Dear Teacher,
I know that you are tired. Just know that all you do is worth it. You are making a difference! You are so awesome!
Keep on teaching, Teacher.
Love, Teacher
PS…Those that saw the first message last night…I updated the picture. The color scheme needed an adjustment.
Dear Teacher,
Only teachers understand the September Slump. The newness of the year has worn off and we are into the thick of things. We are tired and worn out, but we are still fighting strong. Here is a little rally message for your Semptember Slump.
Keep on teaching, Teacher! You are awesome!
Love, Teacher
Dear Teacher,
Movie break. This one of my favorite scenes from the movie Tommy Boy. Give it a quick watch and then read. I promise, there is a point.
“Why did I just watch this?”
I will be honest, when I went to write, I had this idea of writing about Monday being “Go Time” for teachers and I went looking for the scene when it was said in this movie. However, watching the clip brought a message to mind for me that I need to hear (even if it is hearing it from myself). This clip has a lot to do with teaching.
So often we feel like things are going well in a class or all of our classes. We have done all of the right things, as far as we know. We are using the best strategies. We are integrating. We are differentiating. We are rigorizing (yes, I just made up a word). We are doing everything a teacher should be doing…then…
BOOM!
Something hits us out of left field and destroys the classroom peace and joy that we thought we had. It could be a student meltdown. It could be a parent issue. I could be an administration situation. It could be a number of things that suddenly send us in a tailspin and weave us all over our little teaching road.
Before we know it we are in a fight for our teaching lives.
Then the chaos dies down.
We survived.
The dust settles.
Blame gets assigned.
Usually, the fight is with ourselves. What did we do wrong? What could we have done different? Why did we not think of the issue that happened? So on and so on and so on.
Sometimes the fight is with others. A power struggle with students. A disagreement with parents. An accusation from administration or other teachers.
Who ever the fight is with, it usually starts at the blame game.
The part of the scene that hits me the most is when Tommy said, “I am trying my best. I am not my dad.”
How often do we feel that way? Okay, probably not the “dad” part, but we do compare ourselves to others, especially to the teachers that seem to make being a great teacher look easy.
When we get to that point where we feel like we can’t do better than we are because we are trying “our best” is when we need to pause, take a deep breath, and think before we act.
This is where we are most defensive. Because of that, we are also at the point when we can be the most stupid. In this movie scene there was a literal fight. But in teaching we can make bad choices when we feel this way…choices we may regret later.
Our “go time” needs to be different.
We need to make choices that will help and not hurt the situation. Choices that we can learn from. Choices that our students will see and learn from. Choices that will help us not get to this point in the future.
Sorry for the vagueness here, but every has different situations and triggers that get us to this point in teaching on any given day.
Luckily, the solutions are pretty much the same for most scenarios.
There are some steps to take to help us get in the right state of mind.
If you try to take these steps, your “go time” will be well thought out and meaningful in the end for all that are involved.
Teacher, things come up. We face hard times. Never forget that you love teaching, and the hard times never last forever. The tough things will pass eventually. Keep on teaching your teaching best, even in spite of the difficulties sometimes.
You are so awesome! I know that the challenges don’t keep you down long. I know that with every “go time” you have you get better and better at doing them well. I sincerely hope that you have the best day ever! Never give up and always keep on teaching, Teacher!
Love, Teacher
Dear Teacher,
Yesterday’s post, Tugging on the Common Thread, had more response that I have received in a long time. The frustration over the ever-changing landscape struck a chord with a lot of people. The idea that great teaching is great teaching and connecting with students and growth seemed to one thing that teachers can agree on. I decided to follow-up and expand on this just a bit.
This is one of those times that I am writing more than to talk to myself than to you…but feel free to listen in on my personal self conversation.
It is one thing to say that students and student growth matters most, despite what is common in education at any given time. But what does that mean. How do I cut to the core of this for me, my students, my classroom, my school, and my community?
