We all could use some good news in our daily lives.
Lord knows teaching is so hard and so full of “news” that can bring us down in a hurry.
How do we keep our “spirit of teaching” up and running?
I have tried a few things to help with that, and they are working.
I would like to share a few thoughts with you.
Take a minute here to ponder what habits or best practices might help you lift up your “spirit” of teaching.
Okay, now here is what I have found has helped.
In the last blog post, I talked about teacher behavior in the classroom.
To follow up, I would like to offer up some guidance on how to perhaps become more aware of our behaviors and in turn, make more powerful choices for better, more desired outcomes.
You have probably heard the idiom “mind your p’s and q’s”, right?
So, where did it come from?
In jolly old England, many people, especially working men, would escape to the pub after work to de-stress and forget about their problems.
Many wives would tell them: “Now, if you go to the pub after work, mind your p’s and q’s” (probably because they were not in agreement with their husbands going to the pub).
They didn’t want their husbands drinking in excess until drunk and out of control.
In England, beer is served in pints or quarts, thus the p’s and the q’s.
The wives were advising (warning?) their husbands to pay attention and be aware of their choice of size and quantity of beer they were consuming.
Well, I thought to myself, what could I come up with the help teachers/people remember the choices they have and to “mind them” (aka pay attention and be aware of our options and choices)?
Mind your vowels and consonants.
Vowels = A E I O U
So, now we would have: AFFIRM, ENGAGE, INVITE, OPTIMIZE, UNITE for the steps in our relationship building process with others to produce more harmonious and agreeable results?
AFFIRM the other person’s existence, beliefs, similarities, differences…who they are, but also to learn more about who we are
ENGAGE them in conversation and activities that give them, and you, permission to be curious, explore and learn more toward greater acceptance
INVITE them to join you and Venn Diagram what you have discovered and shared with each other so that you can harmonize your interpersonal interactions
OPTIMIZE the strengths in each other to be able to support, inspire and celebrate each other and see your place in the bigger picture of things (humanity)
UNITE and collaborate and grow together for the greater good of everyone whose lives you touch in order to bring hope to others
Vowels are the connectors to consonants. The word “consonant” is from Latin, meaning “one sound”.
Vowels allow us to make utterances, create words and communicate to others our needs, desires, hopes, dreams, affirmations, inspirations, and so on.
So, if we apply our vowels in all our relationships, we can create one sound together…harmonize…and bring sweet music to the world.
Just think of the power teachers have to bring sweet music into the hearts of children when they create their classroom culture on the relationship “vowels” (like the A E I O U above) and also create connections to a community of “one sound” that will harmonize greater understandings of peace, love, joy, grace, compassion, respect, validation and belonging into this world.
AFFIRM
ENGAGE
INVITE
OPTIMIZE
UNITE
A E I O U
You can do it too!
Image credit:
“Alphabet 20” by Leo Reynolds is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
More and more funding for resources and support for teachers is being reduced, or worse, eliminated altogether.
Teachers have always had to buy materials and supplies and pay for them out of their own very tight personal budget.
Teachers have always had to write grants and jump through fiery hoops of paperwork and accountability just to get money to fund everyday needs in the classroom.
Why???
And I SHOUT more loudly WHY???
We are a wealthy nation capable of providing for teachers.
So, why are teachers taking their precious time, money, energy and other resources to seek the support they need to teach?
Why do so many reply on social media to The Spirit of Teaching’s post to share their Amazon Wish List for back-to-school?
And, they share with heartfelt pleas and deep gratitude for “anything you can do to help out my kids is greatly appreciated!”
I don’t see any other employees in my community of businesses purchasing their own supplies, resources and begging for support in order to do their jobs.
So, once again, I ask WHY??? Do you have an answer or solution?
I have always been a big cheerleader and supporter of teachers.
That is why I founded The Spirit of Teaching and my podcast, Teacher Tales.
However, in the past year or so, I have been losing faith and hope as I witness more and more inappropriate behaviors on the part of some teachers…
…in fact, too many teachers!
Let me explain and give some examples. (more…)
Teacher Appreciation Week was just celebrated last week.
What did you do for a teacher to show them how much you appreciate and value what they do?
What value do you place on education and the educators that do so much to make a difference in the life of a child, and therefore, this world in which we all live?
To explore this very critical topic a little, I want to play around a little with these two words: PLACE and VALUE.
