Category: calling to make a difference

Linda Markley

The Teacher SPIRIT

calling to make a difference, Can do's, creating community, Essential questions, i am enough, Intention, Introspection, Intuition, Joy, Learning Lessons, making connections, Maslow before Blooms, Passion, Purpose, Resources, Sincerity, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, teacher hero, teacher self-care, teacher vulnerability, Wholehearted teaching

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.

Check them out here.  

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.

Check them out here.

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

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Linda Markley

Learning Lessons

calling to make a difference, Can do's, Essential questions, i am enough, making connections, Maslow before Blooms, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies

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…)

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Linda Markley

Modeling

calling to make a difference, communication, creating community, Intention, Purpose, Sincerity, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Wholehearted teaching

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…)

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Linda Markley

I Beg to Differ

calling to make a difference, Can do's, communication, Maslow before Blooms, Passion, Purpose, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, Wholehearted teaching

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?

(more…)

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Linda Markley

Happy Endings

calling to make a difference, Can do's, creating community, Essential questions, i am enough, Intention, Introspection, Intuition, Joy, making connections, Maslow before Blooms, Passion, Purpose, Resources, Sincerity, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, teacher hero, Wholehearted teaching

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…)

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Linda Markley

C.A.R.E. Packages

calling to make a difference, Can do's, creating community, i am enough, Introspection, Intuition, Joy, Maslow before Blooms, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, teacher self-care

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.

  1. Thanksgiving 
  2. Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza
  3. Semester exams 
  4. Semester grades
  5. New Year and Admin visits/evaluations

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…)

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Linda Markley

Overwhelmed?

calling to make a difference, Can do's, i am enough, Maslow before Blooms, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies

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…)

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Linda Markley

Educational Civility and Citizenship

calling to make a difference, creating community, Maslow before Blooms, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices

The etymology of civility is from the Latin civilis “relating to a citizen, relating to public life, befitting a citizen; popular, affable, courteous”

I’ve done many blog posts on creating a more positive, nurturing, courteous, friendly, civil classroom or school culture.

I am going to take another pass at it again, but this time, through the lens of a classroom or school culture as it relates to a civilization.

The famous anthropologist, Margaret Mead, was once asked by a student what she thought were the first signs of a civilization in an ancient culture.

One would expect her to answer with things like pottery, tools or everyday objects like statues or jewelry or utensils.

Well, much to everyone’s surprise, Margaret Mead replied that the first sign of a civilization in an ancient culture is actually found in a broken human femur bone that has healed. 

What? Quoi? Huh?

AND how does this relate to this blog topic of “educational civility and citizenship”? (more…)

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Linda Markley

Classroom Behavior

calling to make a difference, Can do's, creating community, i am enough, Intention, Introspection, Intuition, Joy, making connections, Maslow before Blooms, Resources, Sincerity, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, Wholehearted teaching

There are many reasons teachers are leaving the profession.

One of those reasons is classroom behavior…BOTH teacher and student behavior.

The pressures, demands, excessive expectations, negative and hostile culture in which many teachers and students find themselves these days are causing behavior in the classroom to also get out of control.

In a school district in Florida, a large group of teachers quit stating that student behavior was out of control and unbearable. 

Since then, many prominent persons in the district, including the sheriff and local school board members have publicly stated their opinions about students in the district. These opinions have included many “childish” behaviors such as name calling and suggestions for “whipping students’ a****”.

As adults, we must be the role models for children, and this kind of behavior is just not acceptable.

Teaching is the hardest job there is nowadays!

So many critics and so little respect. Too many expectations and not enough support.

 And being a kid is hard too with all the pressures from social media, high stakes testing and socio-economic challenges at home.

All of these pressures are playing out in the classroom and manifesting in extreme human behaviors like violence, insolence, aggression, belligerence and defiance stemming from human emotions such as anger, frustration, anxiety, depression, sadness, grief, fear, jealousy, rejection and especially an overwhelming feeling of not being or doing enough.

