Workingwithapassionate Creed (Booklet)

Working with a Passionate Creed
Introduction
This article explores the relationship between the way God has graced each human being so that they contribute and participate in His kingdom, and the importance of understanding that sense of purpose and calling in being an effective and inspirational teacher. Inspirational teachers know who they are, are vital and full of passion. They love to teach as a painter loves to paint, as a writer loves to write, as a singer loves to sing. They have a serious purpose and yet enjoy enormously what they do (Cronin, 1993, p. 2; italics added). This serious purpose can be described as a calling or vocation. Within teacher education literature it might be described within a Philosophy of Education, or a Passionate Creed (LaBoskey, 1994). As Intrator and Kunzman (2006, p. 16) wrote:
Teachers who make a difference employ various methods, and their success cannot be linked merely to facility with a technique or a method. Instead, the authors contend that a teachers capacity to teach well is linked to a set of ineffable, hard-to-codify qualities that often become characterized as heart, passion, or connectedness. These intricate qualities emerge from the inner or core landscape of a teachers life and represent the integral feature of inspired and memorable teaching.
Norsworthy, B. E. (2009). Tauranga: ConsultEd
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Teachers are described as professionals. For a time, the notion of professional was linked to having a sense of autonomy from outside influences due to the particular knowledge and skill base owned by its members. However, being professional requires a personal commitment to the telos or purpose of the professional activity (Hall, 2001) and involves intentionality. The word profession is a derivative of profess from the Middle English, professen meaning to take vows and before that from Latin, professus, to affirm openly. Thus the essence of profession could be described as a committed choice to proclaim, or declare, in such a manner as to lead to certain responses, behaviours or choices. Inherent within profession is a sense of ownership, of commitment. The professional may make decisions informed by the best research available (Snook, 2000) not because they are prescribed or the current bandwagon idea, but because they fit with the moral and ethical purposes which motivate ones very being and living (see Norsworthy, 2003). Vicki LaBoskey1 (1994, 1997) calls the basis for this intentionality a Passionate Creed. The work of Vicki LaBoskey Vicki LaBoskey is passionate about effective teachers and their commitment to social justice, care and pedagogy. She studied student teachers to see if there were particular
Figure 1: Vicki LaBoskey

1
A passionate teacher educator at Mills College, California.
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characteristics that distinguished the more effective from the less effective particularly with reference to being reflective about their work. Her study discriminated between student teachers on the basis of the consistency with which they reflected. LaBoskey refers to those who do not reflect consistently as Commonsense Thinkers (1994, p. 27). These are student teachers who, in her initial research, she identified as either unable to engage in reflective activities, or while able to engage they had beliefs, values, attitudes or emotions that prevented or distorted the reflective process in most situations. Such students tended to focus on questions such as: What works? or How do I .? In contrast, those who do reflect consistently, described as Alert Novices, demonstrated two characteristic tendencies. The first is that they tended to be guided by a strong belief; what LaBoskey referred to as a Passionate Creed meaning they have a purpose, a rationale for, and a mission to accomplish in and through their teaching. The second characteristic of Alert Novices was their tendency to ask the question, Why? According to LaBoskey (1994), these Alert Novices had the cognitive ability and conducive beliefs, values, attitudes and emotions, the capacity and the willingness to reflect (Haigh, 2000; Hill, 2000).
What is a Passionate Creed?