In Math, place value refers to the value of a digit based on its position in a number.
For example, in the number 463, the digit 4 has a place value of 400 because it is in the hundreds place. The digit 3 has a place value of 3 because it is in the ones column.
Sometime I think about place value in terms of how we rate, rank and value teachers in the education profession.
I could change the syntax of the words and ask “what VALUE do we PLACE” on teachers?
This totally changes the meaning, doesn’t it?
When we place a value on a teacher based on their student test scores, it seems like we are just ranking them and putting them in a place among other numbers and digits.
So, a teacher whose student test scores are ranked 26th out of 30 schools in the district will not have much value placed on what they have done and on who they are as a teacher.
There are so many mitigating circumstances and uncontrollable variables that can affect those scores, and therefore, that ranking.
Zero is the absence of value, and is just a placeholder.
YET, it can seem to add great value to a number.
For example, 5…50…500…and so on.
Which has more value?
It seems to me that the more zeros, the more value???
Wait, what???
That’s not how math works!
The more zeros a student has, the more value?
Hmmmmm, I say, scratching my head!
What do I mean by all this? (more…)
Teaching is demanding, difficult and overwhelming at times.
As we explored in the last blog post, teachers are “in the arena” all the time.
So, how do we “stay in the game” let alone “bring our A-game” in such trying, demanding times?
The term “bring your A-Game” originated in the mid twentieth century and was used mostly to describe athletes.
According to an online idioms dictionary:
“It refers to bringing maximum effort, focus and undeniable commitment.
It is an encouragement to do your best…no excuses.
When you bring your A-Game, it means that
you are leaving nothing on the field, court, home or work center.
You are giving it your all.”
Let’s explore this and put it all into perspective. (more…)
The most influential quote by Teddy Roosevelt for me is the following:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again… who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”
Yes, go ahead…read it again…and again…and again!
Print it onto a poster. Hang on a wall.
Put it on your desk in a picture frame.
Put it in your lesson plans every.single.day!
It is powerful! And inspiring!
Teacher are in the arena not only during school hours, but also after school hours.
How can we manage this and not feel like we are a target or like we are going into battle or part of a public “spectacle”?
Everything is better when magic and sparkles are included!
And I mean that is true for both in the classroom and outside in the real world.
It’s not just found at Disney World or Disneyland.
To hook students and to also encourage them to keep trying when they were struggling or stuck on a concept or problem or content to learn, I break out my Disney Magic Hat and magic wand and wave it in the air above the student.
I tell them that I am creating happy “Disney Magic” to help them get over any obstacles or hurdles that they are experiencing.
Do you remember as a kid how magical the effects of sparklers are during the Fourth of July or when they are placed upon a birthday cake like they do in other countries.
It creates awe and inspiration and celebration and hope in our hearts.
It is magical.
I don’t allow glitter, which does indeed sparkle, in the classroom because it is too hard to clean up.
So, how do I create “magic sparkles” in the classroom for my students as well as outside the classroom for myself?
Along with all of the resources provided by the Spirit of Teaching, I have also been doing a podcast called Teacher Tales.
The purpose of the podcast is to let teachers share their stories or “tales” of teaching with the hope that their stories, insights, words of wisdom and experiences will serve as lessons as well as sources of inspiration to other teachers.
It is also a form of advocacy and legacy-building effort for the profession as these stories serve as insights to what it is really like to be a teacher. The public often has a skewed viewpoint, and the podcast can help those who are not teachers see things more clearly and realistically.
As each podcast guest teacher shares their story, a theme of main ideas and some really inspiring lessons seem to come through for the listener.
For example, in Teacher Tales Episode #5, I talk to Meredith, a dear friend and fellow conference “junkie”. Meredith is an amazing teacher and human being whose positive energy, authenticity and sense of humor lifts you up and takes you away on a magic carpet ride to a “whole new world” of teaching (a little Aladdin-style), but at the same time she reminds teachers to stay real and set one priority in this moment that will help us find balance and sustainability in what we do.
It is a little like reminding us that wherever we go, Abu is always along for the ride. You remember Abu, right? That mischievous little monkey who is a kleptomaniac, gets frustrated rather easily and hates to be made a fool of. At the same time, Abu is loyal, unselfish, big-hearted, empathic and benevolent.
