Pep Talk – Page 4 – Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Choose Positive, General Inspiration, Hope for Teachers, Note to Teachers, Pep Talk

Two Wonderful Minutes

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Garfield Friday – Image Found: http://www.xm105fm.com/2014/01/24/for-the-drive-show-on-your-friday/

Dear Teacher,

For two wonderful, glorious minutes I thought today was Friday. Then like a slap to the face the shock set in that it was merely Thursday. It was like a cold water wake up…but now I am away to my Thursday reality.

That reality is simple:

I am a teacher.
It is a school day.
I have a job to do.
I have minds to mold.
I have hearts with which to connect.
I have students’ needs to meet.
I have arrows to block from my students.
I have monsters that need to be fought for my students.
I have content to teach.
I have concepts to make real.
I have weight that I need to carry for others.
I have lessons that need to be lessened.
I have ideas that need to be thought.
I have thoughts that need to be communicated.
I have too much to do and prioritizing that needs to happen.
I have a future to affect.
I have a world to make better.
I have a difference to make.
I have students who need me.
I have me to be.
I am a teacher.

The thing is, no matter what day of the week it is. You, I, and all teachers have one of the most important jobs in the world. We need to embrace all that we are as educators. I hear others (and myself) complain about all that we have to be for students. I am not talking about standards and administration expectations…I mean all that we have to be for students. We have to give them supplies. We have to make sure the get to where they are going. We have to remind, reteach, and re-give instructions until we can’t take it anymore. We have to be nurses. We have to be moms and dads. We have to be mentors. We have to be protectors. We have to be advocates. We have to be forgiving. We have to be patient. Oh, and we have to be teachers. We have so much that we have to be. It is easy to be overwhelmed.

I need to spend more time embracing these all-too-many roles that I have. I need to remember why I do what I do. It is because I care for my students. If they do not have what they need outside of school in these many parts we have to play, then we need to be those things and do so with pride. This is why we are in this game to start with. We are here to make a difference. We need to make that difference and do so joyfully…even when we are too tired to do so much.

And even when it is not Friday.

You are so awesome. I know you are better at embracing these things than I am. One day I will be as good as you. You are making that difference. You are embracing those roles. You are amazing! Keep on teaching and making a difference, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

General Inspiration, Note to Teachers, Pep Talk

Quick Note

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

Today is your day. Do what you need to do. You know what your students need. Do what is best for them.

Need to change your plans? Change them.

Need to adjust a teaching method? Adjust it.

Need to change how you are dealing (or not dealing) with a certain student? Make that change.

Do what you need to do today.

You’ve got this!

You are a teacher!

You know what to do.

Do it!

Do it today!

You are awesome. You’ve got this today. Be who you need to be. Do what you need to do. Never forget that I believe in you! You are making a difference, keep doing what you do! Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

Challenge, General Inspiration, Note to Teachers, Pep Talk, Perseverance

What is the point?

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

I know, the title sounds a bit negative, but this is far from a negative message. It is a question we teachers need to think about every day before every class or lesson taught in a day. We need to ask ourselves this question because our students are going to come in with this question. What is the point?

I find that my best teaching days do not revolve around activities planned. They do not hinge on the minutia of my lesson plans. They do not even focus on the details of my standards that I hope to address. No, they have nothing to do with these things (though they help).

My best days hang on having a goal. They have a “point,” so to speak. Great teaching days come when I have a concept or idea (based on my standards) that I focus on in the lessons and activities. I hang my hat on these things. If the lesson goes another way than I planned, I roll with it. If my students come in with too much energy to do what I hoped to do, I adjust. I adjust to them and in a way that still focuses on my goal.

This, I believe, is one of the keys to being a great teacher.

You need to know what the “point” of the day needs to be. Then, no matter what the day brings, you move hell and high water to meet that goal. Have back up activities in mind. Know some good real world examples that you can bring up. Have some challenge problems you can have the students work through. Know your materials. Know your content. Know your stuff. Change an old activity to make it fit in the moment. Roll with the punches. Be flexible. And beyond all else, make your “point” your goal and do not sweat the small stuff that got in the way of your plans.

Make your goal, your point, happen, no matter what!

