Happiness: A Work in Progress

Love Love LOVE a teacher blog called It's Not All Flowers and Sausages. I've been following the blog for about a year now and find the blogger, Mrs. Mimi, interesting, somewhat controversial, and always funny.

Yesterday she mentioned The Happiness Project in her blog. I researched the project a bit, and I'm totally interested in how it can help me develop as a teacher. Now, I'm all for working hard developing new lessons, reflecting on student achievement, or collaborating with fellow teachers, but you should know by now that I am extremely invested in nurturing a teacher's spirit. (Refer to my mind, body, spirit posts if you need a refresher.)

Because I'm emotionally invested in teaching, I think it's incredibly important to keep myself healthy in every way possible. I think that many times, teachers neglect the "soul" part of staying healthy because honestly, it's the easiest part to overlook. I'd move to to argue that most professions neglect the "soul" part as well. It's tough to admit to others (and yourself) that you need some "soul work," but I've found that taking some precious time during planning to read a book like Awakened: Change Your Mindset to Transform Your Teaching is just as valuable as planning a lesson. It may not happen every day, but I'd like to participate in the Happiness Project just to give my teacher spirit a boost during the winter months.

Food For Thought

I came across this video while searching for new and exciting teaching strategies on YouTube. I can't say that I agree with the "what good teachers don't need" portion. I think that an outgoing personality, a master's degree, and teaching experience certainly add to a well-rounded educator, specifically when communicating with parents,  writing curriculum, or handling difficult teaching situations. But I do agree that making sure all students keep up, changing lesson plans as needed, and setting high goals are tremendously important for student achievement. In any case, it's good to see that teachers are being recognized for their outstanding work!

December Post Hiding in My Blog Drafts

Happy New Year! I found this little stinker hiding in my blog drafts this morning...I thought I'd published it, but in the chaos of pre-Christmas teaching, I neglected to double-check. Enjoy!

Don't take it personally.

These four little words used to make my blood boil. Truth be told, I used to be one of the most emotional, reactive, and sensitive teachers ever. Anything, EVERYTHING that happened in my classroom used to send me over the edge or melt me down. We're talking the good and the bad, here. You used a period after 6 months of run on sentences? I'm crying. You continue a disruptive behavior I've repeatedly asked you to fix? I'm yelling. Let's get honest, folks. I made my students' behaviors about me. Every choice they made was a reflection of me, of my instructional skills, of my worth as a teacher and as a person. So when colleagues told me "don't take it personally," I just couldn't understand. 

Over the years, I developed rationalizations for my distorted thinking. I told myself that it was okay to take my students' behaviors personally. I excused the ups and downs because "Hey, I wear my heart on my sleeve, and that's real." Other times, I told myself that "Nobody wants a Miss Mary Sunshine Teacher all  the time, especially if she's faking it." At the end of every day I'd mentally assign myself a grade based on the choices my students made. The grades were almost always negative because there was NO way all 24 of my students would do everything I wanted them to do every day. 

Let's get real, people. This is NO way to live, professionally or personally. I was torturing my fragile teacher ego on a daily basis. And like I've said before, my teaching and personal life is so deeply intertwined, there was no way to keep this habit from affecting my personal life. I'd cry on my drive to school, while my kids ate lunch, on my way home. Somehow, I had managed to break my own teaching spirit. (The negative environments I taught in didn't help, either.) The saddest part is, I'm not alone. Many teachers feel and act this way!

Luckily, I've turned things around this year. As I've been reading Awakened: Change Your Mindset to Transform Your Teaching, I'm reassessing some of the behaviors I've written off or rationalized. And although the advice this book offers is geared towards teachers, I feel like it's beneficial for anyone and everyone. The author, Angela Watson, writes:

"Recognize that the way people treat you is mostly a reflection of how they feel about themselves and their own lives."

This set me free! It gave me permission to stop judging, grading, hurting myself. Now, I'm also blessed with a wonderful class and school environment, but I have to give myself some credit. I try not to take things personally anymore. I don't make student behaviors about me. I make their behaviors about them. This in no way means that I'm tougher or meaner, rather, I'm more efficient. My students understand that I am here to help them. Ultimately, I realize that not taking things personally benefits me and my students' progress.