My Virtues

My top virtues were empathy and enthusiasm. I wasn’t at all surprised to see these as either of my top virtues because I feel that my empathy is what makes me an effective teacher. I strive to teach my students how to empathize for another and see our class as a team that succeeds only when we work as one and help each other when we "fall." I strongly connected to this quote regarding the virtue of empathy in our classrooms: "If parents, teachers, and administrators can’t teach their children to empathize with another child’s suffering, then all the other academic and social things we do for them are for naught...we should educate all our children not only for competence but also for caring. Our aim should be to encourage the growth of competent, caring, loving and lovable people."

I also feel this virtue plays out in my role as a spouse and colleague as I frequently find that I try and place myself in someone else's shoes in order to better understand and support any situation they're in.

While my virtue of enthusiasm can play to the benefit of others, sometimes I feel that the high level of enthusiasm I have for my job tends to take away from the enthusiasm I have left for my home life. I put so much thought and effort into making my classroom an engaging and successful place that I have little left to give at home. However, with our first son coming in just a few months I'm certain that the source of my enthusiasm will drastically change :)

Both empathy and enthusiasm play a strong role in many aspects of AGAPE (Association, Generativity, Adaptation, Presence).

Association: Because of my virtue of empathy, I feel that I'm able to better encourage teamwork amongst a group of people. First, helping them to see the to unique qualities and goodness in each other, and empathize with any weaknesses, allows them to more easily collaborate towards a common goal.

Generativity: Empathy plays an essential role in the area of generativity as I can model to my students, and colleagues, how to respect and empathize with others in order to create and caring, safe and welcoming environment for all involved.

Adaptation:I feel that my virtue of enthusiasm is most beneficial here, in the adaptation aspect of AGAPE. Because I have a high level of enthusiasm I frequently find myself looking for ways to keep our learning interesting, authentic, and meaningful.

Presence: I think in order for your students, colleagues and family to benefit from your virtues you have to first be aware of them. Presence allows us to self-reflect and become more aware of our strengths and just how we can apply them in many facets of our lives.