Tag: educator encouragement

Posted in Feedback, You Are Awesome!!!

A Favor to Ask…

Posted on by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

Happy Saturday!  I hope you are having an awesome day with friends and family!

This is just going to be a quick post, and I am going to step outside of my normal posts and ask a favor.  I want some feed back from you, my readers.  This is aimed at those for whom this blog has meant enough for you to follow it via WordPress, email, and Twitter.  The blog has resounded with you and you get it.  We need encouragement as teachers, and we need challenges given with a positive spin.  I am more than happy to offer that.  Actually, it fires me up to be able to do that, and your comments and thanks for the encouragement has encouraged me.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Here is the feedback that I need.  I am approaching summer break.  I know that I have readers in the Southern Hemisphere as well as the Northern Hemisphere.  There are also teachers at schools that go year round.  I need to know what you would like from this blog over the summer.  If you don’t mind and have a couple of minutes, could you respond to the question that applies to you?  You can do it here or to my email: dearteacher@outlook.com.  If you do email, please give a subject that shows you are responding to this so I know it is not spam.

  • Northern Hemisphere-ers with a summer break:  What do you need/want from the blog?  Do you want some teacher encouragement over the summer?  If so, what kind?  How often (daily/weekly/something else)?
  • Nothern Hemisphere-ers that teacher year long and Southern Hemisphere-ers:  Would you still like me to post daily or would you be okay with a few times a week?  What kind of posts would you like to see most?

Thank you for your feedback!  I appreciate it!  I also appreciate all of the shares with others.  I want this blog to give encouragement to as many teachers as possible!  Please continue to share.  Thanks!

Once again, I hope you have an awesome Saturday and rest of the weekend.  I will close with a pep talk from the Kid President.  I am sure that we have all seen it, but it is still great encouragement.  Do something awesome not school related this weekend!

You are awesome!  Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

For more hope and encouragement: @DearTeacherLT (Twitter) and Dear Teacher/Love Teacher Facebook Page.

Posted in Friday Note, Get Psyched!, You Are Awesome!!!

There’s the Door

Posted on by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

20130524-154538.jpg

Dear Teacher,

It is Friday. The day is done. You nailed it! You ended the day in awesome. You ended the week in awesome. For most of you, it is a long weekend. Enjoy it. You’ve earned it. Stop what you are doing. Look at the door. Go to it. Go through it. Go home! Get yourself recharged for next week!

There is the door. What are you waiting for?

You are awesome! Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

For more hope and encouragement: @DearTeacherLT (Twitter) and Dear Teacher/Love Teacher Facebook Page.

Posted in Cheer Up, Friday Note, You Are Awesome!!!

Friday of Awesomeness!

Posted on by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

It is Friday!  You have survived the week.  No, you did not survive it…you thrived in it.  You made a difference in the lives of your students, even if they don’t know it yet or not.  You inspired.  You set mental fires.  You perspired…but it was worth it.  You got your students to think…and got them thinking more on their own.  Your students learned because your taught them how to learn.  You taught your heart out, and now your students can even teach others.

You hit milestones with somestudents.  You crossed educational thresholds with other students.  Some students reached the benchmarks set…some students surpassed them.  Because of this week, some of your students will never be the same.  Because of you.  You taught them to think, learn, love others, have compassion, believe in themselves, and the goodness that lies in the hard work it takes to reach goals.

Teacher, you did not just make it through the week, you made the week yours!  You took the week, you tamed it, and you made something awesome out of it.  Celebrate!  It is Friday!  You came, you taught, you conquered!  You awesomed the heck out of this week!

You are so awesome!  You are doing a great job!  Your work with your students DOES matter, and don’t ever forget that.  You are a difference maker!

Keep on teaching, Teacher!  I believe in you!

Love, Teacher

PS… Here is a little video I found this morning.  I hope it inspires you like it inspired me.

For more hope and encouragement: @DearTeacherLT (Twitter) and Dear Teacher/Love Teacher Facebook Page.

Posted in Challenge, Hope For Students, Hope for Teachers, Note to Teachers

Pride Comes Before…Success

Posted on by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

What effect does pride have on you?  No, not pride in yourself…though there can be power in that…I mean pride that someone else has in you.  What does it do for you to know that someone is really and truly proud of you?  How does it feel to hear that from them?  What good does it do your your heart, soul, and mind to have someone in your corner, cheering you on, beaming with pride?

Do your students have this in their life?

I am inspired to write about this because of my last class of the day yesterday.  As I looked around while they worked, and I had such a feeling of pride.  I am so proud of them.  I am proud of that class and all of my other classes.  They have risen up to meet my expectations this year…and I have very high expectations for my students.  I am really, and utterly proud of my students.  They are so AWESOME!

