Vision and Mission of a Language Teacher.

Imagine you have a rare free weekend with no professional responsibilities. What will you do? What will you plan for yourself and your family? Instead, would you go ahead without any plans for the weekend? Would the results of both be the same? You know the answers for the above. Your personal vision and mission statements for teaching also does the same for you.

WHAT IS A VISION STATEMENT?

Your vision is your dream. It refers to the most ideal situation generated if your dreams are perfectly manifested. Without a vision, you lack direction. As the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca observed, "If a man knows not what harbor he seeks, any wind is the right wind." Identifying where you want to go in relation to where you are is the key to identifying those areas where you need to improve.

Vision statements are short phrases or sentences that express your hopes or dreams for the future. A vision is a clear, comprehensive photograph of an individual at some point in the future. By developing a vision statement(s) one clarifies one’s core values of teaching. Our vision statements inspire us for action. Your vision describes the optimum, the mental picture you carry of the ideal future state for yourself (5 & 10 year picture). We all have some ideas about what that might be and by spending a little time clarifying your vision, it will help define your mission and give a clearer sense of direction.

A Vision Statement:

• Defines the optimal desired future state - the mental picture - of what an individual wants to achieve over time;
• Functions as the "north star":  Provides guidance to what an individual is focused on achieving in five, ten, or more years, amidst all the distractions of one’s everyday work,;
• It is what inspires the individual towards achieving his lofty vision,

Features of an effective vision statement include:

• Clarity and lack of ambiguity
• Paints a vivid and clear picture, not ambiguous
• Describes a bright future (hope)
• Memorable and engaging expression
• Realistic aspirations, achievable
• Alignment with educational values and culture
• Time bound if it talks of achieving any goal or objective

WHAT IS A MISSION STATEMENT?

A mission statement describes what a teacher is going to do and why he/she is going to do that. A mission statement is the wind that brings you to your desired harbor. It guides your travel and powers your momentum. A mission statement grounds one’s vision in practical terms. Mission statements are similar to vision statements, in that they, too, look at the big picture. However, they're more concrete, and they are definitely more "action-oriented" than vision statements. Mission statements are the "how-to" statements or action plans that help schools achieve their vision. They prompt change and growth. The mission should answer three key questions: • What is it that I do? • How do I do it? • For whom do I do it? Your vision statement should inspire you to dream; your mission statement should inspire you to action.

A Mission statement:

• Defines the present state or purpose of an individual;
• Answers three questions about what an individual does – what, for whom and how.

• Is written succinctly in the form of a sentence or two, but for a shorter timeframe (one to three years) than a Vision statement; and,

WHY SHOULD YOU CREATE VISION AND MISSION STATEMENTS?

First of all, because these statements can help you focus on what is really important. It's easy for a teacher to lose sight of one’s focus when dealing with the day-to-day hassles of teaching. Your vision and mission statements help you remember what is important as you go about doing your daily work.

Second, your vision and mission statements let others have a snapshot view of who you are and what do you want to do. It enhances your image as being competent and professional. This makes collaboration easier.

It can be very helpful when you are being recruited to a school. It can explain your goals to interested agencies in a clear and concise manner.

If the school has a vision and mission statement of its own, both the parties involved can have a mutual understanding and acceptance of common elements of focus. It can strengthen the school culture by better alignment with its own vision and mission; improve decision-making with clarity about "big picture;" and, enhance cross-functional relationships through a shared understanding of priorities.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VISION AND MISSION STATEMENTS

Individuals summarize their goals and objectives in mission and vision statements. Both of these serve different purposes for an individual but are often confused with each other. Both serve important, yet different roles as core elements of a strategic plan.

While a mission statement describes what a teacher wants to do now, a vision statement outlines what a teacher wants to be in the future. The Vision Statement focuses on the future; it is a source of inspiration and motivation. A vision describes your ideal future state. A mission statement captures how you are going to realize the vision. The Mission Statement concentrates on the present; it defines the students, critical processes and it informs you about the desired level of performance. Your mission will answer three questions - what you are going to do, who you are doing it for and how you are going to do it.

