General Inspiration – Page 12 – Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

You Have What It Takes…to Innovate

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

I am an admitted NASAphile. I have loved all things NASA for a very long time, and I even had a dream to go to Space Camp when I was younger. That dream was fulfilled twice as an adult when I was able to attend Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy and Advanced Space Camp once I became a science teacher. NASA, and space, in general was fueled by my love of science and technology. NASA has been and will probably always be on the cutting edge of innovation, and I think that has a lot to do with my fascination.

As teachers, we are asked to be innovators. To survive in the world of 21st Century education, we need to be at the pinnacle of current understanding of teaching and learning. We need to engage our students. We need to understand technology, at least in some form or at least know the technology our students are in to. We need to be able to monitor and then adjust at the drop of the hat. We need to be masters of our learning environment. We need to manage our classrooms with grace and efficiency. And we need to all of this, and more, in an ever-changing educational landscape.

I was inspired today by a post on Edutopia, called, “What You Need to be an Innovative Educator.” It was about, as you can guess, innovation in teaching. The surprising part of the article is that it was not about being the best with technology or the latest education trends. It was more about you, as a teacher, than about what you do. I highly recommend that you read the post on Edutopia, but I am going to use what it says to give us a quick little pep talk. I need it right now as I am getting bogged down in some detailed planning of big ideas for next year.

You Have What It Takes to Innovate

It is not about the latest and the greatest things…technology and strategies. That is not what your students need. It is not about the resources you may or may not have, it isn’t even internet or worksheets. Innovation is about you, Teacher.

It is about who you are and not so much what you do. It is what is in your heart and mind, and your heart and mind have what it takes to innovate.

You know how to prioritize and find what is important. You know it is more than the whats and the hows, it is about the process of figuring those out. You are a human strainer that lets standards and indicators pass through, leaving only the enduring understandings. You know how do do this, and it is in you, Teacher.

You also know that to teach well you have to be selfless. No one had to tell you that this is bigger than you are. You know that it is okay to ask for help and you always know when and how. You are even brave enough to sometimes even consider to allow students in on your planning.

You know that time and energy are more important than money and permission. Stuff is nice, but if you give things enough time you know that you can plan around the stuff. Energy is hard to come by, but you know you need to give it and somehow you always find it. Time and energy are the key and you always give these freely.

You are a teacher, and you have heard since the beginning that teachers beg, steal, or borrow. You are not too proud or afraid to beg, steal, or borrow. Sometimes you reinvent wheels, but this is few and far between. You look to models to work from and put your own fingerprints on.

You are more than willing to stick your neck out for your students. If you know that something could work beautifully but there is a chance it will blow up in your face, you take the chance for the sake of your students. You can always backtrack, but if your plan works out you may help your students leap ahead. You are willing to take the leap of faith to things you know will be best and you are not afraid.

Most of all your students trust you, and you trust your students. They will follow you where you lead them, especially if they think you are leading them where they need to go. You trust that what you think will work WILL, in fact, work and that your students can make it happen. Trust goes both ways, and you have confidence in this trust with your students.

Innovation is hard, even harder without stuff, but it isn’t really about stuff. The stuff will change. How we are asked to teach will change. Innovative teachers work within these changes, whatever they may be, and you have what it takes to be one of these innovative teachers.

So get out there an innovate!

I have no doubt that you are one of these innovative teachers! You are awesome! You work with in the medium you are given. You strive to be the best you can be. So get out there and be that “the best.” You have what it takes so go out and be innovate! You are amazing! Keep dreaming, innovating, and teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

General Inspiration, Pep Talk, Theme Song

(there can be miracles) When You Believe

Posted on July 30, 2013July 30, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

I am so sorry. I was not able to post my normal Monday morning post. Even though the weekly theme song is a day late, the week is still young. I chose this song because it is a powerful one sung by to powerful voices. I need this boost of inspiration this week, I don’t know about you. Click play (and skip the ad if one comes up) and then read on.

For those of us on summer break, it is slowly coming to a close. The days are soon approaching when you will be meeting your students at the door of your classroom. You will, once again, be that face of education for them. You will be the one that sets the tone for your class and the day for many of your students. What you say, do, think, and feel about them will help decide what they say, do, think, and feel about themselves.

Our job is hard, We have to plan curriculum, timing, assessments and the like. We have to implement and delver those plans we made. We have to manage the classroom. We have to help students on their good days and their bad days. We have to help students on our good and bad days. We have to deal with difficult students and find ways to bring them back into the learning environment. We have to keep students engaged. We have to find a way to help them learn. We have to ensure they are ready for success on state tests. We have to follow guidelines and expectations from the state, district, and administration. We have a lot of balls to juggle at once. It is hard to keep them all in the air most days.

