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The honeymoon is over. Six weeks into the school year and the novelty of "being back in school" has worn off. The grind is on.
The Late Fall and Winter school season is the make it or break it point. Most teachers (and students) settle into self-sustainment and mediocrity. They weather the storm that is November through March by looking forward to the promised breaks.
This mood doesn't need articulation, you can observe it in the body language of those that surround you. They come to work a little later, leave a little earlier. They flip through a phone rather than complete their daily reflection. Dress down Friday becomes dress down Wednesday-Friday and as dress down Friday becomes wear sweat pants to school day.
As appalling as it sounds, this is the mid-year grind, and it is all to easy to fall into this vacuous trap. We can all picture teachers that embody this idea.
This is no way to teach. I'm terrified that as I age and become more a veteran teacher, I'll slip into just "putting up with it." I'm so scared in fact, that I consciously make a decision to re-motivate myself at the start of November each year; a fantastic piece of advice from my fantastic mentor.
Last year, I read a series of autobiographies describing people with an unquenchable work ethic (John D. Rockefeller and Steve Jobs). It worked and I powered through Winter and blossomed into Spring unscathed and teaching with a purpose.
This year, my motivation came a bit earlier, but none the less I am embracing it. A small passage from my favorite book caught my attention and immediately refueled my tanks. The purpose of this article is to do two things. First, convince you that NOW is the time to rev your engine (as I hopefully did above) and second, to share my motivational passage.
Advice To Leaders On Who To Hire And To Teachers On How To Get Hired
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In our quest to find educators with the "get it" factor, we find ourselves at the start of the process: hiring a potential rockstar. Today's discussion deals less with what the applicant offers, and more with your mindset, as a leader, sitting across the table from them.
We aso discuss the characteristics of how to "get it" if you are a new or beginning teacher. This article will show you how to feel confident sitting across the table from the suits.
In our quest to find educators with the "get it" factor, we find ourselves at the start of the process: hiring a potential rockstar. Today's discussion deals less with what the applicant offers, and more with your mindset, as a leader, sitting across the table from them.
We aso discuss the characteristics of how to "get it" if you are a new or beginning teacher. This article will show you how to feel confident sitting across the table from the suits.
When Best Practices Become Too Much Of A Good Thing
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Much of my inspiration is drawn from conversations held with other educators. It seems that talking with other teachers, along with writing, helps me organize my many thoughts concerning education.
My colleague began:
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| Photo Credit |
This discussion starts as many others: a quote from a meeting during a conference dedicated to sharing unique classroom best practices.
(I shared how writing proves to be not only therapeutic, but also as a development tool to improve professionally)
My colleague began:
"So there is this book by Daniel Pink, its called Drive. In it he describes the necessary factors to encourage and promote productivity. One of the factors is autonomy. When given freedom, employees and subordinates are more productive. Just look at GOOGLE!"
(Drive is a resource worth your time)
He continued:
(Drive is a resource worth your time)
He continued:
"So I've reflected on how this autonomy idea can be incorporated into my classroom, and from the start of school, I've given more freedom to my students. I give them a list of activities for each topic and they choose which activities to do and when to do them. I let them choose their cooperative groups and their homework. I even let them choose when their work is due."
"Really, wow. That seems exciting. I'm assuming it is going well if you're sharing it?" my supervisor probed.
"Well, no. My classroom is an absolute train-wreck" the educator replied in a somber voice.
"It seems that too much of a good thing can be bad..."
This article is about finding the balance between using a best practice and using it too much.
This article is about finding the balance between using a best practice and using it too much.
Why Your First Year Of Teaching Should Be Difficult Part 2
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In our last discussion, we established that not only should the first year of teaching be difficult, but that the difficulty associated with the first year is crucial for learning. We understand that mistakes foster creative solutions, failure is a productive process, and self esteem can be managed by rethinking our goals.
In this discussion, we'll consider three important psychological perspectives to help you power through your first year in the classroom.
This article will discuss Carol Dweck's popular concept of the growth mindset, Angela Duckwork's work on grit and persistence, and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's idea of optimal performance and flow.
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| Photo Credit |
In our last discussion, we established that not only should the first year of teaching be difficult, but that the difficulty associated with the first year is crucial for learning. We understand that mistakes foster creative solutions, failure is a productive process, and self esteem can be managed by rethinking our goals.
In this discussion, we'll consider three important psychological perspectives to help you power through your first year in the classroom.
This article will discuss Carol Dweck's popular concept of the growth mindset, Angela Duckwork's work on grit and persistence, and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's idea of optimal performance and flow.
Why The First Year Of Teaching Should Be Difficult Part 1
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It is time we apply our pedagogy to ourselves. Again I start with a brief conversation between myself and a first year educator:
Ms. Sims: "The seniors are tough, it's like they look right over me! I don't know how to handle them, I feel like they'll yell back at me if I raise my voice. This is hard. Really, really, really, hard. And hurtful, I want to be a good teacher and I'm hurt that I'm not. Its just so hard. It's like I'm not smart enough to do this."
We were only about three weeks into the school year and it seemed like she had already had her fill.
"But you work hard, keep your chin up and grind out the rest of this week." I replied.
There it is, the "I'm not smart enough line" we constantly get from our students.
Ms. Sims had been successful her entire life; supportive family, no issue getting into college or graduate school, and was lucky enough to begin searching for an employment at a fairly opportune time.
This was her first "real" obstacle. Her response isn't uncommon and almost expected. Like a lot of our students, she fell back on familiar ground and perceived her intelligence as fixed. She's struggling now and therefore she'll always struggle because she isn't smart enough.
