self-Study

One of the things that I love to do as an educator is finding ways in which I can BE THE LEARNER. It’s more than just learning the content in preparation for a lesson. I enjoy trying out new ideas such as designing summative and formative assignments that are meaningful and purposeful. In my master’s course that I’m teaching, I imagined the intersection between the Spirals of Inquiry with self-study within the limitations of the practice and context is the course content. I often wonder new applications of currently known initiatives and trying it out.

It’s been a few years since I started contributing to this blog and portfolio, but I am motivated to get it updated and complete it to it’s entirety so that my work can also serve as an exemplar for my students in teacher education and graduate studies. It’s also nice returning to WordPress on my laptop. My other personal WordPress site I can only access it from my phone or iPad. I love that site so much, it’s hard for me to let go of. I am also maintaining my #pandemicreflections, a weekly blog I have committed to since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I think that I will share the Spirals of Inquiry (2017) with my EDUC 405 class as a framework for their inquiry in Teacher Education. They can use the framework for several iterations over the course of the program. There are 12-months remaining. I’ll use the framework too to see if I enjoy it as a framework for a self-study. That’s what I had introduced to my EDUC 633 class. I am wholehearted and committed to personalized learning. The learning has to be meaningful to the learner. It’s not about compliance, fear, or grade acquisition. It’s about broadening the self and deepening one’s understanding driven by one’s curiosity, wonder, and pure joy.

I am writing this blog post to introduce my 2023 Inquiry Question. I thought about this question over the winter break. I was sick soon after the term ended. I spent many days just trying to get better. It took some time. Then, I just had to rest. I called it “deliberate rest.” I went out of my way to rest. I did not travel anywhere. I did not visit to many people. I did not do work. I spent my time cleaning, sleeping, and watching Hallmark movies. That’s it. I felt more human over time. I was happy. People made note of my changed disposition and I had time to take care of myself.

Admittedly, I never felt better. I started walking again, drinking water, and eating better. I lost 10 pounds during the break. I needed to rest despite all of the work I have to and want to do. Now I’m back at work. It’s been a steep start to the term. That was a decision I made with deliberate rest. The natural consequence is going 100% on my return. I don’t know why I expect that from myself, but I have done so for decades in this career. It’s not healthy or wise. For a couple of nights, I went to bed at 430am because I was busy trying to get things done and prep for teaching.

Today was horrible. I mean, nothing dramatic but it was definitely noticeable. I’m tired. I’m reactive. I’m not as adaptable. And, I just fell of the health-wagon. No water. No lunch. A coffee in the morning and 8 dumplings for dinner. OK… and some veggie sticks during a Zoom meeting. It was a full day of teaching and I taught online last night. I stayed up late to prep and it was not fully thought out. What I’m saying is… maybe not horrible, but it could have been better. Much better. I’ve noticed that work stress leads to poor life habits and I feel awful.

My Inquiry Question: What does it mean to be human when I am an educator?

I thought of this question during the winter break and today was an excellent example of how not to be and how most of my life was lived as a professional. It’s not healthy mentally, socially, or physically. I can be a better person and I deserve it. Even as we speak, I should be sleeping and not blogging. It’s 12:18am. I’m tired but oddly driven to get this done before tomorrow’s (aka. today’s) class. What is this drive about and how can be a HUMAN in my practice and way of being. I will continue blogging and proceed through the 6-steps of the Spirals of Inquiry.

My headspace is already engaged in the first step of the inquiry, SCANNING, but I need to go to bed. Shall I call this “deliberate sleep”? TBD. In the meantime, I look forward to this inquiry and where it will lead me this term and how it will iterate overtime. We will engage in the Spirals of Inquiry a few times during the year for the Teacher Candidates, and one cycle with my graduate students this term. The Spirals of Inquiry offers a viable framework to be curious about teaching and learning, but also engage in action research that is meaningful and purposeful.