And along with all of this, and probably above all of this, we are the key to our students’ attitude and belief about learning and education. The way we talk, carry ourselves, and visibly feel (feeling show) affect how they act and feel. Your attitude sets their attitude. Your tone sets their tone. Your expectations for them become the expectations that they have for themselves.

The best word that I can think of to sum this up is belief. I am not talking about spiritual belief (though important to most people), I am talking about belief in yourself and others. Beliefs are powerful. They affect you and those around you. What you believe sets the atmosphere of your classroom and the students sitting in it. Your belief in them and what you are teaching them becomes what they believe. If your belief about achievement is low, it will be low for your students. If it is high, it will be high for your students.

The amazing thing about beliefs is that you don’t have to talk someone into them. You don’t need “buy-in.” If you are bought in, your students will eventually be bought in. When someone truly believes in you, eventually you start to believe them and then believe in yourself. This is doubly true for your students. You set the environment of belief and they tune into it. Like it or not, this is the reality.

So…what are your beliefs for the coming year (or the year you are in if you are currently teaching)? What does your belief about your students, classroom, and school say to the students. Are your goals set unbelievably high? If they aren’t, they should be. Set them high and believe, truly believe, that your students can reach them. Make them attainable goals, but make them lofty. Once your goals are in place, communicate them constantly to your students. Then believe. Believe. Believe. Your students WILL buy in and start to believe themselves.

The song is so right. There can be miracles when you believe. Belief helps you to do things that you never thought you could do before. It makes you rise to heights you did not know you could reach. It makes you more than you could be.

A few posts back, I shared a bunch of clips. Two of them were from Taylor Mali. The last one is called “Miracle Workers.” In it he talks about teachers as miracle workers. He says this near the end of the talk/poem, “Education is the miracle. I am just the work. I am a teacher, and that’s what we do.”

Be a miracle worker. Set high goals for the year and believe, believe, BELIEVE!

You are awesome! I know this week will be great for you. I know this coming school year (or current one) will be great. Be awesome because you are awesome. If you need someone to believe in you, know that I do. I believe in you. Be amazing! Keep on dreaming and teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

General Inspiration, Pep Talk

I am a Teacher and a Fungi

Posted on July 25, 2013July 25, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

To get the title, you need to pronounce “fungi” as “fun guy.” I am a teacher and a fun-guy…get it? Okay, I know it is a little cheesy, but I have your attention now. That was the point. 🙂

If I haven’t mentioned it before, I am a middle school science teacher. I know, doubly crazy. You have to be a little crazy to teach science, and you have to be a lot of crazy to teach middle school! I do love it, though. I love teaching middle school students, and I LOVE teaching science. One of the cool things about being a science teacher is that we get to do a lot of fun and interesting professional development! I am on my last day of an in-district science workshop, and it has been a blast!

I bring this up because yesterday we learned about fungi. We learned more about this organism kingdom and new and fun ways to teach about them and tie them into other parts of our curriculum. I found out so many things I did not know before. I did not realize how fungus connects to so many parts of our lives! (Side note: I also learned about zombie ant symbiosis…very cool and creepy!)

I am going to talk a little “science,” but please keep reading…there is a point with some hope and encouragement in the end!

Fungi are a vital part of life. Really. Without fungus, life on planet Earth would probably not be here. They play a vital role in the ecosystem and environment. Decomposition is key to breaking down the “dead stuff” and bringing out the nutrients and minerals that allow “live stuff” to be alive. Things die, decompose, and new things are born, grow, develop, then die…repetition is necessary…the circle of life!

Fungi are a major part of that circle (I wonder if they were upset that their part was cut from the Lion King movie). They are one of the most important decomposers, right up there with bacteria. They break down dead things. That is what they do. That is what they literally live for…they live for the dead stuff. This is their job, and they do it well! Take a short walk through the woods, which we did yesterday, and look closely, and you will find that you are surrounded by fungi. It is everywhere. It needs to be. Imagine if they were not doing this…dead stuff everywhere…wait, let’s stop thinking about it!

Okay, think I have bored you with fungi enough. Why did I talk about them so much? Because sometimes we, teachers, are fungi, or at least we feel that way. Most people do not get all that excited about fungi (except science teachers). Actually, most people are the opposite of excited about fungi, unless they ordered it on their pizza. Dislike of fungi is understood and valid, though, being that many mushrooms and molds are nuisance and a health hazard. However, this does not change how vital they are and the need for them to sustain and continue the circle of life. Teachers are the same way.