I share this today because I need to hear this. I have A LOT of things planned for my students. I am a science teacher, so there are a lot of details for me to work out with activities. However, I can not let these activities make or break my day. I need to focus on what I want them to get (the relationship between electricity and magnetism that causes electromagnets in my case). No matter what, I need my students to understand this one thing.

If I have to adjust my plans, so be it.
If I have to do demos instead of hands-on for a class, it is not a big deal.
If the lesson takes a turn I do not expect, I can roll with it.

I have one goal in mind. I know what they need to understand, and this is what will make my lessons. I do not have to stress over things not working out the way I planned. I just need to get to my “point.”

I can do this. You can do this. We can do this!

So what is your point today? What is the one thing you need your students to get by the end of your lesson? How will you roll with the punches? How will you get to the point?

You are awesome! You’ve got this! This is your day. You will get to the point, I know it. You are amazing. You are making a difference! Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

General Inspiration, Note to Teachers, Pep Talk

Do Something

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

Last post, I encouraged you not to waste your todays. Today I just want to remind you of that. Today is all you have. Today is what your students need ythatou to use.

Do something today.

Do something big.

Do something meaningful.

Do something lasting.

Do something.

Make today count. Do not let it slip away. Make it last for a student. Make it last for all of them. Make something of today.

Do something.

You are awesome! I know you will make today a memory worth having for someone. Remember that I believe in you. I think that you are an amazing teacher. Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

Challenge, Choose Positive, General Inspiration, Note to Teachers, Pep Talk

What you have…

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

I don’t know what you are going through. I do not know if yesterday was the best day ever or a day to try to forget forever. I don’t know if you are in an upswing or a down. I just don’t know where you are in your teaching life.

I do know one thing, though. I know what you have. You have this no matter what you are feeling or going through in you life and your role as a teacher. This one thing is more precious than gold or money (though more of those would be nice).

You have today.

Today is not only something that you have. Today is really the only thing you have.

You know the saying, “Yesterday is gone and we are not promised tomorrow.” It is an old and tired statement, but it is nonetheless true. Today is all that we have. It is the only thing that we can be positively sure of.

Today.

What are you going to do with it? How are you going to use it? How will you make it count? How will you make it last?

Are you going to use it up on bemoaning yesterday?

Are you going to waste it on worrying about tomorrow?

Or will you make every second something worthwhile? Can I challenge you to try?

Will you use it to connect more with your students? Will you make your lessons something that will be remembered? Will you make students feel special? Will you make them feel loved?

Just like you, our students only have today. They need it to count. They need it to last. They need it to mean something.

Will you be the one to help them do it?

Will you help them make today matter in their lives?

They need you to.

You need you to.

You are a teacher and that is what you do.

Today is what you have. Use it well, friend, use it well.

You are AWESOME! You are more than amazing. I know that you will make today count, matter, and last. You will teach your students to do the same. You are making a difference. Don’t you forget it! Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

General Inspiration, Note to Teachers, Pep Talk, Perseverance

So Close…Never Give Up..

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

I saw this in an article this morning and just had to share. It made me think of you. Yes, it is a real picture. The whale-watchers had no idea they were being whale-watched!

Sometimes we are so close with helping our students turn a corner. Sometimes it is remarkably close, and we just don’t know it. This is why we can’t give up. This is why we must keep going.

Our students are getting it. We are making a difference. Keep going, Teacher! Keep teaching! You are so awesome!

Have a great break! Relax and recharge those batteries!

Love, Teacher

General Inspiration, Get Psyched!, Hope for Teachers, Note to Teachers, Pep Talk, You Are Awesome!!!

Almost There…

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

Dear Teacher,

You are almost there! You have almost made it! Holiday break is just around the corner. You can almost count the minutes!

You have worked so hard to keep students engaged. You have poured your heart out. You have put in the hours and the energy to capture their hearts and minds. You have tried to make this time before break both educational and memorable. And you have done it. You have knocked it out of the park!

It may not have been perfect, you you have done well, my friend. Great job! Amazing! You are such a great teacher!

The students may not always appreciate the work you do now, but you are making a difference. You are doing so well. Every minute may not be awesome, but your awesome never stops. Nice job. You have done what you do so well. You are so awesome!

Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for working so hard. Thank you for caring so much. Thank you for being you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

I hope you have the best holiday break ever! Take it easy. Take a break. Rest. Relax. Get charged up for the rest of the year!

You are so awesome! You are so amazing! Your students need you and you are making a difference in their lives. Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Have a great break, you have earned it and deserve it!

Love, Teacher

General Inspiration, Pep Talk, Picture Note, Poster/Graphic, Theme Song

Happy Medley (don’t worry, Teacher)

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

Dear Teacher,

I have been so busy this month, can you tell? Sorry for space between notes to you! Hopefully everything will settle down after Christmas break. I hope!

Well, even though it is mid-week, I figure that we all could still use a theme song for the week. Click play and then read on.

The message is simple today, which I have been saying a lot lately…it is nonetheless true. 🙂

Don’t worry, Teacher.

School can be hectic. There is so much to do. There is so little time. Teaching is tough.

It is easy to get caught up in the cycle of stress. We get worn out. We start to let plates fall. The stress builds. We get even more tired. We let more plates fall. More stress. More tired. More broken plates on the floor. And the story goes on and on this way.

We teachers like to worry. Okay, we don’t like it, but we are drawn to worry. We have to worry. There is often no choice but to worry.

Stress is coworker. It is in our classroom. It comes in with the students. It comes in with the administrators. It comes in with our fellow teachers.

It surrounds us. It swallows us whole. It is the lurking monster around every corner. We walk on eggshells trying not to let it know that we are around.

Such is the life of a a teacher. Stress and worry.

And that is just the school stuff! I won’t even go into the stress and worry that comes along with the rest of our lives. Family. Friends. Life in general.

And all of this just gets magnified this time of year. I am writing this before Christmas, but pick the time of year and there is probably something to magnify stress and worry for us.

So what do we do?

We remember one thing…it will all eventually be all right. Everything’s going to be all right.

We can stress less. We can.

We can not worry so much. It is true.

We just have to prioritize and focus.

Easier said than done…but we can do it.

It is not a crime to let some plates drop. We can clean up the mess and move on. It is not a big deal. It just isn’t.

To quote my friend Pete the Cat when he lost one of his groovy buttons, “Do we cry? Goodness no! Buttons come and buttons go.” We can keep on singing our song!

Stuff, stress, and worries come and go. They do. They do not have to drive us to the brink. They don’t.

Don’t worry, Teacher. Every little thing is going to be all write.

Don’t worry, be happy.

It is okay to be happy.

Be happy today. Do it for your students. Do it for you. Find something about what needs to happen today and the rest of the week that makes you happy and let that drive you. Don’t worry so much. Be happy!

I know that you can! I believe in you!

As I said, I am writing this before Winter Break. If you are reading this before break, take the rest of the week and make it less stressful. Find a way. Be happier. It is okay. You are allowed to do that from time to time. You and your students will be better for it!

You are awesome and amazing, as usual. You can and do try to stress less and be happier. Good for you! You students are definitely reaping the benefits of it! You are making a difference in their life by showing them it is possible to stress less and be happier. They will need those lessons one day! You are so great and I believe in you so much! Go get it today and make today great! Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

General Inspiration, Note to Teachers, Pep Talk

No Idea…(teachers have the upper hand)

Posted on December 11, 2013December 11, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

You are the one. You have what you need. You have plans, but you also have heart. You are ready…even if you are not completely ready.

You have a mind and know how to use it. You can roll with the waves and the punches. This day…this week…this year will not dominate you. You’ve got this. Somewhere deep inside you know that you can handle this.

Your students have no idea what is coming. Use that. You can do something different today. Take them off guard. Show them that you know your stuff. Show them that you care. Show them that you are the teacher that they need you to be.

What do I mean by this? That depends on you. That depends on what you are facing today. That depends on what you need.

Does that mean that I am being generic with my encouragement today?

No! It just means that the message for today is whatever you need it to be.

You really do have this under control, even if you don’t feel like it.

No matter what is ahead of you, you can do this today. You can teach. You can make it through. You can be who your students need you to be.

Be that teacher.

You are that teacher.

Do what you need to do today.

Need to change your plans? Do it.

Need to review though there is little time to do it? Review away.

