What's Your CI?

Yesterday I came across a link on my daughter's gymnastics' Facebook page. It was titled "This One Mistake Could Be Holding You Back From Being a Great Tumbler". Of course I was curious because now that I'm in my 30's I have lost pretty much all of my ability to be a great tumbler. (Or at least I think I have. I'm actually not quite sure because I'm too afraid I'll break a bone if I try.) 

The article explained that the number one mistake tumblers make is to have a low Coachability Index (CI). Basically your CI is how willing you are to accept and implement new information from an authority you respect. There is actually a scale of 1-10 that you are rated on. 

While reading the article, I immediately thought of my first two years of teaching. While I was interning I was told that I was an "amazing teacher" and would definitely be successful anywhere I went. I think that gave me a complex because when I actually started teaching I thought that if I asked for or accepted help I would be admitting that I was a bad teacher. People always offered help and I turned it down just as fast. 

I suffered because I had a low CI. I thought I was too good for help and as a Professional Development Facilitator and mentor I see this a lot in new teachers as well as teachers who have been put on success plans due to low performance. 

A few years ago, I was a mentor to a low performing teacher. That year was one of my most stressful years as a teacher and it had nothing to do with the children. I always feel I need to be successful in everything that I do and being successful with her was just impossible. I sat with this teacher just about every day offering up advice, writing plans and helping her analyze data. Unfortunately, she had a very low CI. Every time I offered a suggestion, she became very defensive and would never try anything different. She ended each day with tears, but would tell me it had to be the kids because she knew what she was doing. Needless to say, she was not asked to return the next year. 

Teachers are ALWAYS learning. I'm not quite sure that there is a perfect teacher out there. Even teachers with over 30 years of experience can learn from novice teachers who have fresh ideas. The best thing you can do as a teacher is to accept constructive criticism and help. Don't offer up excuses when someone points out something they would have done differently. Instead, think about how you could make it better in the future. Suggestions may not always be successful for you, but they are always worth trying. 

Does you CI have room for improvement?