External Validation
“Hey Chris… What a win. Congratulations on becoming school trustee.”
“Hey Chris… I’m so glad there is someone on the Board knows what it’s like in the trenches.”
“Hey Chris… You are such a wonderful math teacher. Thank you so much.”
It feels awesome to be recognized for my hard work and what I may have to offer. Those statements above are examples of external validation. On the one hand, external validation can be viewed as a compliment. On the other hand, external validation can be viewed as a reward or reason for being. The difference is, how the external validation is acquired. What is the motivation?
When I decided to embark on political life in the field of education, my motivation to run was to find a way to advocate for student learning. As school trustee, I am taking a different role in public education as a policy maker to help students on the Sunshine Coast to enjoy learning, understand their learning, and develop lifelong learning skills. Winning the election, shaking hands, name recognition, or receiving of compliments is GRAVY. My motivation is intrinsic and the external validation only reinforces my life’s decisions. I will move forward with or without the gravy.
When I decided to pursue a doctoral degree in educational leadership 3 years ago, I think that my initial motivation was extrinsic. I wanted to be recognized, noticed, or acknowledged as a public school educator. All that I was looking for was the GRAVY and I lost sight of the meat and potatoes. In the end, nothing gets done. Nothing gets accomplished. Gravy does not taste good without the meat and potatoes. This is where my pedagogical journey exists. How can I move forward?
TRANSFER in education is one of the most complex and difficult learning tasks to achieve. Here I am. It is time to transfer. I finally get it. My supervisor has been advising this right from the start of my dissertation process. When motivated by external validation, I became more consumed by “doing it right” versus “just doing it.” When doing it right was more important, I could not accept formative feedback thus paralyzed to submit work. UGH. Forget about it… my work for the past year was not only to disembed from the workplace but also to find myself. Writing, moving forward…