I know that we all struggle through the tough patches of working in a somewhat thankless career. More than that, we are often scrutinized and demeaned by people who just don’t understand what we do. That can be hard, but we take it in stride and keep pressing on, even if no one notices. That is what makes us awesome. That is what makes you awesome!
I have put words to the unspoken thanks of students in the past, but I thought this morning I might give words to the unspoken thanks to someone else. I know this letter will probably never happen, but I am sure that there are those out there who definitely feel this way. So here is a letter to us from the world at-large.
Know that it is all true, even if we seldom hear it. Read it, smile, and know you are awesome. Share it with other teachers and lets get this Encouragement Revolution kicked into high gear today!
(c)DearTeacherLT2013 (You may use the image if you link back to the blog and/or give credit to Dear Teacher/Love Teacher)
You are awesome. You are amazing. You are making a difference, even if it is only in the background where very few see it. You are making the future, and the world thanks you! I thank you! Thank you, Teacher! Keep on teaching!
Love, Teacher
PS…I know I keep talking about it, but I am so excited about these posters and how they can motivate students (intrinsically) to keep moving and pressing on! The Motivational ABCs Poster/Word Wall are available in the Dear Teacher/Love Teacher TeachersPayTeachers Store…check it out, if you haven’t had the chance! The image in this post is one of the printable posters in the set. Oh, and the posters are on a deep discount sale this week! You have $2 to motivate students, don’t you? 🙂
(c)DearTeacherLT2013 (You may use the image if you link back to the blog and/or give credit to Dear Teacher/Love Teacher)
Dear Teacher,
Don’t give up. That is basically all that I want to tell you this morning. Just don’t give up. Don’t stop.
I know that the weight of teaching is heavy. We push and push, but the push back is often more intense.
We can see what our students need more than they can. You know your students. You know how close they are to understand what you are teaching them. You know how close they are to becoming more complete self-learners.
But the resistance makes it hard to keep moving.
You are beat up. You are tired. You are exhausted. You have very little left to give.
It would be easier to drop back and punt…you can try again another day.
Don’t stop. Don’t give in. Don’t move back. Keep pushing. Keep going!
You don’t see it from where you are, but you are so very close to success with your students. You see how close they are, but guess what? You are SO CLOSE to getting them there. I know it is hard, but don’t stop!
Find your reserves. You have some hidden energy and strength left. Find it. Use it. You are seriously almost there. Just give a little more. You can do this. I know you can because you are awesome!
Two of my favorite quotes of all time are from Thomas Edison:
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
You are on the verge of success. A miracle is on the horizon. Chase it. Go for it. You are almost there! Push on. Further on and further in. You’ve got this, you amazing Teacher, you!
Take on the the attitude of Edison today. Don’t give up. Don’t let apparent failures stop you. Failure never means you can’t do something, it just means you need to keep trying and find some new ways.
You don’t have to stop. You have this. You are close. Keep going and keep moving forward!
Your students will watch you, they will learn to do the same thing. They won’t give up and snatch defeat from the jaws of looming victory. They will keep trying until they get it…just like they saw you do.
Don’t give up!
You are an amazingly awesome teacher! You have what it takes. You have the strength and fortitude. Prove it today! You will see success, so keep pushing on and keep on teaching, Teacher!
Love, Teacher
PS…I know I keep talking about it, but I am so excited about these posters and how they can motivate students (intrinsically) to keep moving and pressing on! The Motivational ABCs Poster/Word Wall (or Growth Mindset ABC’s) are available in the Dear Teacher/Love Teacher TeachersPayTeachers Store…check it out, if you haven’t had the chance! The image in this post is one of the printable posters in the set.
As I talked about yesterday, we have so much to do, think, and and be throughout our each day. I am feeling the weight of the pull of the thousand things that are tugging at me today.
I am trying to take my own advice and try to make sure that my focus is on the students and what they need. The hard part is deciding what those things are! Even if I move my focus to students and their needs, there are still so many things to choose from. Picking a direction and running at it is important, but knowing which direction is best each day can be a challenge.
The idea of just finding “one thing” comes to mind. One thing, one focus, one direction is all that we need. We just have to make a decision. How do you do that?
Reflect.
