Respectful Work

A couple days ago I started thinking about what it means to provide respectful work for students to do. This means so many different things to me. . .

**It's high quality.
**It's stretching, but not too frustrating.
**It's motivational.
**It's consistent yet fresh.
**It's attainable.
**Success can be measured.
**Workers are enthusiastic.
**Workers strive to do their best.
**It helps them learn about life, not just school.
**They know it's valued by authority figures.

I'm sure my list can just keep going.

Then I started to think about what respectful work looks like to me. This got pretty depressing very quickly. It got me thinking about how much of what I do is because of someone else's agenda. I am a realistic idealist. My beliefs are often devalued and cast aside. That has stuck with me, and it continues to lead me to question what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. I remember leaving a job because I believed I was doing more harm then good. I wonder where that line is drawn in the sand for me. I wonder where this will lead me. I want to do respectful work, and I want to empower others to do respectful work.

What does respectful work look like to you?