What can we do as teachers, as parents, as ADULTS to help turn
this classroom behavior around from a negative to a positive?

And YES…IT STARTS WITH US!!!

(more…)

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Linda Markley

Teacher Professional Development

calling to make a difference, creating community, Introspection, professional development, Sincerity, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, teacher vulnerability

Attending professional development training is a requirement for teachers to renew their teaching certificates every five years.

Even though it is still summer break, teachers are already either attending professional development over the summer. Or they are already planning for their professional development in the upcoming year during pre-planning or during the designated district PD Days.

I have noticed a trend in social media posts that are lashing out about trainers or mentors for professional development who have not been in the classroom in recent years.

I can read the frustration and resentment between the lines of these posts and totally understand and respect them.

In fact, much of the overwhelming negativity that comes from teachers I can understand and respect. I get human nature and the life of teaching, no matter what decade we are talking about.

HOWEVER, as some teachers become more and more aggressive about voicing these frustrations, I am compelled to offer a different perspective.

For some teachers, their Ego tells them: “I already know everything I need to know and no one else is going to tell me how to teach.”

For some teachers, their anxiety tells them: “I have so much to do and am barely keeping up with what I already know how to do. I can’t take on another new trick or another new thing on my plate.”

For some teachers, their resentment tells them: “Not many professions require employees to spend their time seeking professional development in order to keep their license and/or credentials, so why should I?’ 

For some teachers, their anger tells them: “You don’t know me or the kids I teach, so you can’t offer anything that is going to help. You are just wasting my time.”

I could go on, but you get the picture.

So, what could possibly be a perspective that would help allay the negativity that is associated with attending a professional development day/session, especially one led by a teacher who has not been in the classroom in the last several years? (more…)

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Linda Markley

The Big Question

calling to make a difference, communication, Essential questions, Intention, Introspection, Intuition, Purpose, Spirit of teaching, Wholehearted teaching

Beside doing this blog, I also send out a weekly newsletter called the Sunday Spirit Spark as well as host a podcast called Teacher Tales.

You can check all of these out at Spirit of Teaching

I started this journey for the Spirit of Teaching during the pandemic when I witnessed my beloved friends and colleagues and profession struggling and suffering and losing their compass and direction.

The question that came up a lot was WHY?

Why should I keep doing this when kids don’t even show up for the Zoom meeting or keep their cameras on or do their work or ???

Why should I put my health and well-being on the line in a pandemic?

Why should I even care if no one else cares?

Why?  Why?  Why?  echoed through the hearts of teachers across the world more than ever before.  

In fact, post-pandemic, it is still simmering in the background of every teacher’s mind as more and more challenges come about.

Challenges like teachers being told that they can’t teach certain things or have certain books in their libraries or talk about certain topics or do certain activities in class o push back against excessively aggressive and bullying parents and students. The list goes on…

The big question in the classroom has always been and always will be WHY? 

So, today I was doing a podcast recording with a teacher who said that in order to keep his focus and stay in the profession, he had to always remind himself of his “WHY?”

Why did I become a teacher?

Why do I show up every day at school?

Why ___________?  fill in the blank (more…)

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Linda Markley

The Art of Teaching

calling to make a difference, Can do's, creating community, Essential questions, Introspection, making connections, Passion, Purpose, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Wholehearted teaching

Mark Van Doren, American poet, writer and professor at Columbia University said:

“The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery”.

Teaching truly is an art form.

Each teacher is a unique artist creating a masterpiece lesson plan into which they put their own carefully chosen objects, colors, shadings, meaning and a bit of themselves.

A masterful teacher creates this masterpiece lesson, and then, like any work of art, invites the viewer/recipient to explore, discover and learn at their own pace and in their own way.

A work of art is personal and sensory and contextual.

Yet it is also universal and appeals to the humanity in all of us.

Lessons need to be personal, sensory and contextual in order to become meaningful.