Where did you get to yesterday in your content? What do your students seem to be lacking from prior content? What are the learning/thinking skills that they need most? What strategies are they responding to the most?
Get all of this into your mind. What is the one thing that stands out the most? What is the biggest student need across the board? What is the one area that needs to most work or most support?
That is your “one thing,”
Make this deficit area, thinking/processing sill, or content topic your goal and focus today. Make everything else revolve around it. Let the noise of all of the other thousand things be in the background as you work through this one thing that students need most.
Will you have to answer to why you made this choice? Sure. Might it cause conflict? Yes. But no matter what you choose to focus on will cause other things to fall to the wayside and cause the same kind of drama. You just have to make sure the thing you choose is student-focused. That is all that really matters.
Remember, when you are asked, “Why are you doing _______________?” Your answer better have “students” at its core!
Students are our goal and focus. Don’t be afraid to make a stand for them. It will all come out in the end. Students and their needs…their one thing each day…will never disappoint or let you down. The short-run may hold conflict, but that conflict won’t outlast the joy of students learning and learning how to learn in your classroom. That trumps all and will win the day in the end!
(c)DearTeacherLT2013 (You may use the image if you link back to the blog and/or give credit to Dear Teacher/Love Teacher)
You are awesome and amazing! I know you know how to make “one thing” choices…don’t be afraid to! I have your back and so do all of the other teachers out there. Student learning is never a bad focus. Stand firm and take a stand today with it! Never fear it! Keep on finding those “one things” and teach on, Teachers!
Great Monday morning to you! I know, there are very few times in the thick of the school year that we view Mondays as necessarily great…we are often being pulled from every angle and feeling like we are ten seconds from being ripped into pieces. Monday only makes it worse because we look forward to the pulling starting over fresh and new. It doesn’t have to be this way!
How do we keep ourselves together when everything wants us to fall apart, especially on a Monday? That is what today and this week’s theme song is all about. The best part is that I get to share one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite artists with you, and you probably have never heard of him or the song. Get ready to be a fan.
Click play and read on (just in case you are new and didn’t know 🙂 ). When you are done, you might want to go back and watch the video. It is pretty cool.
Teacher, you have so much on your plate. You have things that need to get done. You have expectations to meet. You have classroom management issues to deal with. You have parents to call. You have plans to plan and implement. You have profession development to go to and show evidence of using and applying. You have test to write, give, get data from, reflect on, and plan to use to differentiate and raise student achievement. You have books to read, papers to grade, and Common Core to implement.
You have people constantly looking over your shoulder telling you what to do and who to be as a teacher. You have parents who don’t think you are handling their child correctly. You have administration analyzing your every word and move in the classroom. You have curriculum specialists giving commentary on every strategy and technique you use and giving you tips and pointers on how do do things differently. You have ever changing district, state, and federal mandates and standards that are to be followed to the “t” with little variation.
You have a life outside of school. You have pressures from other places. You have family. You have friends. You have a life…at least you try to have one.
You have students. Students who need you to be more than just a implementer of plans. They need you, the person. They need your heart, soul, and mind to help them navigate through the storms of life and education. They need a mentor. They need a teacher. They need you.
Students are why you do what you do. Students are the key to education. Students are the ends and the means. Without them there are no standards, tests, data, professional development, or lesson plans.
Students are the heart of it all. Students are your heart. Students are why you are where you are. Students make you a teacher.
You are pulled and yanked in a thousand directions every day. You feel that weight the most on Sunday nights and Monday mornings. The waves of the life of a teacher are constantly trying to pull you under. The current is strongest at the beginning of the week.
What do you do? How do you combat this? How do you go against the flow that wants to drag you down? How can you make a Monday feel great and something you look forward to seeing?
One word: STUDENTS,
We have to learn to to be brave enough to run into the flames of the fight to let every decision we make be completely centered on our students. We have to train ourselves to let things go for the sake of our students. They need to be the answer to every question that starts with “Why did you…” Students, their hearts, and their minds need to be key. Few people know them like you do, and you need to stand up and say what you think will work best for them.
It is hard, though. It is hard to let go of some of the anxiety and fear of not meeting the expectations of others. Not meeting deadlines. Having to answer those hard “why” questions. I can’t tell you how to do this for you. I can tell you, though, that it is worth it.