A passionate creed is the passionate motivation which you recognise God has placed in your life. LaBoskey defines it as follows; . . . a belief held with intensity that permeates the teachers thoughts about his or her teaching. (p. 97). From
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my observation, while a Passionate Creed provides a certain mission to accomplish in ones teaching it is not necessarily restricted to teaching. It is a strong belief or overarching moral purpose which motivates you. For example, the ideas in my Passionate Creed for teaching are also present when I think about being a parent, researcher or writer. Often you can discover what is important to you when you think about what a best teacher looks or sounds like. For example, in Vicki LaBoskeys book, Development of reflective practice: A study of preservice teachers, she reports about some students and their passionate creeds. Heather was committed to developing students who were strong and able thinkers, to know their ideas and how to express them and therefore her teaching aimed at teaching students how to think, not what to think. She saw herself as a guide, a moderator and facilitator. An observer watching Heathers teaching noted the following in his evaluation of her teaching: Underlying thread to her teaching: students must learn to be active learners, must learn that they are responsible for making meaning and making decision s about rightness and wrongness of interpretations (pp. 91-92). Laura was committed to multicultural education and her passionate creed focused on reducing the oppression of minority students and Third World peoples. Consequently her teaching was strongly focused on literacy and facilitating the acquisition of skills needed to make decisions and act responsibly within society; fostering a students sense of self-
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worth and dignity and the same in others (p. 92). Laura wanted to teach because teaching is one of the few socially responsible occupations that I know of where you can also have a steady, liveable income. . . it is active and appeals to a belief that people can learn and change (p. 92). As you would expect Laura was most concerned that her teaching was meeting the different needs of students, but particularly the minority students. Denys was committed to promoting spontaneity and creativity in the classroom. As you can imagine, his classroom was less structured and he presented himself to students as a co-learner. An observer wrote about Denyss teaching, . . . he likes to play with knowledge in the classroom, making the atmosphere one of discovery, a one never knows what may happen kind of feeling and Denyss greatest strength as a teacher is his creativity, his ability to see things in unique ways. . .He uses varied techniques in teaching, and shows personal attention and sensitivity to his students (p. 94). Don was committed to making classroom material relevant to students lives and help in the development of their self-esteem (p. 95). He thought it was very important to be consistent. His classroom had structure but it was understood in terms of good teaching makes material extremely relevant and interesting to kids and important to their daily lives and makes a real effort to tie things in, to make sense of them in order to have some value (p. 95). It was very important to Don that he understand his students needs educational and social.
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Kim was committed to helping students be creative problem solvers who care for one another and for their environment. Her Passionate Creed focused on helping produce a more thoughtful generation of individuals who will creatively solve problems and care for Mother Earth. (p. 95). Angela, a passionate student teacher I have had the pleasure to know and who is now in her second year of teaching wrote about her Passionate Creed while a student teacher:
It shows my ability to articulate and justify my reasons for teaching and learning and captures it within a simple statement; To use my God-given gifts to inspire and equip children to unlock and fulfil their potential. This statement is at the heart of my teaching philosophy and shapes the rest of my beliefs as a teacher (as outlined in my passionate creed). By having this document written down, I am essentially accountable to the things that I believe and strive to live up to these standards and values in my classroom teaching and other aspects of teaching and learning. (Angela Captein, 2007, eportfolio)
In shaping this statement, Angela drew on the meaning of her name, scriptures, favourite sayings. She was able to take these commitments and explain how they looked like in the classroom and what they meant for the process of teaching, learning, behaviour guidance, planning and assessment. She also did not see it as a finished work but wrote:
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Future Implications to Note: This document is a work in progress and I am always willing to have my views and beliefs challenged. I see this document like a piece of artwork that is always being shaped with pieces being taken away and added to. It may never be completely finished but the heart of it is there to guide my teaching practice and I think the results can be beautifullike a painting!
For those who are teachers, this notion of a Passionate Creed is closely tied to the image of a good teacher. This mental picture of a good teacher inspires them to achieve a certain way of teaching including the way the classroom environment was structured or designed. LaBoskey quotes Elbazs (1983, p. 134) writing: On this level, the teachers feelings, values needs and beliefs combine as she forms images of how teaching should be, and marshals experience, theoretical knowledge, school folklore, to give substance to these images. However, these ideas are not just for teachers. We see them operating in the life of: Jesus - who wanted to do always act in a way that pleased his father and to point people to Him (see John 10:37, 38; 12:45; 13:7; 14:7-10). Paul the apostle always presents himself as a servant of Christ. This image of a servant shaped the way he lived and worked always seeking to please His master and saviour, Jesus Christ.