Hmmmm, sounds like a metaphor for teaching. As teachers, we want to take those students on that magic carpet ride of learning. We want to help them see the world in a whole new perspective that will uplift their efforts and their view of themselves.
However, we also need to remember Abu is always with us on that journey.
What, you say? How is that? (more…)
I came across an article recently entitled “Nature’s Eternal Embrace: The Extraordinary Bond of Inosculation” by Hasan Jasim.
You can read the article here.
I have found myself longing to be outside in the healing context of Mother Nature.
But alas, it has been so hot, buggy and uncomfortable to spend more than five minutes outside. So, I have found myself hibernating and somewhat isolating in reading things and also in my thoughts.
First of all, it reminds me of how we do this as teachers in our classrooms.
For whatever reasons, we isolate in our classrooms with “our kids” and don’t get outside much to interact with our colleagues or teammates.
I witnessed the danger of this firsthand when a first year teacher in my school struggled to adjust to all the demands of teaching, and isolated herself in her classroom. She was afraid to get help because she felt she would be judged as not enough or incompetent.
After three months, she had a nervous breakdown and had to leave the profession.
This had a HUGE IMPACT on me.
I felt I had not done my part as a “seasoned veteran teacher” to help her.
Small things such as…
Stop by her classroom and see how she was doing.
Ask her how I could support her in her new teacher role.
Encourage, inspire and uplift her…just listen and offer hugs and words of affirmation.
Something, somehow to let her know she was not alone and that we had ALL been there (and maybe some of us still were!)
I decided I needed to do something to help connect with these new teachers and build a supportive school community…as much for the newbies as for those of us who were perhaps struggling with burnout and our own form of isolation.
Now, what does all of this backstory mean and how does it connect to Mother Nature, teachers and this new word “inosculation”? (more…)
It is that time of year when teachers and children are going back to school.
A new school year.
A new beginning.
When we start something new, we may need help, support, encouragement, inspiration, resources and materials.
We are building bridges to new connections, new relationships, new learning adventures, new pathways, new opportunities…and so on.
And we may need help doing this.
Teachers do this every.single.year.
They have a reset, restart, renewal to start building those bridges, connections, relationships, etc. again.
They need help. They are “looking for the helpers”, as Mr. Rogers says, for support, encouragements, inspiration, resources, materials, and so on.
Please HELP A TEACHER.
Here are some suggestions:
A little like Bruno, from the Disney film, Encanto, we don’t talk about imperfections in the classroom.
We are all aiming for and expecting that A+, perfection, right?
Even though we say “C” is “average”, we don’t accept nor strive for average.
Everything is about competition and being the BEST!
In the movie, Encanto, which, by the way is a brilliant film with so many underlying meanings and symbolism (like most Disney films) there are several themes addressed: identity, power dynamics, family, generational trauma, healing and forgiveness.
Just a side note, Disney films originated with taking fairy tales, fables and myths from other cultures and turning them into films for story-telling purposes of teaching lessons (like the original intention of these genre of literature).
So, let’s talk about Bruno, even though “we don’t talk about Bruno”!
Bruno represents the perceived “imperfection” of the Madrigal family, and he is willing to talk about it.
Unfortunately, he is perceived as “not a good person” because of that and is villainized by his family. So, he exiles himself from the family and lives in fear of his own potential.
Identity crisis, power dynamics, generational trauma…
Think of how much this plays out at home and in the classroom every day…with students and with teachers, especially since the pandemic.
Why don’t we talk about these issues? Why can’t we be vulnerable?
When we perceive that we have imperfections or we are told that we do…repeatedly… we begin to believe them. Then, what?
May is a special month.
It is the end of another school year for most.
It is a beginning of the summer break, warmer temps and travel.
May is not just the fifth month of the calendar year, however.
It is also a verb, from the Old English mæg “am able”.
We use the word “may” also to ask permission…an old favorite of teachers everywhere.
Student – “Can I go to the bathroom?”
Teacher – “I don’t know, can you?”
After a confused look or eye roll from the student, the teacher then replies: “Yes, you MAY go to the bathroom”.
So, why am I going on and on about the word “may”? Because I want to send teachers off into their summer with some permissions, abilities and “may days” (as opposed to “may daze”). (more…)
Like so many educators today, I left the educational profession because my school “SPIRIT” was suffering.
I didn’t know what that meant at the time or exactly how to describe it because really I was focused on my poor health and inability to walk very far without my legs giving out on me.