I have been teaching long enough to know that expectations, standards, and mandates change. The current of education moves with the latest and greatest ideas and research, but often it is a circular pattern that always comes back to best practices that have been around for a long time. Tap into that and you will see that it always comes back to some of the same themes. Follow those themes and you can keep up with the changes (I will try to write about some of those themes later).
I am not saying to rebel or not follow guidelines and mandates. I am definitely not saying that. I am just saying that you will start to remember why you love being a teacher when the students return to being your focus for all that you do. And if you get off from the expectations set for you, make sure that your answer has something to do with the specific needs of your students. That is what is key and paramount.
Let go of the fear. Let go of the anxiety. Let the students be the reason for all that you do. Make them the goal. Open up your heart and mind to letting them come first. You will start to feel the freedom that comes from that. You will see that everything comes back around.
You may have to answer questions or be “fussed” at from time to time. Don’t let that worry you. One day, when a student comes back and tells you the influence you had on them and how that changed their life, what are you going to remember? Are you going to remember the lecture you were given or are you going to remember why you became a teacher? I think I know the answer.
Let things go and let yourself make choices in your classroom and with your time that come out of love and care for your students. I promise, when you let it go it will come right back to you. You will make it through and be a better teacher for it!
Don’t be afraid to let go!
(c)DearTeacherLT2013 (You may use the image if you link back to the blog and/or give credit to Dear Teacher/Love Teacher)
You are awesome! You are making such a difference in the lives of your students. Keep going. Don’t act out of fear but act out of love and concern for your students. You will never regret it! You are amazing! Keep on teaching, Teacher!
(c)DearTeacherLT2013 (You may use the image if you link back to the blog and/or give credit to Dear Teacher/Love Teacher)
Dear Teacher.
Something tells me that you need this message as much as I do. Have a great weekend! Get some rest and take a break…you deserve it! You do amazing work!
(c)DearTeacherLT2013 (You may use the image if you link back to the blog and/or give credit to Dear Teacher/Love Teacher)
Dear Teacher,
How the heck are you this morning/afternoon/evening (circle the correct choice)? Okay, I thought that would be funny because Tilted Windmills: Part I was about my change in feelings about the results of tests. 🙂 I do hope that this reading finds you well, though. By the way, if you haven’t read Part I, please go read that one first. This post won’t make much sense without it! If you read it the other day, you may want to skim it to get a refresher.
Are you back, now? Okay, lets move on!
However, before I move further we need to talk about Don Quixote. You know, the Man of LaMancha. If you are not familiar with Don Quixote, you should be! It is a great story of humanity and among the classics! The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Manchawas written by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. The story is about a man who leaves his normal life to take on a life of chivalry and eventually live in a fantasy world of knights, nobility, giants, etc…
The reason that I bring up Don Quixote is that that I am reminded about a part of his story. As he and his “squire,” a farmer named Sancho Panza, were out on their adventures, there is a time when Quixote sees windmills along the side of the road and he takes off after them. He “tilts” at them with a spear (tilting is a jousting term…go watch A Knight’s Tale for more on that) because he thinks it is an army of giants. “Tilting at windmills” has become synonymous with the idea of going off after an imaginary enemy or fighting a battle that does not have to be fought.
Okay, enough with the literary lesson. Back to school stuff.
So, I told you the story about the devastating emotional consequences of grading my first test as a first year teacher (on a Friday). Then I followed that with what happened a week ago when I graded my latest test (on a Friday). How did, in eight years, did I get from poor results shaking me up to poor results leaving me content?
Because the test data was not much different, obviously it is not because I am a spectacular teacher that can get students to learn and understand everything the first time through. It is also not because I got so good at helping the students learn problem solving skills and test-taking strategies that ace every test that I give. No, the test data was pretty much the same. The change was not in that, and the change was not in the students.
I will be honest, the change happened slowly. As a matter of fact, it has only been in the last two years, or so, that I have started to view test results differently. Actually, this was the first year that I have really felt almost completely at-ease about how a test went when it did not go well.
Wait, you never said what the change is!
I am getting there. I just need to give a little more back story. Give me a minute!
Okay.
Thanks.
You are welcome.