Standards matter. We are paid to teach students what they say. The test at the end matters. Developing students to the point that they understand the standards to the level of my test is our job.
How do we focus on student growth and this at the same time? We all know that most of our students need growth and instruction that falls outside of the standards and the test.
I think the biggest key is simple in theory but difficult in practice.
Teachers, know thine students.
You have to know those little rascals in your classroom. You have to have a rapport. You have to understand what makes them tick. You have to have some knowledge of how and why they think they way that they do.
I think it is that simple. This is only way to grow student understanding and create life-long learners.
When you know students, you know their interests and deficits. You know their strengths and weaknesses. You know what they need before they know they need it. You are able to see growth where other people would see a stagnate learner.
When you know what growth looks like in a student, you can foster that growth. You can differentiate. You can push them to deeper understanding. You can scaffold. You can remove scaffolding. You can see smart and intelligence where even the student and his/her family doesn’t, and you can bring it out for everyone else to see.
This is the core of it. Knowing those young people in your room. Getting to know and understand even the ones that drive you insane. You have to know and want to know the students!
Does this mean that they will love you and students will all appreciate the work you put into this? Goodness no! But you will know what is best for them and give them what they need…even if they don’t want it!
Will this make you teacher of the year?
Maybe, but probably not. This is not being your students’ best friend. It is taking the time to get to know them, though. It is hard work, but it is worth it in the end.
Will your students see your awesome all of the time? Nope.
But will your awesome shine through in the end, no matter what the educational system is like at any given time? Yes!
This is the core. This is the common thread. Know your students and you will make them grow!
Grow those students, Teacher! I know you will! You are awesome! Keep on getting to know those kiddos and keep on teaching, Teacher!
Love, Teacher
Dear Teacher,
As you reflect and start thinking about next year, what is it that you need to change and do differently?
Classroom management?
Teaching/Learning paradigms?
Use more technology?
Use less technology?
Brain-based strategies?
What is the area of your teaching that you feel like you get the same results every year?
It is easy to get beat up by these things. Don’t beat yourself up.
In the coming weeks, choose one thing to work on…and then work on it. Come up with ideas. Make a plan. Find a way to be, act, and react differently. Just one.
Oh, and I don’t mean pick one thing like “classroom management.” We all know that is not one thing. That is about a million things. Pick one aspect of the area you need to work on most. For instance, if classroom management is the area you have to work on, pick something like how you react to students blurting out and/or disrupting class. One thing.
When you work on one thing at a time, you take baby steps towards the goal of ending Einstein’s definition of insanity in your teaching life and classroom.
Baby steps.
One at a time.
Little movements away from insanity.
Summer is a great time to think and work on your baby steps…so get stepping, Teacher!
You are awesome! I hope that you are enjoying your summer. Keep recharging your batteries, but don’t forget to think about the little things you can try to change. Keep stepping and keep on teaching, Teacher!
Love, Teacher
Dear Teacher,
Welcome to a new week. For the N. Hemisphere, the summer is about half over (or getting there). The new school year is looming ever closer…and the great teachers are slowly starting to gear up for it.
For this reason, I decided that it is time to dust off the old favorite of my posting genres and put up a theme song for the week post. I went looking for a song, and did I ever find one. I think this song (and video—sans the product placements) is one of the best teacher theme songs ever. I may adopt is as my theme song for the new year! We’ll see.
For those new to this blog, click play and read on. When you are done reading, you may want to go back and watch the video. It is pretty cool if you think about it in light of our role as teachers.
Teacher, your job is hard.
Few people, besides fellow teachers, understand what it is like.
What we do is taxing all on its own.
Teaching and teaching how to learn while balancing the needs of individual students and their families is not a simple task, but it is one of the most important in the world.
We have a lot to think about.
We love a challenge, and our profession is full of them.
On top of this, though, we are also beat up and blamed for many of the woes of society. People that do not understand what it is that we do make the choices about how we are to do it. When things don’t work out, who gets credit for what is wrong? Yup. Us.