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Mother Teresa Mary Poplin2, wrote about Mother Teresa:
"The humility and clarity with which Mother Teresa understood her task in life was one of the most incredible things about her. . . Nothing could sway her from what God had called her to do. If Figure 2: Mother Teresa there was one characteristic of hers I desire, it was her ability to know and to focus on her life's purpose. She did not become confused, distracted or discouraged by criticisms or complements. She remained able to hear clearly and respond immediately to the voice of God". (2008, p. 92). Mother Teresa believed she was called by God (she did not decide on her own) to go into the dark holes of the poorest of the poor to do small things with great love in order to bring Christ to the poorest and the poorest to Christ. (p. 13)
Because of this clarity her work was not diluted but rather she concentrated on the focus God had planted in her heart leaving other work to those called to that work. People would criticise her for loving the individual poor but she would answer that she had been called to feed, clothe, bathe and tend the poorest of the poor. If she tried to do things outside of her calling, she would be less effective in the little things God had given her to do.
a teacher educator from California spent several months as a volunteer at Shishu Bavan, or home for babies in what was then known as Calcutta (now Kolkata)
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Nelson Mandela whose dream of freedom motivated and sustained him in prison so that every day he exercised and kept fit for that time when he would be freed and able once again to work for other types of freedom freedom from indignity, from poverty, Martin Luther King, Jr was motivated by the image where people were not judged by the colour of their skin but by their character. Though the dream was very different from the reality in which he lived, it motivated and sustained him to live, and die, to bring the dream to reality. Each of these, and many others lived their life because of an image they had in terms of their life purpose. And, for each of the examples above, this life purpose, this dream was something which God had given them to do.
Two reasons for articulating a Passionate Creed

In my work with teachers and student teachers, I have observed two powerful reasons for working with Passionate Creeds and taking the time to articulate them, write them and revisit them. In the first instance writing a Passionate Creed statement helps us to understand who God has made us and in particular what aspect of His kingdom work he has given us a passion for. The second reason is that questions such as How can I do better? or, How can I improve my teaching? are meaningless unless we have a clear idea of
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what our goal is and therefore what better might look, sound or feel like. We now consider each of these in turn. Each is unique, designed for Gods glory The first of these two reasons relates to increasing our selfawareness of God at work in the way he designed and called us. As noted in Romans 1 verse 3: For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you (NIV). It is believed that good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher (Palmer, 1998, p. 10). In this quote Palmer uses the word Identity to describe what he calls the generic irreducible mystery of being human, but also, specifically, what it means to be ME, a specific human. He further explores this notion through the use of Integrity. He writes: Integrity is that which is integral to ones person being able to discern that which fits and that which does not and then choosing life-giving ways (as compared with ways which fragment) of relating to the forces that converge within, becoming more whole, more real, as one acknowledges the whole of who I am (ibid, p. 13). The Psalmist (Psalm 139) writes of
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the wonder of being human and how completely God knows us and how marvellously he designed us:
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
Figure 3:Amanda Patricks Psalm 139
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
When we read this together with Scriptures such as Psalm 8, Jeremiah 29 verse 11; 2 Peter 1 verse 3, Psalm 20 verse 4 and Psalm 37 verses 4 & 23; Romans 12, Ephesians 4; 1 Corinthians 12, we also realise that God has placed within each of us specific desires, graces or ways of being and serving to bring Him glory. These work together so that, with reliance on the grace of God, we contribute to the Kingdom of God coming on earth (Matthew 6). It is why we are different. Each of us is given something to do that shows who God is (1 Corinthians 12 verse 7, The Message). Paul, the apostle uses different lists to describe different ways we experience the way Gods spirit gets worked into our lives. In Ephesians 4 we read about different ways to serve or minister, In Romans 12 we read about different functions or motivations, and in 1 Corinthians 12 different expressions of the spirit at work. According to theological writers such as Perry Downs from Trinity Evangelical Seminary in Chicago, even

Figure 4: Perry Downs
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the way we live out our Christianity will show a preference. Perry speaks and writes of preferences towards mystical, activist and cognitive expressions of faith. The person with a mystical preference is the person who loves to be lost in the presence of the lord, enjoys spiritual retreats, and tends to find it easy to focus on personal devotions and long periods of prayer. An activist preference is demonstrated in concern for social justice. Social action is typically concerned with social, structural and political sin. It looks at culture and sees that the gospel critiques all cultures with which it engages. The person with an activist preference is keen to be out on the street putting his faith into action feeding the poor and sick, (meals on wheels), debating city council decisions in terms of their benefit to peoples well-being, or finding innovative ways to work with wayward youth or pregnant teenagers. Those with a rationalist/cognitivist preference tend to focus on the importance of thinking and may typically be drawn to teaching rather than preaching. People with this preference may be authors, or philosophers. We tend to see the world through our preference lens. But each of these also