I used to view testing in a few different ways. Tests allowed me to assess student learning (well-trained answer there, huh?). Tests allowed me to assess how the students received and applied what I taught them. Tests allowed me to see how well students might do on the State Tests. Tests gave me some insight on the test-taking strategies that students have and use. Tests gave me a stopping point to which I can move on to new content and material. Tests judged how well my students and I did during the unit and what I probably ought to find some time to reteach.
Tests played a lot of roles in my teaching life, didn’t they?
Over time, testing became something that was make or break for me. Therefore, test results became this harbinger of how the students were going to do during State Testing, and something that must be revered and feared for this reason. Test data was disheartening. It showed me the failures of my teaching and the failures in student learning. It became even more disparaging and depressing for me as the years passed that it was that first year.
Over time I started to dread testing.
Then came school benchmarks.
My school started doing quarterly benchmarks in the core classes. These results were as bad or worse than my unit tests. They were rigorous and difficult, just like the State Tests. The students hated them. They seldom did well on them. Because they were quarterly, and happened in every class, I started to only give these and stopped using unit tests. The students were up to their eyeballs in tests, so I helped where I could and gave other types of unit assessments (mostly writing prompts for essay-type assessments). Another side effect of the quarterly benchmarks is that, because of lack of time, they were results that I could not use because I could not go back and reteach anything.
I think I got “tested out.”
However, there was a positive result of those benchmarks. My essay assessments gave me real insight on student learning. I was able to really see what students knew, kind of knew, only knew by memory, and what they really understood. I was able to truly differentiate and help scaffold students up to the understanding that they needed because I knew where they were with the content. They did not have it always at the point of multiple choice questioning, and they was some of the problem on the tests. I helped move students as far as I could in the curriculum based on what I found out from the writing.
Back to this year. The essays taught me something. Assessment is not about results, it is about data. I had the two confused. Data is knowledge, results are trying to judge success or failure. Assessment should not be a goal, assessment should be a tool. Assessment should tell us what students know, not know, and truly understand. Assessment should give us clues about teaching strategies that worked and didn’t work. Assessment should assist us in making a plan for moving on. Assessment should be what helps keeps us motivated to keep teaching. We know where students are, now we can keep them moving!
The change was with how I viewed assessments and the resulting data. They are not something to be feared. They should be embraced. I need to look at results more in the “why did this happen” mindset more than the “why did this happen to me” state of mind.
When I looked at my test data last Friday, it told me what I needed to know. I knew what I needed to work on and with who. I was able to start formulating plans for that work. I had information. I could use that information to push my students further on and further in to what they need to learn. Why would this information make me happy?
Tests and test data used to make me feel bad. But I was tilting at windmills. I was looking at something that was mundane (I say this lightly…not that tests and data is mundane…but they are normal parts of the teaching life and not out of the ordinary) as something to cower and fear. Data is not that. Data is data. It is information. It is not a giant to fight, but it is something that can give me energy to keep on teaching and teaching better and better.
Are you tilting at any teaching windmills? Are there things that you view as scary and as enemies that might just be the normal parts of the teaching life that can spur you on to being a better teacher? What are they? Tests? Test data? Observations? Evaluations? Parent contacts? Any other menacing parts of the teaching life? How can you change your mindset about them? How can you use them to move on and be better without them destroying your teaching heart?
You are not alone! We are all with you! Other teachers do understand! We really do! Seek out a teacher to help you turn your giants back into windmills! Can you help someone else do the same, too? We are in this together and we need to help each other!
You are awesome! You are amazing! I know that you will stop fighting windmills and fight the real battles that we need to fight! You can do it! You are doing it and you are making a difference! Keep on teaching, Teacher!
Love, Teacher
PS…I feel like I need to say this. This post is not a commentary on State Tests. It is about the every day teaching life. Please do not read in to what I have said! State Assessments serve their own purpose for who get the results. I am not making a statement for or against State Assessments. Sorry, but I did feel like that should be said! 🙂 Lets avoid doing this in the comments, too! Thanks! There are a lot of places for that debate. Let’s keep it out of this place for encouragement.
(c)DearTeacherLT2013 (You may use the image if you link back to the blog and/or give credit to Dear Teacher/Love Teacher)
Dear Teacher,
I remember it vividly. My first year teaching, and I gave my first major test. It was a Friday. I was excited.
