Are Educators Innovative?

By definition, an innovator is one who introduces something new or makes changes to an existing idea. A maker, well, is one who makes or manufactures. These two terms seem to be the same, but as with most topics, it is dependent on the context in which you are applying the term.

Ignorantly, I had never heard of Catherine Beecher, so she was my obvious choice to research. Being born in 1800, it was not surprising that she was raised under the philosophy that the woman’s role was focused on domestic matters. Interestingly, she was educated at home until age ten before attending a private school, and then she began paving the way and promoting higher education for women.

Breech’s role as an innovator is clear. She introduced a new idea and stood up for what she believed, even when it meant going against the ideal way of thinking at the time. As modern day educators, we need to follow the footsteps of Breech. On a daily basis, educators see opportunities to make contributions that would improve the educational experiences that our students current receive. So why don’t we? Do we feel that one person can’t make a difference, or are we too consumed with completing checklists and meeting the demands of the most recent rolling reform act?

While reading about Frederick W. Taylor, the maker that I chose, I was reminded of the many seasoned teachers that I have worked with over the years. I learned while reading about Taylor that he was a well-educated, wise man who made a great contribution to the engineering field. Sadly, he was not well-known for his accomplishments outside of his specific field of study. This causes me to reflect on multiple seasoned teachers that I have been blessed to work with and know. All too often, as educators we isolate ourselves and don’t share what we have to offer, or we get too caught up in our traditional way of doing things, and we don’t seek out new ideas and best practices. For those of us that are guilty of this behavior, this way of thinking needs to be reversed. When it comes down to it, we all are innovative. We have the ability to improve upon existing ideas.


Additional Resources
http://www.answers.com/topic/frederick-winslow-taylor
http;//www.newman.baruch.cuny.edu/digital/2001/beecher/catherine.htm