Yes, Teacher, your job is hard.
But you wouldn’t trade it for the world…most of the time.
Even when you are going through the toughest time in your teaching life and everything inside of you is telling you to quit…except that one small voice that tells you to go on.
Teaching is your blood and you know it is what you were made to do.
That one small voice is a powerful one.
The cool thing is that there is not just one small voice.
All great teachers have that small voice that urges us to go on.
The voice screams and reminds us why we do what we do.
Our students…the children…the young adults…the future.
When we see the faces, when we remember the challenges that will face those faces one day, we have the small spark to get our fire going.
And you are surrounded by other teachers with that same voice and that same spark.
Teachers like us are all around.
And when the fire that burns in all of us burns together…we are a force to be reckoned with.
I am not talking about the world and legislation and banding together over that…that is another story for another blog.
I am talking about being a force against the challenges of being a great teacher for our students, no matter what is said or done on the red tape side of teaching and the hardships that we face.
Teacher, no matter what you have gone through as a teacher, you can get back up!
You are surrounded by teachers like you to help you up.
The small voice inside of you is a crowd and a mob that is all around you.
Just look up.
Just keep going.
Teachers like us will make a difference.
Teachers like us will change the future for our students.
Teachers like us will keep going and keep our students going.
Look around.
Teachers like you are all around.
Keep going, Teacher!
Keep that fire going!
Do it for you.
Do it for your students.
Do it for and with teachers like you!
You are awesome! Keep going, Teacher, and keep on teaching!
Love, Teacher
Dear Teacher,
I know that you haven’t heard from me in quite some time. I am sorry for that. Know that I am still here and that you are still awesome! I haven’t given up on you and I haven’t given up on me. Time away was needed, but now I am back.
I know that it is summer (for my Northern Hemisphere teacher friends), but I also know that you are a great teacher. You are already thinking about next year. You have had a few weeks of a break and now you are thinking about the students that will be sitting in the desks that sit in your classroom. This is what makes you great.
You can’t stop your “teaching brain,” and this is a good thing.
The other night, I was playing Jenga with my son. We had some nice rounds of moving the blocks, but in the end the tower always tumbled.
When I looked at the pieces after one long match, it hit me that no matter how the game went it always ended but no matter how it ended we can always rebuild and start again.
Isn’t that the same with life?
No matter how things go, things always end. No matter how things end, we can always start again.
This applies even more so with teaching. Jenga is a pretty great analogy to our profession, if you think about it.
We start the year as a strong tower, ready to go. Through the year we go through times of being taken apart and put back together. In the end, no matter what, we feel like a puddle of bricks (in some way or another) ready for a reboot. We take the summer and rebuild so that we can start again.
Teacher, I don’t know how last year ended for you. I don’t know what kind of mess your bricks are in. I don’t know how worn your blocks are. But you can rebuild. You can start again. You will start again.
Take the rest of the summer and try to build your tower stronger. Relax. Reflect. Rebuild. Think about what went right and what went wrong. Look for what you could do better. Research a little. Read a lot. Find new ways to do the old stuff. Be a better tower…even if you know it will just be blocks and bricks at the end of the next year.
This is what you do. This is who you are. And you are AWESOME at it. Keep going and never give up!
Build, Teacher. Build.
Your are awesome! I totally believe in you! Have a great rest of the summer and build that tower better than ever! Keep on teaching, Teacher!
Love, Teacher
Dear Teacher,
It is Monday. The start of a new week. It is a fresh beginning. You have arrived at the dawning of something that has never been before…this week.
Sometimes a new week of teaching can feel like coming to a big city for the first time. It is overwhelming. You know about the city and know where you need to go, but stepping on to the sidewalk can make you have to catch your breath at first. It is big. It is here. It is real. You have never navigated these streets before, and now you are here walking them. It can be a bit much, but you keep walking. You keep going. You find your way. You make it through. You make it possible for yourself to get better and learn the places you need to go. You press on until it is not a big deal anymore.