I knew that I taught well. I knew that my students learned. I knew the test was good. I helped come up with a test with questions in the same vein as the State Assessment. The results were going to show that I had my students on the right track. The fact that they were Title I students at a school with a reputation for never making AYP meant nothing. They could learn and they did.
I was so excited to see the results that I decided to stay later on a Friday. I made my way to the Scantron machine (for the younger teachers, we used to use these to score tests for us…this was before the Interwebs made testing easier). I remember turning on the machine and hearing it warm up. I got the scan sheets together by class periods.
I just knew I was going to hear more “buzz” than “clunk” (younger teachers, these are the sounds that this machine made…the clunkier sounds were the machine marking questions as incorrect). I started running the tests…
By the time I finished my last class period, I was quite aware that I would probably have nightmares in which I was being chased by a clunking Scantron machine! I don’t think there was one test with more buzz than clunk. The results were dismal. They were disheartening. They will downright depressing. I went home with my head hung low. This was not the way to start a weekend. This was definitely not the way to start a long weekend (which it was).
I vowed never to grade tests on a Friday again. A promise I would keep for many years.
Fast-forward>>Last Friday
(Younger teachers, back when we had VCRs that used video tapes and cassette players with cassette tapes, we used to be able to advance them forward using the fast-forward button…it had “>>” on it.)
I gave the second test of the school year. This time I used a web-based testing site called Quia (which I highly recommend…it is not super user-friendly, but (great once you learn how to use it)
(Oh, and for you older teachers, we can give tests on the Interwebs now, they give us automatic reports and we can set them to pull from a question bank and everything…find a younger teacher to tell you about them and show you how to use them).
What is cool about this site is that you can, in a way, watch the results in real time (if you keep hitting the “refresh” button, which I do). I saw how the students were doing on the test as they worked on it. I love doing this.
The first test of the year went better than usual. This test, however, was quite similar to the test I told the first story about. I had high expectations, but the results were a bit of a let down. There were far more “inccorects” than “corrects.” Grade were not stellar. They weren’t even atmospheric. They were barely above ground-level. This, like I said, was a lot like that first test grading experience I told you about.
There was a difference this time, though. I did not go home let down. I was, in a way, happy about the results. Maybe happy is not the right word…but I definitely was not in a state of depression. I was fine going into my weekend knowing what the test told me about the students and what they learned.
Why this change? Why did I go from being destroyed by test results to being okay with them? How did I get to the point that disappointing scores did not leave me very disappointed? Why was I able to leave for the weekend borderline happy after a test not going well?
For that, you will need to “tune in” tomorrow for Tilted Windmills: Part 2 (younger teachers, we used to have to literally tune in TV and radio stations with a dial and antenna).
You are awesome and amazing! I bet you probably see where this is going. Even if you don’t, you are interested and want to know more. This is why you are a great teacher. You want to learn from the failures and successes of others. This will make you grow as a teacher and make you the best teacher that you can be for you students! Thank you for being this way. I thank you for your students and I thank you for the future that your students will make better because of you. Keep on teaching and growing, Teacher!
Love, Teacher
PS… Pinterest contest ends next week! Don’t forget about it if you have been putting it off!
(c)DearTeacherLT2013 (You may use the image if you link back to the blog and/or give credit to Dear Teacher/Love Teacher)
Dear Teacher,
How about a Teacher Truth for your Tuesday? Here is a little reminder about who you are and what you do as a teacher. You are amazing! You are awesome! You are making a difference and you are changing the future! Keep on teaching, Teacher! Don’t forget to be brave, too!
It is Monday again. Are you ready for a new week? I think I am…but even if I am not, it is time to jump into that river of the week and ride the rapids of a week in the life of a teacher. Ready or not, here we come, Week! 🙂
You probably know what is coming. If you don’t, click play and then keep reading. Okay, if you are not a Harry Potter fan, don’t watch the video, just listen. Oh, and I have used this band before, but I love them and this song is perfect for what I want to talk about!
