What’s Your “Why”?

In the maelstrom of higher education – lesson planning, research, committee work, office hours, professional development, etc. – it is very easy to lose sight of our purpose. In other words, so many of us are so busy with the myriad responsibilities of our profession that we often do not have time to reflect on our visions or philosophies. I, for one, haven’t written a teaching philosophy since graduate school, and I hardly have time to eat lunch, much less reflect on why I love teaching. This can be problematic for two reasons: first, if we lose our focus, we may find ourselves feeling unmotivated and going “through the motions”; conversely, we can find ourselves ultra-motivated and engaged in our work, but eventually this pace will become exhausting and without a clear vision, we will burn out.

Even in the best of circumstances, promoting educational equity is exhausting, which makes a clear vision even more important if we are to engage in this work over the long term. There will be days when your colleagues will disparage your equity work or when your students will disappear or seem unengaged in class despite all the effort you put into your lesson plans and community building. An equity-centered pedagogy is countercultural, and when faced with resistance or criticism, it will be tempting to revert back to the “normal” methods of teaching and leading.

But if we have a clear understanding of why we believe that all students are entitled to an affirming, inclusive college education, we can more effectively recover when we lose our focus or we run out of energy. In fact, if we are to be genuine in our equity efforts, we must be crystal clear on this why and be laser-focused on it so that we may realize equity in our classrooms and on our campuses.

But what does it mean to understand your why? How does this differ from what we do in the classroom or how we interact with students? Can it be as simple as wanting all students, no matter their identity, to succeed in our classrooms and colleges?

In his book, Start with the Why, Simon Sinek differentiates between what he calls the “what,” the “how,” and the “why.” He defines them as follows:

“WHAT: Every single company and organization on the planet knows WHAT they do. This is true no matter how big or small, no matter what industry. Everyone is easily able to describe the products or services a company sells or the job function they have within that system. WHATs are easy to identify.

HOW: Some companies and people know HOW they do WHAT they do. Whether you call them a ‘differentiating value proposition,’ ‘proprietary process or ‘unique selling proposition,’ HOWs are often given to explain how something is different or better. Not as obvious as WHATs, many think these are the differentiating or motivating factors in a decision. It would be false to assume that’s all that is required. There is one missing detail:

WHY: Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. When I say WHY, I don’t mean to make money – that’s a result. By WHY I mean what is your purpose, cause or belief? WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care?” (39).

Put more simply, Sinek describes the “why,” “how,” and “what” in this way: “A WHY is just a belief. That’s all it is. HOWs are the actions you take to realize that belief. And WHATs are the results of those actions – everything you say and do” (67). Even still, this can seem abstract and confusing, which is not surprising. Sinek actually points to science that suggests that the non-verbal part of our brains is responsible for the “why,” which is why it is more of “gut feeling” than something that is easy to articulate. However, Sinek provides several tangible examples of how these three elements operate in the real world, the most effective being his discussion of Apple. He writes:

“[Apple’s] products, unto themselves, are not the reason Apple is perceived as superior; their products, WHAT Apple makes, serve as tangible proof of what they believe. It is that clear correlation between WHAT they do and WHY they do it that makes Apple stand out. This is the reason we perceive Apple as being authentic. Everything they do works to demonstrate their WHY, to challenge the status quo. Regardless of the products they make or industry in which they operate, it is always clear that Apple ‘thinks differently’” (43).

In other words, Apple’s WHAT – the iPhone, iPAD, iTunes, etc. – and their HOW – their engineering, their customer service, and their ability to “think differently” – both inform their purpose, their WHY, which is to change how people communicate, how people entertain themselves, and how they access information. Apple’s WHY is to “challenge the status quo” in these industries.

However, Sinek’s book is almost exclusively about businesses and other similar organizations, and very little is mentioned about schools and colleges, if any at all. But this isn’t to say that his ideas aren’t relevant to educational institutions. In fact, I would argue that they fit perfectly and that they can inform how we better create an equity framework in our classrooms and colleges.