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has a danger: The cognitivist may over value thinking and ignore action, the mystic may over value experience and individualistic expressions of worship and the activist may be too busy doing and acting at the horizontal (person to person) level that they dont take time to pray and relate to God, or to read material to sustain and inspire them. The point is that while we may understand our preferred way of being, we are to seek to grow more and more to be like Christ who is the perfect of expression of each and all. Understanding our preferences does not excuse us from growing in grace and other expressions of the Spirit. But such insight does help us understand our motivations and tendencies. The educational world recognises that people are different too. It is full of different types of tests which indicate our preferences and strengths. For example, the Keirsey-Bates Personality test is well known and describes people in terms of being a guardian, an idealist, a rational or an artisan. Another well known Personality Test was developed by Isabel Briggs Myers, and her mother, Katharine Briggs. The essence of the theory is that much seemingly random variation in the behaviour is actually quite orderly and consistent, being due to basic differences in the ways individuals prefer to use their perception and judgment. Perception involves all the ways of becoming aware of things, people, happenings, or ideas. Judgment involves all the ways of coming to conclusions about what has been perceived. If people differ systematically in what they perceive and in how they reach conclusions, then
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it is only reasonable for them to differ correspondingly in their interests, reactions, values, motivations, and skills.3" Myers Briggs describes people in terms of careers such as Architects, Inventors, Builders, Supervisor, Inspectors, etc. Then there are programmes such as Strength Finder which suggests that people have several times more potential for growth when they invest energy in developing their strengths instead of correcting their deficiencies (Rath, 2007, p. i). Some of these can help us understand the way God has made us. They can also give insight to the way we relate and respond to others. However, the trap might be that we confuse the source of these strengths or think we can fulfil our calling without reliance on God, and this is definitely not the case. We are totally reliant on Him. In Deuteronomy 8, especially verses 10 14; Moses is teaching the people that no matter what blessings they have, or what achievements they can claim, at the end of the day they are to be careful to not forget that it is God who gives us everything including strengths, abilities and vision. Parker Palmer (1998, p. 2) notes that . . . knowing myself is as crucial to good teaching as knowing my students and my subject. One reason why this is so is that students learns as much from who we are and how we behave as they do from the content we provide (Norsworthy, 2007; Wilson, 1990).
Downloaded from http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbtipersonality-type/mbti-basics/
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Increasing our self-awareness of Gods design and plan for us helps us make decisions about what to be involved in, and what to say no to. We know we cannot do everything and sometimes we find it difficult to choose. However, by understanding those things that are our treasure and gift to offer to God as a sacrifice- helps us to discern and to make decisions in our everyday living. The importance of writing your Passionate Creed The second reason for articulating and writing a Passionate Creed statement mirrors the scriptures which clearly indicate the importance of having a vision (Proverbs 29 verse 18) and of writing and articulating it (Habakkuk 2 verse 2). The verse in Habakkuk highlights the importance of writing the vision clearly or plainly so it can be easily read and lived. This is why we suggest that teachers try and capture their Passionate Creed in one or two simple sentences. It is not easy to do but once it is done it is wonderful to work with. It helps us to be clearly focused on the task which God has ordained for us in order that we may be faithful to that calling.
The importance of developing a Passionate Creed, or critical rationale to guide their practice (Brookfield, 1990, p. xvii) for different course work components should not be underestimated. Without such, there is no sense of direction and purpose, or sense of where they are going and why it is important to get there (ibid). Without this interrelated sense of personal, teleological, professional, and pedagogical purpose, reflection remains paralysed by questions such as: What worked
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well? and What can I do better next time? Such questions are actually meaningless without a purpose and reason by which to determine an understanding of better. To have a teleological mirror as one of those which generates questions to ask of the pre-service teachers provides the possibility of the type of connectedness which appears to be critical. (Norsworthy, in press).
Discovering your Passionate Creed

One aspect of knowing our calling is to know our spiritual gifts, desires, opportunities and special skills. But also, we learn of our call from those things words, experiences or observations which cause us to be upset not in a superficial manner but to the depth of our soul. For some, such as William Wilberforce this was slavery, for Mother Teresa this was the lack of dignity afforded the poorest of the poor, for Figure 5: William others it might be the deforestation in Wilberforce their local environment, or the indignity shown to the elderly, or the child in the womb. For some, it is about equal access to educational opportunities, or care for the disabled. It is not that we should not all care for each person but God has designed us with very special concern for specific issues and that is one reason why we all need to work together. Here are some ideas that can help you identify and craft your own Passionate Creed statement.