I have the pleasure of being a middle school science teacher at a middle school that using the teaming model – a team of teachers in the core subjects (Math, ELA, Social Studies, and Science. There are two teams and the students in each grade are split between the two teams. This means that I am a part of a team with the other three core teachers, and I have a cohort teacher who also teaches science in my grade level (6th grade). This year my science cohort is a first year teacher. For this reason, I have been having to frame up who I am as a teacher more than ever this year…and this led me to an interesting question last week. I had the thought, if the first year version of myself had to work with the current version of me, what would he think?
Quite honestly, I would say that I probably would have been scared of the current teacher version of who I am. Not frightened, but scared of trying to think about teaching as I do now. I would see a lot of what I do as being risky or not making sense. I would admire the way that I can change and adapt to situations on the fly, but the whole “working without a net” thing would scare me.
As a first year teacher, I was focused on teaching what I was given to teach. I lived and died by the standards. The main goal was to deliver all of the standards and make sure I taught them to the T. No time to waste. It was about the standards. If the students did not learn them by the end of the year, it was not my fault. I taught them, and I taught them well.
That mindset kind of scares the current me.
Do not get me wrong. I still teach my standards and teach them completely, but that is not my main focus. My focus now is on learning. How am I teaching my students how to learn? My curriculum decisions have shifted from how can I best deliver the standards to how can the students learn what I need to teach them and apply the learning/concepts to other subjects and the rest of their lives. I do not know how I ever taught any other way. Is there any other focus that should have.
Because of this focus, sometimes my classroom does not seem very science-like. The students write more for me than they do in English sometimes. They are up, they are moving, they are thinking outside of the box. I re-frame the model of teaching and learning constantly, and a lot of times this causes me to spend more time than normal on the set-up for a unit. But it is for a reason. When the students find a reason to learn something, they are more likely to truly learn it! This is the same reason that I will give more time on a concept than I used to…or sometimes less time…because I have changed the frame of why the students are learning it. When you have 100% engagement, it makes the different styles and methods of teaching (and the planning that goes into them) quite worth it.
This way of teaching would have been foreign to me in my first year, and that is why a teacher like I am now would have scared me quite a bit.
I could write a lot more about the changes in my teaching, but I won’t bore you now…let me get to my point instead. 🙂
Who are you, Teacher?
Have you ever taken that cold, hard look in the mirror and asked yourself who you are as a teacher? Would the first year version of you wonder what you are doing? Have you changed at all? Why do you do the things that you do?
If you are a “newbie” teacher (first three years), you can take a look in the mirror, too. When you first started your education program, what kind of teacher did you want to be? Are you that teacher now? Do you see a different kind of teacher you would like to be? What will it take to be that kind of teacher?
The most important question: Why?
I said it above, but the most important question you can ask yourself is: “Why?” Why do you do what you do in the classroom? Why do you make the decisions that you make? Why do you say what you say? Why do you use the methods and resources that you use?
You can also use “Why?” in another pivotal way. Look at teachers who are more like you would like to me and ask them the questions. Why do you do what you do? Why did you do that? Why do you say that? Why do you use those methods and resources? Why do you “die on the hills” that you die on with students and “fight the battles” you chose to fight. These questions are especially important if the teacher does a lot of things that are not necessarily “live or die” parts of their standards.
“Why?” is a life-changing questions. You need to ask it of yourself and others!
This is Your Life
This is your life, Teacher. Are you who you want to be? Are you making the choices that you want to make? Are you impacting students in the ways that you wish you could?
Today is a good day to start. Start asking “Why?” today. Once you have your answers, start moving from there. How can you make a future self that your current self can be proud of? Start building that future today!
(c)DearTeacherLT2013 (You may use the image if you link back to the blog and/or give credit to Dear Teacher/Love Teacher)
Your are so awesome! I know that do and will ask the hard questions. I know that you will start to find ways to make changes. I know that you will make a future self that other teachers will model themselves after! You are amazing! Keep on teaching, Teacher!
Love, Teacher
PS…A lot of you visited my Teachers Pay Teachers store last week, I used feedback to completely renovate the store and products. You can now get all of my current Awesome Notes for one low price, and they are much more user friendly. The free product is even something that I love to use. Please check it out. The picture in this post is one of the notes in the megapack, by the way. Oh, and I promise, this is the last commercial for the TpT Store for a while. 🙂
Dear Teacher/Love Teacher 