They also need to be universal and teach us the “greater understandings” of life.

When something is personally meaningful to us, we make a connection…literally brain and heart connections.

This is the magic of teaching, and what may be missing in some classrooms today because of various factors.

Why has this changed, and what can a teacher do 
to become a masterful artist at their craft? (more…)

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Linda Markley

Hocus-Pocus Teaching in Scary Times

calling to make a difference, Can do's, creating community, making connections, Purpose, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, teacher vulnerability, Wholehearted teaching

It is October, and things are heating up for teachers as the weather cools down.

FALL is in the air.

Teachers may feel like things are not “falling” into place or that they are “falling” down on the job because it is the end of the grading period, and they are having a hard time keeping up with…

…too many students trying to make up work they should have done weeks ago

…too many parents reacting negatively, and yes, even aggressively (bullying) because their    child does not have the grade they want them to have and, somehow, that’s the teacher’s fault

…too many emails, meetings, papers to grade, parent conferences, admin visits for evaluation

…too many things to JUGGLE

Teachers maybe need a little bit of HOCUS-POCUS.

Did you know that the origin of the phrase HOCUS-POCUS is from the Latin phrase hicce es doctus, which means here is the learned man. (etymonline.com). 

The phrase eventually became used by jugglers and magicians to refer to their craft/sleight of hand.

Nowadays, the phrase “hocus-pocus” conjures up the wildly popular Disney film of the same name, which has just released a part 2.

So, what do Fall, Hocus-Pocus, October, jugglers, magicians and teachers have in common?

(more…)

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Linda Markley

Cherished Memories

calling to make a difference, Can do's, creating community, Intention, Joy, making connections, Maslow before Blooms, Passion, Purpose, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Teacher Appreciation, teacher hero, Wholehearted teaching

There is no doubt that the impact a teacher has on the life of a student, and eventually on the world, is inestimable.

The impact can be positive or negative and last a lifetime…for better or for worse.

When children come to the classroom, teachers have the opportunity to create a bond and nurture a relationship with each and every child through the choices we make and the experiences we create through the lessons and activities in which we actively engage those children.

Teachers feel this in the heart and soul of their being. It can be quite a burden to carry, but it can also be the most uplifting, invigorating and everlasting joy they can experience in life!

When we decide to become a teacher, our hearts enter into a lifelong commitment…for better or for worse…to love each and every child, unconditionally. 

It is not always easy, loving or joyful, and many, MANY days our commitment may begin to wain and our hearts begin to shrink a little and have less capacity for joy, passion and love.

Nonetheless, it is ALWAYS there, just like our founding love that helped create a bond in any relationship or “marriage” of connection to another.

There are always cherished memories that we create with others through our bond and connection that will live in our hearts forever.

So, we need to keep reminders and mementos of them close by to help us come back to our heart center and remember the WHY in what we are doing and the choices were are making.

How do we do create and keep 
those cherished memories near and dear to our hearts?

(more…)

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Linda Markley

Sparkle and Shine

calling to make a difference, Can do's, Essential questions, i am enough, Intention, Introspection, Intuition, Joy, Maslow before Blooms, Passion, Purpose, Spirit of teaching, Wholehearted teaching

Who doesn’t like when things “sparkle and shine”?

As you can probably guess, the word “sparkle” is related to the word “spark”.

In the classroom, there are a lot of sparks flying from conflicts, stress, tension, confrontation, negative emotions and actions… you get the picture.

So, how can we turn “sparks” into “sparkle” and shine? (more…)

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Linda Markley

Classroom Courtesies

calling to make a difference, Can do's, communication, creating community, Essential questions, Intention, Introspection, Spirit practices, Wholehearted teaching

In the last blog post, we explored the concept of discipline, both in and out of the classroom.

I heard from some teachers and others who said what is going on now is more than about discipline. 

It is about courtesy.

I have had many conversations lately with teachers about how disrespectful and rude students and (especially) parents have been.