Need to take a stand about an issue happening in your class? Stand up.

Need to hold your ground on a school issue unrelated to students? Do what you need to do.

Be who you need to be today.

Your students and those around you have no idea what you have in store today. You have the upper hand. You have the element of surprise. Surprise them today.

You’ve got this!

Teach away!

You are awesome! You can do this today. Go. Do. Be the teacher! You are amazing! I believe in you! Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

Choose Positive, General Inspiration, Note to Teachers, Pep Talk

Smile (even if it isn’t Christmas yet)

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

Once again, the busyness of this time of year has pushed back the weekly theme song until Tuesday this week. I do apologize! Here it is now, though. A new week, a day closer to a break for most of us. A busy time, but it does not have be stressful. Okay, not too stressful.

Wait, I am getting ahead of myself. I almost forgot. The song! Click play and then read on.

Like I said, this is a busy and stressful time of year. Unfortunately, though it is supposed to be the “peace on Earth” feeling season, we feel anything but peaceful right now. So much to do, so much to remember, and oh so little time. We can get down to the end of our rope, and those around us can get anything but peace from us (especially our students).

So what do we do about this?

How can we keep the “joyful” season keep up from wanting to kill someone? (I say that in jest, only, and for effect.)

Well, it sounds simplistic, but…we can smile.

Smile?

Yes, smile.

Isn’t that like putting a band-aid on a severed limb if you are stressed out?

Maybe, but hear me out.

Smiling can change you. Smiling is powerful. A smile is powerful for those around you. A smile is power for you, personally.

To smile…to really smile and not fake one…makes something inside of you change. To have a sincere smile you have to think of something to smile about. When you are thinking about something to smile about, life and priorities get a little more focused. You start to remember what is important and what matters. As this happens, your smile becomes a little less forced and a little more natural. Stress melts away a bit and you start to feel like smiling.

Smiling changes your perspective. When that perspective changes, you will start to remember why you are up there in front of your students…to teach them, to care for them, and to help them grow into reasonable and self-sustaining adults one day. You remember that they are not there to make your life more difficult. They are there for you…for you to teach them…for you to care…for you to show them how to be them.

Smiling is infectious. You will help others smile when you smile. You will help your students feel better. You will help your coworkers feel better. You will help your family feel better.

Smiling changes things.

There is this old adage in teaching, “Don’t smile before Christmas.” I understand the sentiment. It is about classroom management and all of that. However, I am sorry. I have to cry, “BULL!” on that one.

Smiling is not a crime. Smiling breaks down walls. Smiling helps decrease stress. Smiling changes perspective.

Smiling is important.

It is okay to smile before Christmas. Heck, I say smile because it is almost the holidays. Smile because you have students to teach. Smile because your are a teacher and being a teacher is awesome! Smile because you are awesome!

I used to pride myself as not being the “Honey, Sweetie” kind of teacher. I hold my students accountable and I push them to learn and learn on their own. Not that there is anything wrong with the latter, however the former is important, too. This year a fellow teacher challenged my on my lack of terms of endearment for students. Mind you, I teach 6th grade so I did not feel like affectionate terms are important…that is for elementary school students. Anyway, I started to weave “buddy” and things like that into the day and into conversations with students.

I tell you, it has changed me. Stress has decreased. I can approach classroom management issues in different ways than before. The ice is broken by “buddy” and “pal.” Students had trouble with me talking like that at first, but now there is no fear in my approaching them about things and none for them to approach me with questions and misunderstandings in class.

“Buddy” changed things.

I share this because it is the same as smiling. Smiling and “buddies” de-stress us and de-stress our students. We can get to the heart of things and build a positive relationship and atmosphere. When we have these things, we can teach and learn a lot more effectively.

So…smile away!

You are awesome, Teacher! You are amazing. Don’t forget to smile today as you are making a difference in your students’ lives. You are making a difference, and the smile will help that difference go further. Keep on smiling and keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

PS…Side note–Yesterday, I let the first “sweeties” slip from my mouth. Guess what? I did not melt into a pile of pixie dust! The students listened to what I had to say because they knew that I cared and was coming from the perspective of helping them make a better choice. Maybe “Honey, Sweetie” Teachers know what they are doing!