I left the profession “broken” both physically and mentally.
I literally had “fallen”, and I could’t get up.
I was lost with no sense or real direction(s).
So, when I walked across Spain on the Camino Francés, with each step I took and each person I met and each experience I had, I learned a lesson.
And these lessons eventually led me back to my true teaching SPIRIT.
I wanted to share the lessons from my journey with others, especially teachers, to somehow help them find their way back to their true SPIRIT.
I founded The Spirit of Teaching, created a website of resources and started a podcast called Teacher Tales in which teachers can tell their stories of teaching and what makes up a true teaching SPIRIT.
Of course being a teacher and in the field of education, I developed an acronym to help remember the qualities and aspirations of a true teaching SPIRIT (which is why it is capitalized and really should have periods in between each letter).
They can be found on this website and shared with others.
Print them out and put them in your plan book.
Journal about them.
Post the mantras and “yellow arrow” guides around your classroom, home, office, car, etc.
There are even more resources that can help guide you and keep you on your intended path.
You also might want to purchase my book Learning Lessons which is a real treasure trove of insight, resources, guidance and activities that you can use to help inspire and guide you back to your own True Self and the teaching SPIRIT in all of us!
Link to purchase Learning Lessons.
Photo credit:
created by Linda Markley in Canva
I have witnessed so many changes in education, especially in the past few years and most definitely since the pandemic.
More and more teachers are leaving the classroom.
Teacher burnout, anxiety and health related issues are at an all time high.
As well, fewer and fewer people are choosing to enter the teaching profession.
You can check out some of the stats and data here:
Reluctantly, I left the teaching profession due to a serious illness brought on by the stress I was experiencing in my position.
It took me a few years to recover physically, however, I still needed to heal mentally and in my teacher spirit.
So, I decided to walk across Spain on the Camino Francés, alone!
It was a pilgrimage of the body, mind and spirit with each step I took (usually 15-20 miles per day!)
Time for reflection, soul-searching, self-discovery, interpersonal connections and many, MANY lessons that would heal the deep wounds I had experienced on my life’s journey, both in and out of the classroom.
How do we learn lessons in life?
What are the best ways for students to learn lessons in the classroom?
And finally, how do the lessons we learn create our path in life?
I discovered the answers to these questions (and so many more!) during my walk across Spain, and I would like to share the lessons I learned with all of you. Please read on… (more…)
As a Spanish teacher, I often told my students that I was going to be their “modelo” and then, I would jokingly “strike a pose” as in Madonna’s song, Vogue.
They got a kick out of that, but honestly and truly, I felt that I was a model for them in everything that I said and did every day.
The word “model” can mean many things today, but mostly we use it to refer to someone in the fashion industry or when we refer to cars/appliances/ technology.
One of the definitions of “model” is “a system or thing used as an example to follow or imitate”.
The etymology of the word is from Latin, modulus, meaning “a standard for imitation or comparison.” (etymonline.com)
So, as teachers, we are setting a “standard for imitation” for our students to follow.
Our words, our actions, our tone, our body language, our choices, our everything.
So, this could go either way.
If we yell, disrespect and dismiss our students, we are modeling and setting a standard for them to imitate and do the same to us and others.
If we speak kindly, thoughtfully and see and hear our students, we are modeling and setting a standard for them to imitate and do the same to us and others.
This happens everywhere, not only in the classroom.
As teachers, we are not just role models to children, but also as humans, we are role models to other humans.
Let me give a few real world examples I have experienced. (more…)
Happy New Year 2024!
As we move into a new calendar year and the second half of another school year, I wanted to reflect a little with you about our differences.
The great Fred Rogers once said:
“Something else children need is the understanding that
every person is
DIFFERENT.
With that understanding can come children’s appreciation
of their own differences and the courage to
be who they are –
each one different from everybody else.”
Sometimes variations of this word DIFFERENT can get confusing in education and in how it is implemented into a school’s best practices.
There is an enormous focus and demand for DIFFERENTiation in the classroom as a result of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act).
We need to meet a student where they are. Then, we can figure out and accommodate all the different ways that child learns and succeeds. We don’t want to leave any child behind, and we do want them to succeed.
However, I feel that what is said and what is practiced in education sometimes are very far apart. In fact, they are usually quite opposite.
