The life of a teacher is full of ups and downs. Although it isn’t all roses and sunshine, we do have our inspiring moments. These are the times when we feel the excitement for our topic, our students, and teaching in general flowing through our blood. We want to get up and get into the classroom to awaken the minds of our students. We want to see our carefully planned lesson flow from start to finish. We are fired up and everyone can see it. But what about those times when we feel as though teaching is a monkey on our back that we can’t seem to lose? What about the days where we drag ourselves out of the bed wondering why we chose a profession that requires rising before the crack of dawn and grading papers late into the night? What about the days when we feel ourselves getting irritated at the slightest offense by a student wishing that we could be anywhere be the classroom? What do we do when we must give it our all even when we don’t want to? I don’t know how you handle those situations, but I thought I might give a few tips on how I manage to make it through those doldrums.
One of the first things I do is force myself to get out of bed. I know that seems rather commonplace, but how often have you lay in bed contemplating calling in sick because you simply don’t want to face it all? Getting out of bed, taking a shower, and getting dressed at least moves me into action.
The next thing I do (many times while I’m getting ready) is count my blessings. What am I thankful for? I generally start with personal blessings such as my health, my family, my home, etc. Then I move into being thankful for a principal who listens to me, a colleague who lets me cry on her shoulder, a parent who is always understanding and helpful, etc. Rather than focusing on the things I wish I had - a bigger budget, more books for my students, a classroom full of compliant, polite, and thoughtful students - I really try to look at those positives I do have. Remember - no matter how bad you have it, there is always going to be a teacher/person out there who has it worse! If I keep that in mind, I find it easier to be thankful.
Although it seems macabre, another exercise that helps me become purposefully positive is thinking about my retirement and/or funeral. What do I want to have accomplished by that time? What do I want those attending to say about me? Do I want my graduated students to be there? What would make them come? Would my current attitude lead to this ideal? (If I’m really stuck in the mud, the honest answer is usually No) This kind of thinking literally makes me shake my head at myself and say, "Pull yourself together. This attitude is not working for you or anyone else." Sometimes that verbal reprimand to myself will help me move out of the negativity.
When I arrive to school I think of one very nice thing to say to each person I pass. I force myself to smile, say hello, and then say one nice truthful comment. The more I do this, the more I begin to feel uplifted inside and have a more positive outlook. Sometimes if I can’t think of a positive comment, I might ask a question such as, "How was your weekend?" or "Did you enjoy your time at…?" Not only do I do this with fellow teachers and school staff, but with parents and students as well. It is amazing how quickly my poor attitude can change into a good one by passing along positive vibes to others.
When I face a topic that I’m just not feeling the love towards, I ask myself, who really loves this stuff? There is often a teacher or a student who is really into the topic when I’m not. I sometimes take the time to ask this person for tips on teaching it or for fun facts about it that I can pass along to my students. If I can’t think of anything interesting or fun about it, I pull out one of my fun activities and change it up so that we are thinking about the topic in a different way.
For example, I hate teaching grammar, but I absolutely love mad libs. If I’m really in the blues and can’t stomach teaching a grammar lesson, I’ll pull out a mad lib sheet and have the kids complete it as a class. Then after reading the crazy story, we then focus on the aspect that matches the required grammar lesson. "What would happen to the story (or this sentence) if we changed everything to plural? How would the words look? How would they sound? Would it be more crazy or more normal?" Just by adding a fun game and using the outcome to teach the lesson makes it more fun for the kids and a heck of a lot more exciting for me.
When all else fails I watch an inspiring teacher movie. I know you all are probably tired of hearing me say that, but I am a movie buff, so I can’t help it. Mr. Holland’s Opus gets me every time. Talk about a reluctant teacher. This guy didn’t want to be there most days, but he pulled himself together and made it through year after year until finally it became something he loved rather than tolerated. Who can resist a movie like that? When I watch Michelle Pfieffer take that group of hoodlums and turn them into kids with a purpose and a love of learning I think to myself - "I can be inspiring like that!" and then I watch it again.
Most of these tips are mental exercises because our actions are ruled by our attitudes. When I have a negative attitude, then everything and everyone is irritating. It feels as though I’m having nothing but bad days and all I can see about my job are the frustrations. When I have a positive attitude, even the irritating stuff is easily dismissed with a philosophical shrug of the shoulders. I feel as though I am making a difference no matter what is happening and see the silver lining through the darkest clouds. How about you? When the pressures and stress of teaching start getting you down, just remember that although it is hard to force a positive outlook, eventually you won’t be forcing the issue - you simply will have a positive outlook.
by: Emma McDonald www.inspiringteachers.com
