Tag: teacher

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 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

Posted in Hope For Students, Hope for Teachers, New Day, Picture Note

New Day/New Week

Posted on by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

(c)DearTeacherLoveTeacher Photo 2013-05-19 08.41.25 PM

Dear Teacher,

Was this your week last week?  I know at my school, behavior seems to decline shortly before summer and teacher stress increases in response.  Tomorrow is a new day.  Monday lets last week go away and you get to start all over again.  That goes for you…and for your students.

Remind yourself of this tomorrow morning.  You have a fresh start.  Remind your students, too.  They have a blank slate week.  Inspire them to do more with this week than they did last week.

Be hopeful.  Make the students wonder what happened to you over the weekend!  Make hope your goal tomorrow.  Inspire your students to greatness.

You are awesome!  I know this week will be better than last week for you.  Go out there and make that true!  Keep teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

For more hope and encouragement: @DearTeacherLT

Posted in Cheer Up, Friday Note, Hope for Teachers

Fridays of MORE

Posted on by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

Today is Friday.   Though most people, even some other teachers, view Friday as a day to coast until the weekend, you don’t.  Friday is one of the toughest day of the week, second only to Monday.  For great teachers like you, Fridays are make-or-break days.  They determine how you can evaluate your teaching for the week.  Have the students learned everything they needed to?  Have you taught in a way that makes everything tie together and give your students long term understanding?  Will they know enough to move on in your content for next week?  If they don’t have it by Friday, you’ll have to backtrack and lose time on Monday.  Sometimes you even have to backtrack and reteach until Tuesday…and all because the previous Friday did not go well.  Friday is big.  It is huge!

More than teaching and learning, Fridays are big because your students want to coast until the weekend.  The later in the day it gets to be on Friday, the less focused your students become.  They are thinking about the weekend.  More so, if this is near the end of the school year for you, the students are thinking about the weekend and the summer.  It gets harder and harder to contain the students and keep them engaged.  Fridays are hard because you have to be MORE together with your plans, MORE engaging, MORE patient, MORE understanding, and MORE intentional about every second of class time.

DearTeacherLT2015 (You may use the image if you link back to the blog and/or give credit to Dear Teacher/Love Teacher)
DearTeacherLT2015 (You may use the image if you link back to the blog and/or give credit to Dear Teacher/Love Teacher)

No, Fridays are not easy.  Not for you, Awesome Teacher.  Fridays are important.  You know today is a huge day for your week.

I believe in you, Teacher!  Even though this is the day of MORE for you, I know you have MORE to give.  Pour it out!  Give it all you’ve got!  Go big!  This is your day, and you’ve got this!  You can make this the best Friday that you’ve ever Fridayed!  (Yes, I just made up a word, but I am a teacher and I am allowed to do that.)

Teacher, you are AWESOME!  Give your students the MORE that you have in you for this Friday!  Keep teaching, Teacher!  Consider yourself believed in!

Love, Teacher

For more hope and encouragement: @DearTeacherLT

Posted in Cheer Up, Hope For Students, Hope for Teachers

The End is Near

Posted on by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

I know your job is hard, but you are almost at the end. Don’t give up! But don’t just power through. Savor these last weeks of the year with your students! You have precious time left with your kids. Minutes count down. The grains of sand in the hour glass are slipping down. Your time to influence, inspire, and initiate lifelong curiousity is fading away. Do not waste a second with your students! Let them know how much you care. Teach until the last milisecond. Work hard to give your children the spirit of learning that will follow them long after your time with them is done. Summer is just around the corner. Pour your life out for your kids. You have time to fill back up!

You are awesome and you are supported. Keep teaching, teacher!

Love, Teacher

For more hope and encouragement: @DearTeacherLT