![]() ![]() I put together a fun presentation, had my students reflect on their mindsets and even create motivational posters for my classroom. I remembered seeing something on Twitter about “Growth Mindset,” so I decided to give it a whirl. ![]() That also meant I was doing all of the learning, and I was NOT okay with that. Quickly, I learned that my motivational “talks” and individual conversations with kids were not enough to keep their attention and frankly, I was doing all of the work. However, my teaching assignment changed, and now, I was up against high school students a.k.a teenagers. The connections I had with my students strengthened, as did the confidence I had in my classroom and willingness to accept constructive feedback from my colleagues and administrators. I saw a difference once I was open to growing and changing to fit the needs of my students. Would I want to be a student in my class?Īm I the kind of teacher I would want for my own children?Īs the years went on, I continued to ask myself those questions constantly. Was I doing enough to ensure my students felt safe to take academic risks in my classroom? What do I want students to gain from being in my class? I began to reflect on my own performance as a teacher. Desperate to fulfill my vision, I did something I had never done formally before. I was convinced those “lessons” in my dream classroom had nothing to do with participial phrases or thesis statements. While I was (and still am) appreciative for the feedback from colleagues and leaders in my district, I couldn’t get that image out of my head – the one where my hypothetical students were smiling, learning, and coming back to tell me all of the lessons they learned in my classroom. I poured through a plethora of professional books and signed up for every type of professional development out there. I still loved everything about being in the classroom (okay, maybe not the paperwork), but I still felt that something was missing. It wasn’t until 3 years in that I realized that teaching was different than what I thought it would be. I devoted every waking moment to my job because that’s what I always thought “good teachers do.” I was like the Energizer Bunny I never stopped planning, grading, copying, (did I mention grading?), etc. However, the first year was all about survival. For any new teacher, the excitement to begin our futures is so powerful I wanted to bottle that up and keep it forever. Once I decided to become an educator, all I would do is picture my ideal classroom, inspiring kids and motivating them to learn. For the last 9 years, I have been living proof that dreams come true. ![]()
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