Last month, I wrote about red pandas. Red pandas are a misunderstood animal, fungi are a misunderstood organism, and your have a misunderstood career. People, even in the education “business,” do not usually know all that we do or get why decisions that we make daily are so important. Like fungi, we are known about with out truly being understood. We usually take this in stride, hold our heads up, and stand tall. Other times it gets to us, especially in those times that we are overwhelmed with all that we need to do.

We need to remind ourselves of our importance. We need to remember that everything we do makes a difference. We need to know beyond a doubt that we are vital to the future…just like fungus.

We are the fungi that take what is good from generations current and past and pass them on to the future. We are the key to the circle of societal life. We are what drive the future. We do not make the future, but we pass the energy on from one generation to the next. Be proud of this. Be proud to be a fungus!

You are awesome! Hopefully this made sense and you get what I am saying! It has been a long week, and my brain is a bit tired. I hope this came across the way that I intended and encouraged you. You are amazing! You are important. You are needed. You are making a difference! Keep on passing on the good to the next generation and keep teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

PS…Check out yesterdays post to learn more about a Teacher Rockstar who took his role as fungi seriously!

General Inspiration, Get Psyched!, You Are Awesome!!!

Are You Oozing? You Should Be.

Posted on July 23, 2013August 3, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

When I went to New York City for the first time this summer, there was a lot of things that I expected. I was not disappointed, and I mean this in a good way. However, it was the unexpected that blew me away and that I will always stick with me (and make me want to go back).

The major unexpected thing for me was that I absolutely fell in love with the city. I loved it! I loved everything about it! We were only there for two days, and I took around 500 pictures! I took pictures of anything and everything! You can probably tell. I have used the pictures on the blog a lot. 🙂 There are so many things that made me just love the city, but one of the big things was another unexpected thing, and that is the New York City Police Department.

I have heard that the NYPD has a reputation of love for their city and will do what they can to take care of the city and the people who call it home. There are stories (and movies) here and there of “cops gone bad,” but that is really few and far between. I believed the good things that I heard. I expected to respect the police there, very much. And I did. What I did not expect was the pride.

Pride is one of the only words I can think of the NYPD when I look back at our trip. Every NYPD officer that I saw showed pride. I do not know how to explain what I mean by that. The best I can say is that pride for themselves and the city was on them like a part of their uniform. They wore it and it shined off of them like the summer Sun off of something shiny. Pride oozed from their being. This was especially so the closer you got to the 9/11 Memorial site. They were proud of who they are, what they do, who they represent, and their city. And they made me feel that pride. It gave me a far deeper respect for them, and it does me great honor to talk about them right now. Their pride changes them, and I have a feeling that their pride is a part of why people fall in love with NYC.

I could talk more about this, much more. We had some cool encounters with some police officers while we were there, but I think you get the point. Pride is powerful. Pride for the right things is even more powerful. It makes people respect what you do, but more than that, it makes people want to be more because you are more. Pride is a part of the more that I wrote about yesterday. Pride changes lives!

Teacher, are you proud about what you do? I mean really proud? I am not just talking about the “yeah, my job is kinda important, I guess” kind of pride. I mean the pride that oozes from you. People know that you are serious about what you do, you take time and effort to get better at it every day, and it just shines off of you in all that you do (in and out of school). You are not ashamed to talk about what you do, and you talk to people about it you make them excited for you because your excitement for the beauty of education bubbles and bursts out of you in a geyser of pride.

Is this kind of pride for education something that people know you for? Are you like the police officer on the streets of New York that gives off a pride that you can feel from just looking at them? Is this you? Do you wear pride like a uniform? Do you put it on every morning…even on non-school days?

Teacher friend, think about it. You are a teacher. YOU ARE A TEACHER! You are an artist that works in the medium of minds and hearts. You get to help students have “aha moments” each and every day. You get to find new ways to show connections between ideas and contents. You get to help people think on their own. You get to show how you learn. You get to learn constantly. You get to make a plan, implement, evaluate, and then try again. You get new students every year. You get to be involved in their lives. You get to help them make decisions. You get to help them make decisions on their own. You get to mold and shape lives. You get to put your fingerprints on the future. The future will not be the same because you do what you do every day! You make a difference with every sec0nd of every minute of the time you put in!

Show some pride! You have the most amazing job/career in the world! Love what you do! Really love it! I mean REALLY, REALLY LOVE IT! Once you love it, let that pride ooze off of you and infect everyone you come in contact with!