So what can Sinek’s framework look like for an educator? What is our “what,” “how,” and “why”? In a nutshell, it comes down to what we teach, how we teach, and why we teach. It looks something like this:

WHAT: Day to day lesson plans; the books we choose; the worksheets we develop; how we organize and/or decorate our classroom spaces

HOW: our pedagogical approach to teaching (e.g. culturally relevant); our training, both as educators and in our disciplines; any professional development we undertake; the process of developing curriculum; staying current in our fields

WHY: This will be unique for all educators. It is our purpose, our beliefs, our values. This is usually why we got into teaching in the first place. And for an equity-minded educator, it will likely include the belief that all students are entitled to an education that is critical, inclusive, and free from prejudice and discrimination.

All educators know what they do in the classrooms or in their offices, and all educators know how to prepare for what they do. However, not all educators know exactly why they do it. Some educators who work long hours and dedicate all their energy to their teaching cannot identify their why. And if we’re honest, it cannot be student success. That is a result of what we do and how we do it.

So maybe it is easiest to first discuss what the why is not. First of all, it’s not about the numbers! Sinek, in fact, argues, “absent a WHY, a decision is harder to make. And when in doubt we look to science, to data, to guide decisions” (59). But as most faculty know, data never tells the whole story of classroom teaching and learning. Furthermore, the WHY is not about closing opportunity gaps. It’s not about increasing success, retention, or persistence rates. It’s not about transfer and graduation rates. These are all outcomes of the above WHATs, HOWs, and WHYs. These are results, not “purposes, values, or beliefs.” We need to dig deeper. We need to ask ourselves why we want to close opportunity gaps, increase student success, or help students become better thinkers, writers, etc.

For some, this may be as simple as an engrained belief in social justice. Perhaps it’s this knack for rooting for the underdogs. Maybe it’s just for the recognition and glory (though recognition is certainly not sustainable and often leads to white savior syndrome). But there is a reason that we all wake up every morning. There is a reason we spend hours grading and lesson planning or why we endure meetings and committees to promote institutional change.

Whatever your why is, you need to have clear understanding of what that purpose is and you need to remind yourself every day, so when the inevitable challenges of teaching arise, you are prepared to take them on. As Sinek writes, “Knowing your WHY is not the only way to be successful, but it is the only way to maintain a lasting success and have a greater blend of innovation and flexibility. When a WHY goes fuzzy, it becomes much more difficult to maintain the growth, loyalty, and inspiration that helped drive the original success” (50).

And as mentioned above, an equity-centered pedagogy goes “against the grain.” Despite higher education’s liberal reputation, many of our colleagues subscribe to a “colorblind” approach to teaching, or they do not believe that certain groups should get more help or “preferential treatment.” Unfortunately, what you do in your classroom will seem radical to others, which can make it difficult to stay focused on your purpose. As a result, it is even more important that you have a clear understanding of your why and that you are able to lean on it when you encounter resistance or when you feel exhausted.

So how do you identify your why? Most of us can articulate why we became teachers in the first place, but describing our desire to promote educational equity can be a little trickier. To identify your why, ask yourself the following questions:

• Why did you get into teaching in the first place?

• Why do you believe that all students are entitled to an equitable education?

• Why do you work hard to ensure that students from marginalized, underrepresented groups get what they need to succeed?

• Do you expect any rewards or recognition for your equity work, or do you feel fulfilled simply by helping students succeed?

• Would you be willing to pick a student up from the train station to get to school on time, buy a hungry student lunch, or testify in a court of law on a student’s behalf? If so, why?

• If a student drops the class or doesn’t seem to see themselves as college material, why does that make you sad or anxious?

These are just a few questions to think about, and I hope they can help you home in on the why. Remember, our purpose and passion are controlled by a different part of the brain than speech (Sinek 56). As a result, it can be difficult to articulate the answers to the above questions. I know it is for me.

But if we can find time to reflect on them every day, if we can find time to reflect on our why, we can hopefully start to describe exactly what drives us to promote educational equity. When this happens, it will be a powerful thing for our colleagues and students to hear.