http://www.soyouwanttoteach.com/see-there-is-hope-after-all/
This is a link to a blog that I found on my PLN this week. It is actually a link to another blog that a teacher wrote. This aforementioned teacher wrote this blog when she was inclined to quit her job. One of the last posts on this blog was on how to overcome that feeling to quit. In no particular order they are:
1. Don’t give up, even when you feel absolutely useless. We all feel that way at times.
2. Surround yourself with positive people.
3. Avoid negativity like the plague.
4. Learn something from everyone with whom you come into contact.
5. Enjoy the journey.
I thought that these are good pieces of advice, and I want to thank one person in particular for sharing them with me. Brad Hruska, who now teaches in the Perry School system, told me these things last year. I am very happy that I was able to meet Brad, because I look up to him as a music teacher.
I feel that these pieces of advice are common sense and actually are applied to life. I feel that if you do these things in your life, anything that you do will be worth it.
3 comments:
I'm glad you enjoy this site. It seems to be a popular source for realistic teaching information. Teaching can be difficult and it's nice that there are support venues to keep motivation and expectations on the positive side. New teachers are often assigned mentor teachers within their district, which can also be useful. As you develop your PLN (w/ colleagues like Brad), you'll have those educators as resources as well.
Music is a competitive field, and we are often implicitly taught to compare ourselves to others. No matter how good we are, there is always someone with whom we stack up unfavorably. Or with respect to teaching, no matter how good the teacher, the student ultimately always has the option of choosing not to succeed or learn the material.
When these things happen, it can be hard to stay confident, but it is necessary to learn this skill. Without confidence, it's impossible for anyone to realize their potential in pretty much anything, whether that is performance or teaching.
I think that this is a wonderful message and it is a great outlook on issues associated with teaching. Sure, I love my job and working with the students, but there are challenging and frustrating days. I think the blog provides excellent suggestions for how to cope with those frustrations and to maintain a positive outlook on life and teaching. I appreciate you highlighting the suggestions and I am sure they will be useful to me and other teachers.
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