Don’t begrudge planning, PD, PLCs, faculty meeting, seminars, parent conferences, student conferences, and all of the minutia of the day/week/month/year! Embrace them! They may be boring or mind-numbing, but they are the things that help you do what you do and make you better at it! Let your pride in what you do make those things less irritating! I know your job is hard, I am just like you, but look at those hard parts as things that can just make you better! Love what you do and let your pride shine!

You are awesome! You ARE making a difference! You do have pride in what you do. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be reading this! Find a way to remember what you love, embrace it, and start oozing pride today. I know that you will. You are amazing! Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

PS… Let me share the comic version of the Taylor Mali poem that I shared last Friday. It was just created and released on Zen Pencils. Warning, there is just a little language in it, but I think it is worth it. It sums up what I wrote this morning and the pride we feel as teachers!

Challenge, General Inspiration, Hope for Teachers, Pep Talk, Secret Occupations of Teachers

You, Teacher, Are a Flight Attendant

Posted on July 20, 2013July 20, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

Earlier this summer I did some traveling with my family. A part of that travel was a few trips on airplanes, and this was my preschool’s son first time going on airplanes. This let me think and view the trip from his perspective. There was a sense of wonder and awe with everything on the airplane and all of the aspects of riding on one. As I enjoyed sitting with him as he took it all in, it got me thinking and this spurred an idea in my mind. This idea is what became the Secret Occupations of Teachers (S.O.o.T.) posts.

Today S.O.o.T. is the one that started this idea in the first place. Teachers are like flight attendants. I know, this one is going to seem like a bit of a stretch, but just bare with me. I think it will make sense. 🙂

A flight attendant is an important part of a flight crew. Of all of the roles that are played on an airplane, the flight attendant is the most public, at least to passengers. Basically, they are the face of the flight. They are who set the tone before, during, and after take-off and landing.

The job of flight attendant serves two main functions: ensure that safety regulations are being followed and to make sure that passengers as as comfortable as possible during the flight. Everything that flight attendants do fall under those categories. CareerPlanner.com gives the following job description:

1) Announce and demonstrate safety and emergency procedures such as the use of oxygen masks, seat belts, and life jackets.

2) Answer passengers’ questions about flights, aircraft, weather, travel routes and services, arrival times, and/or schedules.

3) Assist passengers in placing carry-on luggage in overhead, garment, or under-seat storage.

4) Assist passengers while entering or disembarking the aircraft.

5) Attend preflight briefings concerning weather, altitudes, routes, emergency procedures, crew coordination, lengths of flights, food and beverage services offered, and numbers of passengers.

6) Check to ensure that food, beverages, blankets, reading material, emergency equipment, and other supplies are aboard and are in adequate supply.

To sum it up, flight attendants are all about passengers. To keep them safe. To keep them happy as possible. I know there have been some stories in the news where this did not happen, and most of us have had a bad experience or two, but for the most part we can probably say that a majority of flight attendants do the best job possible. Which would be hard, if you think about it. They know that they probably will not see the passengers again, and sometimes the passengers can be rude for a number of reasons. They put up with a lot, but they try to keep a smile on their faces as they pass passengers on from one place to the next as safely and comfortably as possible.

Acknowledgement

Teacher, you are a flight attendant. You have two main roles as a teacher, to ensure a safe environment for learning and to provide and atmosphere that makes learning comfortable (comfortable in terms of growing understanding, thinking skills/processes, independent thought, etc…). When the learning environment is safe and comfortable, thinking, understanding, and learning happens.

I know that I have shared this quote before, but what Albert Einstein said fits so well here:

I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide an environment in which they can learn.

We, as teachers, set the tone, atmosphere, and safety net for learning. We make sure that students feel secure. We make sure that they are safe physically, mentally, and emotionally. We make sure that they have what they need. We go over the procedures over, and over, and over, and over, and over…and then one more time. We provide for them. We even sometimes give snacks…on the longer flights of knowledge. And we put up with a lot…keeping a smile the best that we can.

Encouragement

The constant smile on your face comes with a cost…it is hard to do and sometimes almost hurts to take what gets thrown at you. Sometimes you do not handle it well, but those times are not often. You do your best to keep your cool. You do your best to keep a straight face as you go over the “safety procedures” while your student roll there eyes. You try to deal with disgruntled “passengers” the best that you can and keep an even tone. You do your best to work with your “passengers” even though the “pilots” may be making what you need to do difficult from time to time. You try to keep that smile and continue to keep your “passengers” safe and the learning environment comfortable.

You are awesome. People who think you do not do miracles every day just don’t know what you do. They don’t understand. Students, parents, administration, and anyone else who gives you negative feedback from time to time do not see your day-to-day and minute-to-minute. Take it with a grain of salt, change what you can change, and move on. You are amazing. Keep that smile up no matter what goes down. You are good at what you do and you are making a difference.

Challenge

Teacher, are you doing all that you can do to keep the learning environment as safe and comfortable as you possibly can? What can you do improve the atmosphere of your classroom and optimize learning every day? The challenge I would like to give to you is to find some way you can make a change. It can be a teaching strategy or a change in how you view thinking and learning. Pick one thing. Study it. Absorb it. Plan with it. Implement it. One thing. Summer folks, you even have a few weeks left to do this.

A couple of suggestions of things that I have pick as some of my “one things”:

Problem/Project Based Learning (PBL) – PBL is a buzzword (well, buzz-letters) you probably have been hearing about if you do not already know about it and use it. Basically, it is giving your content relevance to the students and teaching with an end in mind that the students buy into. The Buck Institute for Education is one of the best sources out there. Edutopia also has some great information and available resources for incorporating PBL. Project Based Learning has a self-guided mini-course you can work through to learn more, and this is the site that helped me the most.
Brain-Based Learning – as you can probably infer, brain-based learning uses current brain research to improve the understanding of teaching and learning processes and helps you change your teaching strategies in light of this. Teaching with Poverty in Mind by Eric Jensen, which I know I talk about a lot, was the beginning of my understanding and implementation brain-based learning. He also has several other books (Teaching with the Brain in Mind, Brain-Based Learning: The New Paradigm of Teaching, and Turnaround Tools for the Teenage Brain, to name a few…and no, they are not paying me for endorsements, I am just a fan!). There are other great resources out there, as well. There is a book that I plan to get soon that would be a great place to start, Brain Rules by John Medina (who is a molecular biologist who knows what he is talking about…he is not just a former teacher). Another great resource is How the Brain Learns by Dr. David Sousa (viewed as one of the leading experts on the brain and learning). You can do an internet search and find a number of online resources, as well.

Teacher, you are a flight attendant. It may seem like a lesser job on the flight crew, but it really one of the most important. What you do is important. Very important! You set the tone, atmosphere, and environment for learning. And you do it with a smile. You are awesome! Keep on smiling and keep on teaching!

Remember this, we are only flight attendants for our students on their way from one city to the next on their journey of life. Don’t waste the little time that you have with them! Now, please return your seats and tray tables to the proper, upright position. 🙂

Love, Teacher

PS…Thanks for reading through this one. It was long! I hope it was worth your time!

Oh, and for those of you who use Edmodo, I have started an Edmodo Group for the daily updates. This way I will be able to make the “Edmodo blasts” in the Communities few and far between…I don’t know that everyone “loves” them. 🙂

Friday Note, General Inspiration, Pep Talk, Reason for Teaching, Teaching Power, You Are Awesome!!!

Some [funny and inspiring] Thoughts on Teaching

Posted on July 19, 2013July 19, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

This week was full of some heavy posts…inspiring and encouraging, but still heavy. I thought I might make today a lighter day and celebrate some of what we love about teaching! And because my post have been longer this week, I am going to have you do more watching than reading. 🙂

Our job is difficult. We try to use innovative methods and strategies, but sometimes it just doesn’t seem like the kids are getting it. Sometimes it feels like this…you may or may not remember this Saturday Night Live sketch from the 90’s. If you have seen it, watch it again and enjoy. If you haven’t seen it, watch it for the first time and laugh your socks off! It is hilarious, but it is amazing how it actually feels this way sometimes! The only difference is that in real life you don’t give up…you don’t give up because you are AWESOME! 🙂

Now, unfortunately, the world at-large thinks that it is really always like this and that we are just flying by the seat of our pants. But we don’t. We plan. We fight. We do all that we need to do to make the biggest impact we can on students. It is hard work, and we don’t get paid enough to do it. That doesn’t matter to us, in the big picture, though because we know we do this for more than money. Sometimes it is hard to get other people to understand why, though. Here is another video you may or may not have seen; but you most likely have heard the dinner party story before. Taylor Mahi does an awesome job of telling the story and showing the passion of why we do what we do. Have a watch.

To round out this all out, I want to go back to the first video. That was a comical look at what we do, but I want you to see a teacher’s perspective, someone like us, on what we do day to day…and why we love it. I found this while I was looking for the Taylor Mahi video. This is another one by him, and I really think it sums it all up nicely.

You are so awesome. What you do is hard. It takes time, it takes heart, it takes grit. You are good at it. You are making a difference. You are a miracle worker, and you are amazing! Never give up and never surrender to stress that we swim in. Keep going and keep teaching, Teacher!