A new week can be very similar. You know what is coming up. You know some of what to expect from the week. You also know that there are new challenges that await that you haven’t been made aware of yet. If it is a big week, like state testing or something of that sort, it is even more daunting. You go over in your head what you need to do, where you need your students to get to, and all that you have to get done. Now it is Monday morning, and you are about to step into those streets. You have to brace yourself and make yourself keep walking.
Deep breath, Teacher. You’ve got this. Step out. Keep going.
You greet the week with all that you have. You have done this before. You have conquered other “big city” weeks. This one will be no different. You will do what you need to do. You will get your students where they need to be. You will take everything in stride and keep walking. You will keep going. You will survive.
This week has nothing on you.
Nothing.
Big cities are awesome. Weeks can seem awesomely daunting. But you are awesome-er. Your awesome is bigger than the biggest city and the most difficult weeks.
You’ve got this.
Step out.
Keep walking.
You are awesome, for real! You are amazing because you do keep going. You know what your students need and you get them to succeed. You are making a difference. Keep walking and keep on teaching, Teacher!
Love, Teacher
Dear Teacher,
If your students could make you an infographic note of your influence and the difference that you make, I think it would look a lot like this.
I hope that you realize how much you mean to your students, even though they can’t tell you yet. You may never know your true effect, but you are changing lives and futures. Keep fighting. Keep going. Keep teaching!
You are so so awesome! Please remember that you are today. When the going gets tough, awesome is still awesome…and you are awesome! Keep on teaching, you amazing Teacher! Oh, and share this with another teacher that you think could use this message today. Pass on the encouragement!
Love, Teacher
PS…I am working on a better format of the picture. This is the best I could do this morning because of scanner issues. Sorry!
Dear Teacher,
I don’t know about you, but yesterday was a rough one for me. Not bad, so much, just rough. You know those kind of days?
I gave a test. I had high expectations. It went horribly wrong. My prediction of high averages were dashed on the rocks of reality.
I gave the students an opportunity to give me some feedback about behavior. They rated me, themselves, and the class. It is never nice to have to look into the mirror of perception! Nothing surprised me too much, but it doesn’t feel good to know what you thought is true.
So here I am this morning left with two things to come to grips with:
So, what do I do with that? Do I beat myself up? Do I wallow in it for a while? Or do I pick my teacher hind parts up off the floor and get to work?
I have shared this quote before, but I love it and am going to share it again. It is from Jaime Escalante, the teacher the move Stand and Deliver was about (I wrote about him here). He said this:
“Life is not about how many times you fall down. It’s about how many times you get back up.”
It does not matter what a dose of real does to me. It does not matter if it knocks me down. It matters if I learn from it and change. It matters if I find a way to make what I need to do or teach work. It is more than an idea. It is a necessity.
It is a necessity as a human being. It is a necessity as an adult. It is a necessity as a teacher. But more than these, it is a necessity as a role model to my students.
I must get up. I must brush myself up. I must make changes. I must try again.
I must because one day the must do the same.
It is not about me.
It is about them.
I will get up today. I will brush myself off today. I will make changes. I will try again.
I will do these things because I am going to ask my students to do the same. I ask them to do this every day. They need to see me do it first. They will see me do it today.
How about you? What do you do when you are knocked down as a teacher? How do you handle it? How do you teach your students to get back up? Do they see you do it? Do the see you do it with grace? Do they see you do it with style? Will they and can they see you do it today?
I know that you get back up. You are a teacher. You have to. Can you get back up better today than yesterday? Can you show your students what it takes to bust through failure to get to success?
You are awesome! You do get back up. You do it with awesome. Help you students to that with awesome today! You are amazing! You are making a difference! Keep on teaching and getting back up, Teacher!
Love, Teacher
Dear Teacher/Love Teacher 