Comparison chart

Mission Statement versus Vision Statement comparison chart
	Mission Statement	Vision Statement
About	A Mission statement talks about HOW you will get to where you want to be. Defines the purpose and primary objectives related to your student needs and school values.	A Vision statement outlines WHERE you want to be. Communicates both the purpose and values of your teaching.
Answer	It answers the question, “What do I do? What makes me different?”	It answers the question, “Where do I aim to be?”
Time	A mission statement talks about the present leading to its future.	A vision statement talks about your future.
Function	It lists the broad goals for which you strive. Its prime function is internal; to define the key measure or measures of the individual’s success and its prime audience is the person himself.	It lists where you see yourself some years from now. It inspires you to give your best. It shapes your understanding of why you are working here.
Change	Your mission statement may change, but it should still tie back to your core values, customer needs and vision.	As you evolve, you might feel tempted to change your vision. However, vision statements explain your career’s foundation, so change should be kept to a minimum.
Developing a statement	What do I do today? For whom do I do it? What is the benefit? In other words, Why I do what we do? What, For Whom and Why?	Where do I want to be going forward? When do I want to reach that stage? How do I want to do it?
Features of an effective statement	Defines the purpose and values of the Teacher: Who are the teacher’s primary "clients" (stakeholders)? What are the responsibilities of the teacher towards the students?	Clarity and lack of ambiguity: Describing a bright future (hope); Memorable and engaging expression; realistic aspirations, achievable; alignment with school values and culture.

 

HOW DO YOU CREATE VISION AND MISSION STATEMENTS?

Armed with a better understanding of vision and mission statements, it's time for you to develop them for yourself.

LEARN WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU

1. Think about what's important to you- your values, strengths, passions, people etc. One of the first steps you should take when developing the vision and mission will be to define the issue(s) that matter most to you. How do you go about doing so?

ASK YOURSELF

• What is your dream for your students?
• What would you like to see change?
• What kind of community (or program, policy, school, neighborhood, etc.) do we want to create?
• What do you see as the students’ major issues or problems?
• What do you see as your major strengths and assets?
• What do you think should be the purpose of your teaching?
• Why should these issues be addressed?
• What would success look like?

2. Start building a mental image of what you want your life to look like. There are a variety of ways to do this. You could:

draw a picture of your ideal future.

Mindmap your ideal future.

Use a vision planning tool such as http://www.mentoringgroup.com/html/articles/mentee_2.html.

3. Start drafting out your visions using the notes you have made. As you are looking at potential statements, remember to keep them broad and enduring. Vision and mission statements that are wide in scope allow for a sense of continuity with a community's history, traditions, and broad purposes. Vision and mission statements that are built to last will guide efforts both today and tomorrow.

After you have brainstormed a lot of ideas, you can assess critically the different ideas. You can also ask yourselves the following questions about vision statements:

• Does it give hope for a better future?
• Will it inspire me to realize my dreams through positive, effective action?

A final caution: When developing a vision, remember that less can be more; keep it short, and you will remember it longer.

Mission Statements

The process of writing your mission statement is much like that for developing your vision statements. The same brainstorming process can help you develop possibilities for your mission statement. Remember, though, that unlike with vision statements, you will want to develop a single mission statement for your work. After having brainstormed for possible statements, you will want to ask of each one:

• Does it describe what you will do and why you will do it?
• Is it concise (one sentence)?
• Is it outcome oriented?
• Is it inclusive of all your goals?

Considering all of the above, you can decide on a statement that best meets these criteria.

Features of an effective mission statement are:

• Reflects the purpose and values of the individual
• Defines the primary "clients" (students)
• Defines the responsibilities towards these "clients"
• States the ways in which the responsibilities will be fulfilled

Mission statements are not static and need to be re-visited as we grow and our circumstances change. So even if you have created one in the past here is an opportunity to reflect on and re-craft a mission that gets you up each morning excited and full of purpose.

For a new teacher, the vision statement will be formulated first as it will guide the mission statement and the rest of the strategic plan. For an experienced teacher where the mission is established, sometimes the mission guides the vision statement and the rest of the strategic plan for the future.

Next, you have to decide how to use these statements. There are many, many ways in which you may choose to declare your vision and mission statements. To name just a few examples, you might:

• Add them to your letterhead or stationary
• Use them on your website/blog
• Give away T-shirts, or bookmarks, or other small gifts with them
• Use them when you give interviews
• Display them on the cover of your profile/annual report

...and so on. Again, this is a step that will use all of your creativity.

If there is no downside to having a clear Vision and Mission, why do some teachers not have them? Some of the reasons I've heard are:

• "It takes too much time to develop them."

• "I can’t ever reach a consensus on a few."

• "Everyone here already knows what I do, so what is the benefit of writing a statement  about it?

• "I have my goals - who needs a Vision or Mission?

• "I don’t have time to take my focus away from my real job to focus on it."

• "Actually defining my Vision and Mission will mean changes in my work - who has time to  deal with more change?"

In my opinion, none of these reasons outweigh the benefits of having a well-written Vision and Mission statement. If a teacher cannot define his/her "reason for existing (Mission) or "where he/she is going" (Vision), how can he align Students, learning processes, and evaluation of student performances towards a successful future? So, it's never too late for a teacher to define his Vision and Mission.