Wait…before you go. I want to give a weekend homework assignment. Homework over the weekend? Yes, home work over the weekend! I want you to go through and find three of your favorite posts here at Dear Teacher/Love Teacher and share them with someone (or a lot of someones). Share on Edmodo, Facebook, Twitter, email, or how ever else you can. Then come back here and tell us all the response. Encouragement is hard to find in our job sometimes, so when we find it we need to share it!

Thank you, Awesome Teacher! You are the best!

Love, Teacher

PS…Oh, and for those of you who use Edmodo, I have started an Edmodo Group for the daily updates. This way I will be able to make the “Edmodo blasts” in the Communities few and far between…I don’t know that everyone “loves” them. 🙂

Challenge, General Inspiration, Teacher Testimony, Theme Song

Why You and I Are Here…You Raise Me Up

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

Yesterday I talked about how I was feeling overwhelmed when I looked at my goals and expectations for the new year (and all the work it will take to get there). This morning I am feeling overwhelmed in a different way…a good way. First of all, just a quick follow-up from yesterday. I took my own advise and just worked in the areas I knew that I could get some stuff done pretty easily. Throughout the day, those little things built on each other and I was able to make some great strides in climbing that mountain of preparation for the new year! I had a few people cheering me on, and that helped!

This is not why I am overwhelmed this morning, though. I am overwhelmed because of you! I had more people respond to yesterday’s post than any other. Most of the feedback came through Edmodo and the Facebook Page, and it just kept coming. Many people shared about how yesterday’s post encouraged them and helped them to keep moving even when the task was daunting. Along with this, many of the messages also shared what this blog means to them and how the encouragement, hope, and challenges help them to feel like they are not alone. Knowing you are not the only one feeling what you feel and that other people are going through the same things that you are going through goes along way to renew you teacher’s heart.

These messages make me want to share, again, why I started this blog and what I hope to spark with it…and I think the sparks are flying. But before I do, I am going to veer a little off of the new normal here and have a song to listen to while you read on a Thursday (two songs in one week! Woo hoo! 🙂 ). Play the song and then read on.

Teacher, I am just like you. I teach because I love it. I teach because I want to make a difference. I teach because I do not think I could not teach. Teaching is in my heart, blood, and soul. I am a teacher, just like you.

I am also a teacher just like you in that I get stressed by the expectations from others. I love my students, but sometimes teaching them can be difficult. Sometimes the weight of all the little things that come along with teaching weigh me down. Sometimes those things can bowl me over and run me down. I get tired. I get beat up. I get worn down. I see the ebb and flow of the year that always wants to push me closer and closer to burnout. I fight it off…but it is hard. I know what you go through in a year, Teacher. I am just like you. I am a teacher.

(c)DearTeacherLT2013 (You may use the image if you link back to this blog or give credit to this blog.)

Every school year I get to that point right on the precipice of burnout. I can see and smell it. I don’t get to the point of burnout every year, but I usually get close. Really close. Last year was different, though. I saw burnout on the horizon, but I never really got that close to it. It stayed in the distance, far away.

Why? What was different last year.

I can actually point to a number of things that helped make that happen, but I want to focus on one. Hope. The power of hope. The funny part is, it wasn’t hope for me. It was hope for others.

I read through the book Teaching with Poverty in Mind by Eric Jensen near the end of the school year (great book whether or not you teach at a Title I school or not), and I got to a section that talked about the power that hope has on the brain and learning. This opened my eyes. I needed to help give my students hope and encouragement more intentionally and make it a priority. I took on the task of handwriting personal notes to all 80 of my students. The response was amazing! I will write more about this another day, but the students loved getting these…I had some students hound me about it until they got theirs. They started asking the other teachers when they would be writing notes! Sorry teammates! 🙂

As I wrote these letters, I got to thinking how much some simple words of real encouragement (based on positive truth..the only kind of encouragement I know how to give) would make me feel and spur me on to bigger and greater things. I went looking online for some kind of source of this kind of encouragement for teachers. It wasn’t there. I could not find anything like that. I wanted something for teachers by teachers to give hope and encouragement. I just couldn’t find it. So I decided to create it myself! Thus Dear Teacher/Love Teacher was born!

The purpose of Dear Teacher/Love Teacher is give hope, encouragement, inspiration, and challenges to you, Teacher, from another or other teachers (me and my Substitute Teachers). More than giving you hope, though, the other purpose, or the sparks, is that I want to push you on to do the same for other teachers and for your students. I want you to be a conduit of hope and inspiration. There is so much negativity in education right now…I want to start an Encouragement Revolution. That starts with me and starts with you.

Going back to the beginning when I talked about burnout, I think that hope giving and spreading is one of the big reason that burnout stayed away from me this year. Encouraging others encouraged me and kept me going!