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1. What is your image of a great teacher? What are their characteristics? How do they talk to their students? What are their goals? What types of lessons or assessments do they design? 2. What makes you righteously angry when you hear or read the news what catches your attention more than others? 3. If you are asked to name your favourite scriptures what is the theme that holds them together? 4. Who are your role models local, international, present and historical what do they have in common? 5. Do you have some favourite proverbs, whakatauki or sayings can you see a theme in these? First of all sit down and write answers or make jottings in response to the above prompts. Once you have done this then prayerfully work with the ideas and bring them together into a paragraph or two. Then capture the key ideas in one sentence. Once you have done this, you can think about how the ideas you have captured in your Passionate Creed statement work out into your teaching. As you do this you will have the basis for a Philosophy of Education and a basis for deciding what is effective education and what is better.
Conclusion
Effective teaching is intentional. Each aspect of the reciprocal teaching and learning process is shaped to lead to maximum learner engagement and connection. This process
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is enhanced when the teacher is guided and informed by a clear Passionate Creed. Such clarity helps us to understand how who we are informs our teaching. It influences our goal setting and most importantly the willingness to persist at pursuing these goals. This knowledge and insight is particularly important in terms of our resilience our willingness to persist longer when things don't go well; to explore other strategies with students who struggle if one approach doesn't work teachers who have a clear understanding of their motivating Passionate Creed will try another and another until the student connects and understands.
A person who really knows and believes something understands it and lives by it. It becomes part of them and the way they view the world (Hansen, 2001, p. 56).
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References
Cronin, T. E. (1993). Excellence Retrieved 26 March, 2000, from http://www.whitman.edu/admission/excellence.cfm Hall, A. (2001). Professionalism and teacher ethics. In C. McGee & D. Fraser (Eds.), The professional practice of teaching (2nd ed., pp. 273-300). Palmerston North: Dunmore Press. Hansen, D. T. (2001). Exploring the moral heart of teaching: Toward a teacher's creed. New York: Teachers College Press. Hill, L. (2000). Theory, practice and reflection: A pre-service primary mathematics education programme. Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 6(1), 23-39. Intrator, S., & Kunzman, R. (2006). The person in the profession: Renewing teacher vitality through professional development. The Educational Forum, 71(16-29). LaBoskey, V. K. (1994). Development of reflective practice: A study of preservice teachers. London: Teachers' College Press. LaBoskey, V. K. (1997). Teaching to teach with purpose and passion: Pedagogy for reflective practice. In J. Loughran & T. Russell (Eds.), Teaching about teaching: Purpose, passion and pedagogy in teacher education (pp. 150163). London: Falmer Press. Norsworthy, B. (2003). Teaching - profession or practice? In D. Fraser & R. Openshaw (Eds.), Informing our practice. Selections from the 2002 TEFANZ Conference, Wellington, New Zealand (pp. 59-76). Palmerston North: Kanuka Grove Press.
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Norsworthy, B. (2007). Pedagogy as person: Relational and transformative teachers. Christian School Education 10(3), 32-35. Norsworthy, B. E. (2009, in press). Effecting change in preservice teachers' reflectivity. Action in Teacher Education, the Journal of the Association of Teacher Educators, 31(2). Palmer, P. J. (1998). The courage to teach : Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher's life (1st ed.). San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass. Poplin, M. (2008). Finding Calcutta: What Mother Teresa taught me about meaningful work and service. Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Books. Rath, T. (2007). Strengths Finder 2.0. New York: Gallop Press. Snook, I. (2000). Teacher education: preparation for a learned profession? In A. Scott & J. Freeman-Moir (Eds.), Tomorrow's teachers: International and critical perspectives on teacher education (pp. 143-155). Christchurch: Canterbury University Press. Wilson, S. (1990). The secret garden of teacher education. Phi Delta Kappan. November, 204-209.
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Norsworthy, B. E. (2009). Tauranga: ConsultEd