(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.
This is a letter that you may never get, but that does not make it any less true. We often never know our influence. Don’t forget that everything you do matters. Keep not giving up! Keep doing everything you can to reach ever student that you can. You never know how much that they need all that you say and do…even if it just making them complete assignments or retaking a test. It all matters, and it will come back to them…even if you never get to see it or hear about it!
You are awesome! The difference is being made. Keep on being relentless! And, as always, keep on teaching, Teacher!
Love, Teacher
(c)DearTeacherLT2013 (You may use the image if you link back to the blog and/or give credit to Dear Teacher/Love 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,
Well, I am a day late, but it is still early in the week and I bet we could all use a theme song for it…especially those who had a day off yesterday. So let’s get to it. This song is going to be a “blast from the past” for a lot of us, but for some it may be the first time to hear this song. Whether it is new to you or a reminder of more youthful days, this song is a great theme for teachers and one we should hear and think about.
Click play, get through the ad if there is one, and then read on.
Teacher, like it or not, we are heroes. We fight battles, we run into danger, and we do the impossible. If not literally, we all do this figuratively. We take on the world of our students and help them through it and get them to the other side into adulthood and the future.
Not all teachers take this seriously. Some teachers look at this as more as a job than a calling and desire. They come in, survive the day, and put up with their students. They tow the line. They don’t step on toes. They teach what and how they are told to teach. They do little connect to students and see the student as the goal…the content is the goal and teaching it is success.
These teachers “stand outside the fire.”
That is not you, Teacher.
You dance within the flames. You take what you do and what you are in stride and with confidence. You know teaching is more than, well, teaching. It is connecting. It is getting to know your students. It is understanding your students. It is understanding the teaching and learning dynamic. It is teaching skills outside of your subject area. It is taking risks. It is being bold. It is being brave. It is taking on the fight and being the hero that your students need you to be.
You are not content with the status quo. You are not happy with just teaching your standards. Your students need more. You need more.
You are not afraid to step on toes when it comes to the needs of your students. You know what they need, you know how they learn, you know what they are capable of and their potential. You make choices for them, not for who is watching.
You get to know their families. You help their parents and guardians know how to help them learn more at home. You allow their family input on ways to help the student in the classroom. You make it a team effort and don’t try to do it all on your own.
You look for help from the teachers around you. You are not afraid to try new things in your classroom. You look around and see what is working and not working and then seek out strategies from others for whom things are definitely workings. You are not afraid to change.
You are also not afraid to reflect. You take a look at students and what they seem to be learning and not learning, and then you make adjustments in you and how you are teaching. You look at data. You are not afraid of data. You let data help you make instructional choices because it gives you a view of what your students need.
You are one of the great ones, Teacher! You do not stand outside the fire. You are in the thick of it. You are dancing around with the flames jumping all around you, and you love every minute of it! You are a hero. You are a teacher. Your students need you!
You are awesome and amazing. Your “fire dance” is making a difference. You are making a difference. Keep on teaching and keep on running into the fire, Teacher!
Love, Teacher
PS …The poster/graphic this morning is one of a line of printable posters that I created and made available on the TeachersPayTeachers Store. They will be called “Motivational ABCs.”
(c)DearTeacherLT2013 (You may use the picture if you link back to this blog.)
Dear Teacher,
Sorry for the shortened and less regularly timed messages this week. We have been working on a big project at my house. We are putting in our own hardwood floors with a little help from some friends. This is where most of my time has gone this week. 🙂
I have learned something from this home project, and it reminds me of teaching. I have learned/remembered that jobs are not always easy. It takes work. You get tired. You get stressed. You have obstacles. You get frustrated. You want to stop. You have to keep going (or not have a kitchen for longer than that is a good idea). You push through. It seems impossible…until you push through that wall and it slowly starts to seem possible…and after a while it almost seems easy…until you are glad that you started the process in the first place.
The kitchen looks good now, but it didn’t for a while. This has been a long week, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel this morning. I feel good, and I could almost see myself taking on a project like this. It is amazing how this transformation happens…from impossible to possible to easy…and sometimes in a very short time.
Think about your toughest year at school, your toughest classes, your toughest students. It was hard. It was stressful. It seemed impossible. You wanted to quit. But you didn’t. You pressed on. You kept going. You made it through. In the end, you probably found that you learned something, you found out more about yourself, and you became a better teacher. It did not feel good going through it, but you felt better in the end once you survived. In the end you were stronger for having gone through the year that you did.
Remember this as you look forward to another year (or right now if you are not on summer break). Nothing lasts for ever, and you CAN persevere. You have made it through before, and you can do it again. What ever you are going through will be worthwhile in the end! You can do it, and it WILL make you a better teacher. Keep going and never give up!
You are an awesome and amazing teacher. You don’t give up and you make something beautiful in the end. You are making such a difference because you do press on through everything! Keep on teaching, Teacher!
Love, Teacher
PS…Today is the last day for the giveaway at the Facebook page. You need to comment with your story by the midnight tonight (July 5th, 2013). Go check it out and share if you haven’t!
Dear Teacher/Love Teacher 