The reason that I believe encouragement is so important to give out, is that it is a part of our job as teachers…or should be. I had you play this song, not so you could think about the people who “raise [you] up” but to start thinking about yourself as someone that others could sing this song to. I want you to be a person that raises people (both other teachers and your students) up to more than they could be.

How can you…

lift some burdens from some of your fellow teachers?
sit a while with someone who feels alone and help them feel less lonely?
fill your students with wonder?
help students and other teachers feel like they can climb impossible mountains?
walk with a teacher over a stormy sea?
make a student or a younger teacher stronger by being on your shoulders?
push those around you to be more than they could be without you?

Teacher, if you are here reading this. You understand the importance of hope. You get the need for encouragement. You want to be inspired and challenged. I am glad you came. I am glad you are finding that here. Now go and give what you have gotten here out to others! If you just keep it to yourself it isn’t worth as much! If you give away all the good that you have and run out…come back here for a refill. That is what I am here for!

You are so awesome! I know that you will leave a trail of that awesome behind where ever you go! You are amazing and you are making a difference! Keep going and keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

General Inspiration, Pep Talk

Small Steps that make Big Differences

Posted on July 17, 2013July 17, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

I don’t know how this week has been for you, but it has been a tough one for me. It is only halfway through summer, but I am already getting a bit overwhelmed with everything that I need to get done before school starts (not to mention all of the summer chores to get done here at home). This is coupled with trying to pick myself back up after finding out the state test scores from last school year. I want it to be a motivation to try to streamline and learn from my mistakes for next year, but it still takes a bit of the wind out of your sails.

Have you been where I am? Excited about planning and setting expectations for the new year, but also a bit overwhelmed and pre-defeated by the staggering odds against you? It is hard. It is like setting a goal to climb a mountain, but standing at the bottom of it and seeing how impossible it feels to do so.

We make big plans and set huge goals for ourselves and our students for the next year. We get psyched up and amped up as we plan and see all the possibilities. Then reality hits us. We think about what hasn’t worked in the past. We start to wonder if our students will buy-in. We think of all the obstacles in the way of our goals. We start to wonder if the hard work of planning in a new direction is worth it. It gets hard to focus on the details needed because the climb seems so daunting. We won’t give up, but something inside wants us just to do what we did last year or wing it. I am at that point. How about you? I will push through it, but I am just there.

But I won’t give up, and I will keep going. So will you. And you know why? It is because we know a secret. It is this secret that we live by in these times, and it is this secret we hope to pass on to our students.

There is a often quoted, and probably cliche, Chinese proverb by Laozi that sums up the secret. Here is the traditional translation:

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Or, another translation:

The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one’s feet.

The secret is this. No matter the odds or the pain of disappointment, we keep moving. We set a destination and move towards it. We power through. We keep taking the steps. No matter the situation. We know where we need to go, and we keep trying to get there. Step by step. Even if those steps are baby steps at times, we keep going. We keep soldiering on!

In my case, I am looking for the little things I can do to push me forward. I am trying to break my big goals into smaller steps. I am finding little areas of planning that are very real and easy. This way, as I am pushing through the hard parts of starting the climb I am still moving in very real and measurable ways. In a few days or a week, I will be able to look back and see that I am actually gaining ground. That will push me to keep climbing!

What about you? What are you doing? Are you planning for the next year? Are you still teaching right now and in one of those spots that happen during a school year? What do you need to focus on? What little steps can you take to keep you taking the big steps?

Never forget…no matter how impossible the journey, JUST START SOMEWHERE! Each little step makes a big difference! And remember, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!

No matter where you are or how you are feeling, I know that you will press on. You are awesome! You are amazing! And you are making a difference! Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

General Inspiration, Get Psyched!, Theme Song

Stronger (what doesn’t kill you)

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

Sorry for the tardiness of the weekly theme song, but I was running late this morning. Fortunately, my lateness helped me finally decide on the song…I debated a few. I usually write my posts in the morning, but I did not get to do so today and a lot has happened in the meantime! I was able to find out the results of the state tests this year for my students…and the scores did not quite meet up to my expectations…so I definitely need today’s song. As a matter of fact, the song has been in my head ever since I read the scores. This week we are going to focus on the fact that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger!

You know the drill. Play the song and then continue reading.

You are teacher. You have high expectations. You have high expectations for your students. You have high expectations for yourself. You have high expectations for the year.

Sometimes the expectations are realistic and easily attainable. Sometimes the expectations are lofty and nearly impossible. Both types of expectations are valid and important. Attainable goals help give you benchmarks to reach throughout the year. Nearly impossible goals give you a target to aim towards a trajectory to head out on.