First of all, it is the season of testing from now until May or June. As a result…

Students are stressed.

Parents are stressed.

Teachers are stressed.

Admin is stressed.

Put all that stress together and it is like the energy required for nuclear fission and an atomic explosion!!! And from what I hear and see first hand (and on social media), there are a lot of explosions going off both in and out of the classroom.

YIKES!

Kindness is a word that is one of my mantras and something I try to live by.

There is so much merchandise that is sold now promoting kindness, but I don’t know that people always understand what that means.

I have recently seen the phrase “be courteous” used instead.

Maybe that is a generational thing too because I am not sure many people under the age of thirty would be able to tell you what that means.

To be courteous and kind used to be central themes in old TV shows of the 60’s like The Andy Griffith Show.

My mom, who is 93, says that it used to be part of what she calls “home training”.

Hmmmm… so what does it mean to be courteous? (more…)

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Linda Markley

Discipline in the Classroom (and Beyond)

calling to make a difference, Can do's, creating community, Essential questions, making connections, Purpose, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, teacher hero, Wholehearted teaching

This word is the focus of much discussion when it comes to the classroom and teachers.

The word, itself, has such an interesting etymology. If we take a look at the different origins and usages of the word as related to the classroom and education, it gets even more interesting.

According to etymonline.com, here are some insights:

*from Old French descepline “discipline, physical punishment; teaching; suffering; martyrdom”

*from Latin disciplina “instruction given, teaching, learning, knowledge,”

*related to the word disciple “one who follows another for the purpose of learning,”

So much has been researched and written about the topic of discipline in the classroom.

Today, it is referred to as “classroom management”.

No matter what we call it, first year teachers struggle with it. 

And now, in the pandemic, even veteran teachers are struggling with it.

So, what can teachers do?

Use a “discipline ladder” or some other “system of behavior accountability” as they are called today? (more…)

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Linda Markley

Follow the Directions

calling to make a difference, Essential questions, Purpose, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Wholehearted teaching

“Follow the directions” is a fundamental phrase used in the classroom.

Teachers get really, REALLY frustrated when students don’t follow the directions.

I understand how important directions, procedures and processes are in keeping an organized and smoothly operating classroom of 20, 30 + students, especially young ones.

HOWEVER, I also feel that sometimes we follow directions too stringently and cause ourselves undue stress. It can also open the door to a flood of judgment and shame.

The word “direction” comes from the Latin word directionem, meaning to make a straight line.

If my geometry knowledge serves me well, a direct, straight line is the shortest route between two points…a beginning and an end.

But WHAT IF, the learning journey is not the shortest distance nor the most “direct” path between two points, the starting point at the beginning, and an end point at the destination (end?)

WHAT IF the directions we receive are not the straight on nor the same for every person? (more…)

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Linda Markley

The Kindness Game

calling to make a difference, creating community, Intention, Joy, making connections, Maslow before Blooms, Purpose, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies

Happy World Kindness Day 2021!  

World Kindness Day is celebrated all around the world every year on November 13th. It was introduced in 1998 by the World’s Kindness Movement, a coalition of nations’ kindness NGO’s.

You can learn more about it here.

I am a HUGE proponent of bringing more kindness into this world!

Want to bring more kindness into your world? (more…)

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Linda Markley

Place Value in the Classroom Today

calling to make a difference, creating community, making connections, Passion, Purpose, Spirit of teaching, Teacher Appreciation, Wholehearted teaching

Place value is truly an educational term that gets emblazoned into our brains very early on as we learn numbers and how they operate in mathematical equations.

According to the dictionary, “place value is the numerical value that a digit has by virtue of its position in a number”.

Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, and so on.

And the Mayans came up with the concept of the absence of value, which they represented by the number zero.

Hmmm, so this is all great. I used to teach math once upon a time. 

However, nowadays,  I am thinking about place value in the classroom in other terms. (more…)

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