As educators, most of us came into the profession because we were inspired by other teachers, coaches, or administrators that made a difference in our lives and we also want to make a difference and help students reach their goals. 34 years later I am not sure I feel the same about why I am a teacher. “Re-defining You Why” was the title of the professional development I selected to attend.
I was curious about the topic as a veteran teacher of 34 years. I have been feeling “different” about teaching since the pandemic. Feelings such as; being overly tired, lacking joy, and lacking motivation. Wondering if I am making an impact on students and staff? Wondering if I need a new position or career. Based on these feelings and thoughts I felt like this session was probably something I could benefit from.
Some of the data shared with us: Source Gallup Poll Feb. 2022
More than 4 in 10 K-12 workers say they “always” or “very often” feel burned out at work, which is outpacing all other industries nationally.
66% of teachers want to leave their job and 41.3% of new teachers leave the profession within the first 5 years
This made me feel better because I am not feeling alone about the stress of teaching, but it also made me think about what changes need to be made to keep educators teaching. Burnout does not produce good lessons, or good teaching and learning.
Then we watched this Ted-Talk “How To Make Stress Your Friend”-by Kelly McGonigal. “Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others”. She talks about how “changing your mind about stress, you can change your body’s response to stress”.
We were introduced to the VIA Institute On Character which has found through their research that, “People who can learn to apply four or more of their strengths in the workplace have more positive work experiences and report higher job satisfaction…….they are more likely to report that their work is a calling”. Boom!!! Immediately this caught my attention and I thought how can I do this, tell me more.
Take The VIA Character Strengths Survey research shows that knowing and using your character strengths can help you:
✔️Increase happiness and well-being
✔️Find meaning and purpose
✔️Boost relationships
✔️Manage stress and health
✔️Accomplish goals
Then we were asked to “Craft our How” using a worksheet for reflection and lesson ideas using our top 3 character strengths from the survey.
My top 3 character strengths were creativity, leadership, and humor. I thought about the last few lessons I taught and felt like I could more intentionally incorporate these strengths. The research says it will be more engaging and satisfying for me as well as my students and will help reduce stress and burnout. I definitely left that professional development, with a new WHY! My students have always been my WHY but I want to be my best for them.
Communicate Your “WHY” To Your Students
The session ended by challenging educators to share our WHY with our students. Remind them WHY you are there as a teacher. Let students know your intentions for them which will create a connection. Lastly, ask students how you can help them succeed. These reflection questions reminded me how important it is to communicate with our students and remain positive in challenging situations, encouraging them and letting them know I will always be there for them. I try to communicate this information at the beginning of the year, but I feel it needs to be said often. Let students know we are their cheerleader, teacher and so much more.
The Power Of An Email
The next day, I received this email from one of my students from last year, who has returned to a comprehensive high school this year and is flourishing. She was asked to do this for an assignment, to thank a teacher. She helped me realize, even if it is one student, I am making a difference and I am working on redefining My WHY.
