Educational Fidelity

I recently read an article called "Inventing the Future" by Lee S. Shulman that affected me greatly. One portion of the article focused on scholarly fidelity. What we do as educators is primarily motivated by a spirit of faithfulness. It is not the money, benefits, or geographic location we work in that drives us,but rather a profound commitment we have as educators, coaches, mentors, and even servants.

Professor Shulman identifies four types of fidelity we must consider as educators. First, there is fidelity to the the particular discipline of study. Second, there is faithfulness to the learning of the students that we are obligated to teach. Third, there is fidelity to the society, community, and institution in which we work. Finally, there is fidelity to our own identity as professionals, teachers, co-workers,and friends.

Unfortunately many educators, some within my own company have lost site of what it is to be faithful to our craft, our students and schools, the restaurant industry and even ourselves. All too often we lose sight of why we began teaching. We may become fatigued or bored with the subject matter. Life circumstances and personal problems get in the way of our excitement and success. Sometimes teachers just become complacent or lazy, falling under the delusion that they have somehow done enough, paid there dues, and are entitled to coast to their next paycheck, semester, or even retirement.

It is important for all educators to constantly revisit the fidelity commitments we made when we first started teaching. If we do not we are doomed to a life and career of mediocrity if not outright failure. Teaching has never been just a job for me but rather something that brings me joy. I get to share my knowledge and expertise with like minded people. Even with all of the pleasure and satisfaction that i get through teaching i still realize the tremendous responsibility that i have. Everything that i say and do in the classroom will affect eternity. For good or bad, those that i touch will in turn touch others. It is rather humbling when you think about it.

I would really love to create utopia within my culinary school. My paradise would be one in which everyone is in tune with the school's mission while enjoying the accademic freedom to teach to their areas of interest or expertise. I want a collaborative effort to constantly improve the climate and culture of the school. I want my school to be a place where everyone is excited and prideful to come to every single day. I want our students to be highly sought after industry professionals and i want my school to become the culinary flagship of the company. A good start to creating my utopia will be by constantly reminding myself and maybe others (if i have the courage) about our fidelity commitments and obligations.