I am a like a broken record now with voicing my perspective that we are preaching out of the box, differentiated and accommodating strategies for learning, YET…we are standardizing everything and expecting every child to jump into the same box WE have created for them.
AND, there is now a current trend to allow for fewer and fewer differences among children.
There is even legislation being passed to not allow children to see something or someone different from themselves because of fear of indoctrinating them to a different way of thinking or being.
It is a fact that our brain is wired to see differences first before similarities. Perhaps that is so that we can be curious to learn more about those differences rather than be afraid of them?
Or is it for survival – what is different is a threat to my safety, well being, etc.?
As Fred Rogers says, it takes COURAGE, and as we know, there is a lot of fear permeating the walls of the classroom today.
So, how can we differentiate as well as allow for differences in the classroom in order to create a more nurturing, supportive learning environment for children (and teachers, for that matter!) and therefore, MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
The end of the first semester of classes is upon us.
We have all been working hard for almost 18 weeks now trying to teach, learn and achieve goals.
We have had good days.
We have had bad days.
We have had ups.
We have had downs.
We have had fun.
We have had drama.
We have been sad, happy, angry, frustrated and all around the emotional block many times…in one day even!
Just like a story playing out in a movie.
The classroom is a reflection of life and the world we live in.
The question is…will we make our story this semester into a horror story, a drama, a comedy, a tale of super-human powers or will we choose to make it a love story with a happy ending?
It IS the season of Hallmark movies, you know!
There is a lot of push-back about toxic positivity in education.
There is also a lot of push-back about calling teachers heroes.
Nonetheless, I will always be in the positive charge for energy in the classroom.
AND, I also know a lot about the Hero’s Journey as described by Joseph Campbell, and I will always believe that each and every one of us is the hero of our own story and journey in life.
So, how can we have a happy ending to this first semester, even though it may not have met all our expectations or we haven’t met all our goals or the students have not measured up to our standards? (more…)
As teachers, we know what this time of year means.
The end of the semester race, crunch and sprint.
We kind of get into our flow by October, but by the time November rolls around, we face many hurdles ahead.
WHEW! Did I just ramp up your stress level by a million percent?
Not intended, but just a list of the reality teachers face in the months of November and December.
AS IF their plates were not already full or even overflowing with “all the things” teachers have to do, but THEN, to add all the extra things that the holidays bring with them.
Crowded stores, tightening budget, lack of sleep, very limited time/money/sanity/energy…
Overflow of stress from kids and their parents dealing with their own holiday stressors.
All the food, sweets and holiday parties tempting us around every corner.
YIKES!
Sounds like teachers really could use a C.A.R.E. package to rescue them during Nov. and Dec.
So, what can we do to care for teachers during this time?
AND more importantly, what can teachers do to C.A.R.E. for themselves as things crank up during Nov. and Dec.? (more…)
Most of us know the definition of overwhelm.
Most of us, who will admit it, have experienced the feelings of overwhelm.
This word, OVERWHELMED, is probably one of the most common words teachers use to describe teaching today.
Teachers are overwhelmed.
Students are overwhelmed.
Administrators are overwhelmed.
Parents are overwhelmed.
The etymology of the word overwhelmed is from Old English overwhelmen
over = to turn upside down + whelmen = to submerge completely
Yep, that pretty much describes life in the classroom today.
Everyone and everything seems turned upside down, and life as we know it in the classroom will never be the same, especially since the pandemic.
AND, everyone feels like they are submerged and drowning and not even treading water anymore.
etymonline.com states that “perhaps the connecting notion of being overwhelmed is a boat, etc., washed over, and overset, by a big wave. In a figurative sense of ‘to bring to ruin’ is attested from 1520s.”
I’m getting a visual…stormy, rough seas, small boat, alone and adrift with little to no crew to help keep the boat upright, a big wave of walking the plank-jumping ship-betrayal-mutiny, the feeling of being in the doldrums with no breath of inspiration or compass of hope to guide us safely and surely to our destination.
How do we keep from getting overwhelmed by everything going on outside of the classroom and outside of ourselves?
How do we navigate the stormy seas of teaching (and life)?
What can we do about the tsunami that keeps us submerged with feelings of drowning and gasping for air or the feelings of abandoning ship or the feelings of mutiny and betrayal that can come up in our daily interactions with students, colleagues, admin and especially with parents? (more…)