The first year is difficult for many reasons. The most important, however, is obvious: you are learning how to teach for the first time. It is not difficult because first year teachers are not smart enough.
Meaningful learning is full of mistakes.
Meaningful learning is full of failure.
Meaningful learning is riffled with self doubt.
Meaningful learning is difficult.
And this is the way it should be.
For help internalizing the struggle of first year teaching, I'd like to enlist the perspective of three VERY successful individuals: philosopher/psychologist William James, innovator/inventor Thomas Edison, and businessman/founder of Bridgewater Associates Ray Dalio.
It is time we apply our pedagogy to ourselves. Again I start with a brief conversation between myself and a first year educator:
Ms. Sims: "The seniors are tough, it's like they look right over me! I don't know how to handle them, I feel like they'll yell back at me if I raise my voice. This is hard. Really, really, really, hard. And hurtful, I want to be a good teacher and I'm hurt that I'm not. Its just so hard. It's like I'm not smart enough to do this."
We were only about three weeks into the school year and it seemed like she had already had her fill.
"But you work hard, keep your chin up and grind out the rest of this week." I replied.
There it is, the "I'm not smart enough line" we constantly get from our students.
Ms. Sims had been successful her entire life; supportive family, no issue getting into college or graduate school, and was lucky enough to begin searching for an employment at a fairly opportune time.
This was her first "real" obstacle. Her response isn't uncommon and almost expected. Like a lot of our students, she fell back on familiar ground and perceived her intelligence as fixed. She's struggling now and therefore she'll always struggle because she isn't smart enough.
The first year is difficult for many reasons. The most important, however, is obvious: you are learning how to teach for the first time. It is not difficult because first year teachers are not smart enough.
Meaningful learning is full of mistakes.
Meaningful learning is full of failure.
Meaningful learning is riffled with self doubt.
Meaningful learning is difficult.
And this is the way it should be.
For help internalizing the struggle of first year teaching, I'd like to enlist the perspective of three VERY successful individuals: philosopher/psychologist William James, innovator/inventor Thomas Edison, and businessman/founder of Bridgewater Associates Ray Dalio.
Hook, Line, And Sinker...5 Easy Ways To Hook Your Students
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"I heard you give homework on the first day of school, I think that is a stupid idea..." the little tank of a person standing before me blurted out.
"I want you to know that I'm not going to do it, or any of the homework you assign, I think that it is all stupid."
"We'll discuss work outside of class momentarily, for now, please find your seat." I tried to calmly respond. It was the first day of school, and I had not yet even learned the student's name.
"OK, I just wanted to give you a heads-up." He quickly quipped back.
"What is your name?"
"Travis, and school isn't my thing, and I already don't like you because you're a teacher."
"Well Travis, challenge accepted, now head to your seat buddy."
Frequent readers have come to realize that I place a lot of value in the words of wisdom coming from mentors. Again, I believe that mentorship is an underrated component to success.
A mentor once told me that education is simple: get the kids to like you and they'll do work for you.
Wow, get the kids to like you. But there is a fine line in getting the students to like you, and being "that guy" who tries to hard and pushes the students away.
This article is about how I get my students to like me, without being "that guy." This article is not meant to be a pat on the back or a three page look at me ramble. This article is meant to give you a couple ideas to hook your students.
Hook them once and you'll catch them for the year.
"I heard you give homework on the first day of school, I think that is a stupid idea..." the little tank of a person standing before me blurted out.
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| Photo Credit |
"I want you to know that I'm not going to do it, or any of the homework you assign, I think that it is all stupid."
"We'll discuss work outside of class momentarily, for now, please find your seat." I tried to calmly respond. It was the first day of school, and I had not yet even learned the student's name.
"OK, I just wanted to give you a heads-up." He quickly quipped back.
"What is your name?"
"Travis, and school isn't my thing, and I already don't like you because you're a teacher."
"Well Travis, challenge accepted, now head to your seat buddy."
Frequent readers have come to realize that I place a lot of value in the words of wisdom coming from mentors. Again, I believe that mentorship is an underrated component to success.
A mentor once told me that education is simple: get the kids to like you and they'll do work for you.
Wow, get the kids to like you. But there is a fine line in getting the students to like you, and being "that guy" who tries to hard and pushes the students away.
This article is about how I get my students to like me, without being "that guy." This article is not meant to be a pat on the back or a three page look at me ramble. This article is meant to give you a couple ideas to hook your students.
Hook them once and you'll catch them for the year.
Over Empathetic Teacher Syndrome Explained
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“ I felt like an
emotional dumpster, and I felt helpless because no one was coming to clean out
my trash…” Clara barely mumbled, her
voice nothing more than a squeak above a whisper.
“Everything the kids
were going through, I adopted as my own problem. Every pain, hardship, and crappy moment of their
lives I took on as my own issue- involuntarily.
I burned out... I burned out not from the work, stress, or all of that, but because
after a while I was unable to distinguish the feelings of my students from my
own feelings. It was terrible.”
A lot of teachers leave teaching. Leaders and administrators are struggling and
scrambling to find out why young exceptional teachers walk away.
Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be an answer. Poor pay?
Crappy conditions? Aggressive parents? Everything seems to add up and a new teacher
is often burning the candle from both ends with a butane torch.
But Clara had a different story. She is exceptionally smart an unbearably
motivated. She gets teaching. However she
decided not to return to her third year in the classroom. As a young educator looking to answer the
teacher attrition issue, I asked her a painful question that lead to the above
response.
“Did you give up?”
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