Wednesday, September 13, 2017

3 Ways to Find Your Passion for Teaching (Again)

It happens to almost every teacher.  There comes a place in our career that the passion just isn't there.  We forget why we do what we do.  We become frustrated by expectations, paperwork, and standardized testing.  We begin to fear that our voices cannot be heard and we begin to do day after day what we know isn't working and isn't best for our students.

Teachers know what students need.  There is something that we all have that drives us to want the best for our learners and causes us to come back every day even when we feel defeated.  That something is passion.  It might be a passion for impacting the future, a passion for pouring into the lives of your students, or a passion for engaging and empowering today's learners.  Whatever that passion is, it exists and plays a role in how and what we do every single day in our classroom.

Even though I believe that passion exists in every teacher, I also believe that it can become stifled.  The flame flickers and we begin to worry that it might actually be extinguished if we can't find a way to reignite the flame soon.

The good news is, that flame can be reignited, and not just reignited but set ablaze if you will take the steps to actively pursue the passion that you once you had.  So, how does that happen?  How do you find your way back to being the teacher you want to be instead of the teacher that you are expected to be?  How do you become the teacher that your students need?

In thinking about how I found my passion again, I realized that there were three things that helped me find my way again.  I began to take risks, I found my tribe, and began to share my story.  In doing so, teaching became fun again, I began to realize I wasn't in this alone, and I began to understand the value of my story and classroom experience.

So, if you feel like that flame is flickering, take a deep breath, embrace the struggle, and do what you need to do find your way again.

Take Risks - Taking risks is not easy. Seth Godin says, "If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try."  How often do you do things in your classroom that scare you?  Honestly, if you are consistently comfortable teaching this generation of learners, you're doing it wrong.  Because things are changing so quickly and these learners are so different because of their instant access to information, we should all be a little uncomfortable.  With discomfort, comes the need to move, to change.  Allow your discomfort to push you outside of that comfort zone and take the risks that you know are worth taking for you and your students.  Be willing to learn with them and do whatever it takes to make the learning meaningful and relevant every single day.

Find your Tribe - Being a connected educator changes everything.  Finding your people, knowing them well, and trusting them enough to share and grow together is a game changer.  Like-minded people give you the boost and support that you need to stretch yourself as an educator.  In connecting, you begin to see what education can be instead of what it is in your classroom, on your campus, or in your district.  Finding your tribe gives you a support system that encourages you, pushes you, and supports you to do the hard things.  And when you begin to the hard things,  you begin to realize that challenges are opportunities to learn and grow as you move toward finding your passion for teaching again.

Share your Story - We are better together!  Education is hard.  Teaching is mentally and sometimes physically exhausting.  It's not easy to bring your A game every day and it's even harder to develop original ideas on a consistent basis.  So, it's a good thing you don't have to.  So many educators are sharing their stories.  It might be on Twitter, it might be a blog, it might even be through sharing your experience at a conference.  It doesn't matter how, but find ways to share what you are doing in your classroom.  Share what works...share what doesn't work.  Just share!  In doing so, you will begin to see that reflection is imperative for you as an educator and gives you an opportunity to see your teaching from a different perspective.  And let's face it, if you don't share your story, someone else will!

There's a lot that we can complain about as educators in today's classrooms.  But the reality is that there has never been a better time to be a teacher.  Let's step back from the negativity, own who we are as educators, and begin to do whatever it takes to provide our students with meaningful learning experiences that will engage and empower. Our students deserve passionate teachers that believe in them and all that they bring to the table.  Passionate educators create passionate learners that have the potential to change the world.



16 comments:

  1. Find your passion

    Welcome to Funky Fridays – With Bo! Find your passion to keep your dream alive, We are helping to you discovering your passion and also helping that how to keep your dream alive.

    to get more - https://funkyfridayswithbo.me/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow! Such an amazing and helpful post this is. I really really love it. It's so good and so awesome. I am just amazed. I hope that you continue to do your work like this in the future also ucdm videos

    ReplyDelete
  3. That getting stated, they do approach various assets and likely could be more ready to give individualized contemplating plans to the understudy in expect of particular showing strategies, i.e., the whole language method of concentrating to peruse rather than phonetic examining.Math tutoring near me

    ReplyDelete
  4. Why one-on-one coaching? As every kid has a novel learning style, a coach can accept that style and instruct in a manner they completely see, frequently opening past learning difficulties. The customized contact empowers kids to feel certain and secure. https://www.tutorcity.sg

    ReplyDelete
  5. In any case, instruction gave at home isn't tied in with talking and composing. Instructing youngsters on virtues and habits is additionally essential for training. Typically an individual methodology a kid, their folks would request that their youngster welcome that individual. The school is to learn trades such as CDL license

    ReplyDelete
  6. Multicast Wireless is a mission-based, cutting edge, progressive multimedia organization located in Huntsville, Alabama. how to unsilence unknown calls on iphone

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi, your blog is full of comments and it is very active,    Snapchat not working

    ReplyDelete
  8. I precisely had to thank you so much again. I do not know what I might have handled in the absence of those recommendations shown by you regarding such subject matter. It had been the distressing dilemma in my opinion, however , taking note of your professional style you resolved that took me to weep for gladness. Now i’m grateful for this service and trust you recognize what an amazing job you are always putting in teaching some other people thru your blog post. I know that you haven’t got to know all of us. ios 15 public beta

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hello, I found your blog in a very new directory of blogs. I don’t discover how your website came up, should have been a typo. Your website looks good, use a nice day. cost formula

    ReplyDelete
  10. Took me time to read all the comments, but I really enjoyed the article. It proved to be Very helpful to me and I am sure to all the commenters here! It’s always nice when you can not only be informed, but also entertained! https://www.5g999.co/slot

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hello I am so delighted I located your blog, I really located you by mistake, while I was watching on google for something else, Anyways I am here now and could just like to say thank for a tremendous post and a all round entertaining website. Please do keep up the great work. INDIA VISA APPLICATION

    ReplyDelete
  12. holy crap, chlaymdia is one of the worst disease that you could ever have. it is very very nasty~ 꽁머니사이트

    ReplyDelete
  13. there are so many funny videos on the internet to watch, i can laugh all day watching funny videos“ 5g999

    ReplyDelete
  14. i got pregnant a couple of months ago and right now i am choosing the right kind of maternity clothes that is comfortable~ 5g999

    ReplyDelete
  15. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete