How do we keep the passion alive over time + pressure + changes in the classroom? After 28 years of teaching I can think of five things:
1. My passion for helping students learn overrides bureaucratic pressures. When I'm required to do a host of tasks that mitigate the freedom to teach, I keep helping students front and center in my motivation.
2. My commitment to who I am and my values. This keeps me undivided within when system values (political, administrative) demand compromise. Even if I stand alone and true to who I am I will be less likely to become cynical or demoralized than if I let the system change my values.
3. The desire to keep learning: workshops, writing teams, school-wide events, higher education. These give me new ideas and help me reevaluate what I'm doing and why.
4. My focus on the students as people. I want to respect each individual in spite of behaviours and pressures. Caring about students keeps me going when I have to deal with unhealthy behaviours. Also, if I'm enamoured with the content of what I teach and miss caring for the students as people, that love of content will not endure. Loving people does.
5. Creating memorable experiences for the students. Trips, fairs, creative projects, festivals....these all energize me and the students with more authentic learning experiences than sitting in desks!
I decided to become a teacher because I wanted to make a difference in this world by inspiring young minds. I believe that to be a teacher you need to teach from your heart. It is true that some teachers can become cynical over the years and if we are in a vulnerable state we can be influenced by this negativity. It is important that we stand up for our students even when we feel others disagree with our thoughts. We must stay true to our values since it is these values that define us. It is essential that we take care of ourselves by having a support network that we can lean on in times when we feel challenged. It is important that we recognize that we are human and that we can only give our best, even when sometimes this is not enough. We must try to surround ourselves with positive people and use humor when times are tough. To be an amazing teacher you need to be passionate about your job and therefore it is necessary to continue to ignite the fire within yourself through life-long learning. I believe that teaching is a privilege and if we continue to direct our focus to the most important people, our students, we will be able to have a long rewarding career in teaching.
ReplyDeletePassion + Pressure + Change = "make the spontaneous sounds and movements of the face and body that are the instinctive expressions of lively amusement and sometimes also of contempt or derision" Retrieved from New Oxford American Dictionary
ReplyDeleteAndrew Meneguzzi