Can you look around at your students today and find things to be proud of about them?  I would challenge you to try.

And more than that, I challenge you to tell them.

As I looked at my class yesterday, it hit me that I am often struck by proud feelings about them but I do not say it often.  They should know how proud I am of them.  I need to tell them more often.  Pride changes things.  Pride helps you want to work harder.  Pride makes you strive for success.  I need to share how proud I am of my students, and in turn they will keep working hard for more success to make me even prouder of them.

I recently took on the task of writing a personal note to each of my students.  In it I tell them how proud I am of them and how awesome they are.  I have seen some changes in students just because of these letters.  They want to make me proud because I am proud of them.  Hope and pride is the light at the end of the tunnel.  My students are starting to see the light, and some are running for it as soon as they see it.  It is so cool to watch them run towards success and achievement.

Tell your students how proud you are of them today.  Write some quick notes.  Inject some hope into their lives by giving them some fuel that can ignite into the fire of success.  You are proud of them.  Let them know!

You are awesome, Teacher.  I am proud of you.  You do all you can to get your students to see and live up to (and past) their potential.  Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

For more hope and encouragement: @DearTeacherLT

Posted in Challenge, Choose Positive, Hope for Teachers

The Choice

Posted on by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

Last night, someone shared the Positive Teacher Pledge on an Edmodo.  This really spoke to me.  I know that I need to strive to be more positive in my classroom.  There are times that we all get lured to the dark side of negativity, if we are honest with ourselves.  Though, I have seldom thought about the choice between being positive and being negative.  It is a choice, however!

Every day, every hour, every second, we make a choice between giving into the stress that weighs us down on teachers and acting out of stress or in the opposite direction of the stress.  Often times, at least for me, I let the stress make the choice and it is usually in the negative direction.  I need (we need) capture every second of the day with our students!  We don’t have many seconds with them, in the span of their lives, so we need to make each one count!  We can’t afford to have many “bad seconds” with our students.  We are setting them up for the rest of their lives!  We have to take that seriously.

Today, will you…

  • Let your exhaustion show or be upbeat (or at least pretend to be energetic)?
  • Let that crummy email or phone call show or save your frustration for later and say something nice to a student who needs it?
  • Complain about a coworker or do something to encourage him or her?
  • Gripe about administration or ask them if there is anything you can do to help them today?
  • Get irritated with a student who is driving you insane or pull him or her aside, say something positive, and give a reason to do better today?

The list could go on forever, but I think you get it.  Lets try to make positive choices today!  We are worn out, beat up, and empty…but we have to keep moving.  You can do it, Teacher!  You can be positive today!  You are awesome!  I believe in you so much!

Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

For more hope and encouragement: @DearTeacherLT

Posted in Hope for Day's End, Hope for Teachers, Picture Note, You Are Awesome!!!

The Empty Cup

Posted on by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

(c)DearTeacherLT2013
(c)DearTeacherLT2013

Dear Teacher,

You are awesome because even though you are empty, you keep on pouring.  Pour away, Teacher.  Pour away!  You students need it!  Summer is almost here!  You can make it!

You are awesome.  You are believed in.  Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

For more hope and encouragement: @DearTeacherLT

Posted in Get Psyched!, Mondays, New Day

Rock Star

Posted on by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

 (c)DearTeacherLT2013
(c)DearTeacherLT2013

Dear Teacher,

Ten

You are a rock star waiting in the wings of the stage for your moment in front of the crowd.

Nine

This is Monday…your big show.  This show sets up every other show this week.  Mondays mean more than any other day.

Eight

You are ready.  You’ve got this.  You are rested and ready to go.

Seven

You have planned and prepared.  You have nothing left but to execute your lessons.  You can do this.

Six

No matter what the day brings, you are a professional.  You know what to do.  Get ready and get out there and do it!

Five

You know your best laid plans will be mostly derailed by lunchtime, but you are ready.  You have back up plans.  You have a system in place.  Don’t think about what can and will go wrong.  You do have this.  Don’t worry!

Four

Breathe in.  Breathe out.  It is almost go time.  The students are ready for you.  Get your mind ready for them.

Three

No matter what happens today, you are awesome.  You know that you are.  Through all of the monitoring and adjusting, remember to be the awesome that you are!

Two

Get amped up!  Get psyched!  You live for this!  Get your teaching game face on!

One

Ready or not, it is time to go!  You are a teacher.  Teach like you know it.  Teach like your mean it!  You were born for this!

Image: Wikipedia

You are awesome!  You are believed in!  Go out and teach like you know you can!  Keep teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

For more hope and encouragement: @DearTeacherLT