Unfortunately, when all is said and done you have to measure up to the expectations. Often, the realistic goals are reached, but sometimes the aren’t. Seldom are the lofty goals met, but sometimes they actually are. Either way, there is usually a mix of celebrations and letdowns at the end when you start to reflect. Sometimes the celebrations are huge…but sometimes the letdowns are even bigger.

It is important to take a good look at the failures you have regarding your expectations (both realistic and lofty ones). I mean, take a good long look at them. They are a mirror. You will be tempted to point fingers as to why this happened, but that is not the way to get better in light of the letdowns. You need to use them as a mirror to let you see where to improve. You and look and see what you can do differently. What you can change. You can see where you need help. You can use it to identify your deficits and look for resources to help you with them. Failure is a chance to rebuild. It is a chance to start over. It is a chance to start the changes in others by focusing on the changes you need to make in yourself.

What doesn’t kill you, as a teacher, does make you stronger. It makes you a better teacher, if you will let it.

Not meet your goals for state tests? How will you change and do things differently to change this next year?
Have difficult situations to face at your school? How will you be different and rise above these challenges and push through them in order to be a better teacher for you students?
Have students that you did not handle well last year? What will you work on to help you do change the dynamic with similar students in the years to come?
Was classroom management an issue? What are you learning, reading, or working on to help you change this? You set the tone and the attitude in your classroom. How are you going to do this differently from now on?
Have issues with coworkers or other people in the learning community? What are you going to do to make a difference in these relationships? What can you do? Who can you go to for help?

Unmet goals and difficult circumstances will not kill you. If you let them, they will make you a leaner and meaner (figuratively speaking) teacher from this point on. Hold up the mirror to yourself and start making the changes you can make. I know that you can. I know that you will.

You are awesome! Keep surviving. Keep letting each new challenge make you better than before. You are amazing! Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

PS…The picture at the top of the page is of the Survivor Tree at Ground Zero (World Trade Center) in New York. This tree was the only thing left standing in the aftermath…and it is thriving today.

General Inspiration, Quotes to Inspire

Apple Influence

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

Good Saturday morning!

Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday, it was quite a busy day. If I find the time, I might do two posts today. For now it will just be a quick one. A friend of mine share this quote with me. He is a “teacher” at our school (he is not a teacher-teacher, but he is a teacher, he runs our ISS), and he is really good at working with our most difficult cases. This has stuck with me ever since he said it do me.

I looked it up and there are conflicting sources as having said this, but the top two are Robert Schuller and Karen Jensen. They both have a nice ring to them, and Jensen focuses on teaching, so I am going to share both.

Any fool can count the seeds in an apple. Only God can count all the apples in one seed. -Shuller

You can count the seeds in an apple, but you can’t count the apples in a seed. When you teach, you will never know how many lives you will influence…you are teaching for eternity. -Jensen

I share this quotes and this poster because we need to focus on the big picture. This week I talked a lot about our need as teachers to change (Wednesday and Thursday), and I will continue to talk about it for the next couple of weeks…can you tell the workshop I went to had a big effect on my thinking? We do need to take a look in the mirror and see where we can change to make a bigger impact on students and our learning. I think the idea of never knowing how many lives the live you influence will go on to influence. It puts it all into perspective.

It is time for us to get out of our comfort zones. Another Jensen, Eric Jensen (who put on the training I went to) said something that stuck with all of us there:

Is maintaining you comfort level more important than our kids graduating?

Read that again and let it sink in. Is being in a teaching “grove” and being good enough worth any student not graduating if you could have affected this at some point for the better? This should speak to you no matter what kind of school you teach at or the grade level you teach? Can you stand up and say, like Jaime Escalante said at t staff meeting, “I’m not [doing enough]. I could teach more.” Escalante is the teacher that the movie Stand and Deliver was about and the center of my first Teacher Rockstar post series I hope begin next week.

We can all do more. It is probably not “doing more” for most teachers, especially you. You, and others, already do so much. It is more about doing what you do more effectively and with a new focus. I think the quote about seeds and apples is a great place to start to thinking about what our focus is. How can we grow the most apples from each seed that go on to grow more apples from more seeds?

You are so awesome! I know that some of this is hitting home, because the post It’s Not Me, It’s YOU has been the most viewed post here…hitting 800 in three days…and still going up. I am going to keep hitting this them, but I am also going to give you so help, ideas, and models that will help us all go out there and grow as many apples as we can…and we will never know the final tally! You ARE making a differences and influencing those seeds! Keep growing and keep teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

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