Teacher Pitfalls Series: Pat Pat My Back

I am starting a new series on some common pitfalls that are common to teachers. Not sure how far this will run, but I currently have five of these lined up. Each is lead off by a Bible passage.






Pitfall #1: With Hopes of Rewards and a Pat on the Back

Luke 6: 31-34 (The Message) "Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that."

Starting in the hardest place seems like the right beginning to me. This pitfall requires a deep examination of who we are as teachers. I write this post because this is a "me first" confession. By talking about this stuff, I can flush out the things I feel. It helps me take inventory of what drives me. I also hope it will be useful to other teachers.
The pitfall I am talking about is deep seeded motivation on the part of teachers to only extend themselves to their practice when it means self elevation, progression, and ego boosting. Ouch! That just made me think of a few activities I threw myself at in the past week. I know what it is like to have days where you just want to get through and go home. I also know what it is like to have a rich and exciting day that flies by and you get mad at the dismissal bell. They are two extremes here that both lead to unfavorable results.
The first extreme is like the one mentioned in the verses above, and that is when we have a facade of care and passion. Behind that front, we only motivated by the hopes that our work will benefit us. This is where we need to get our focus off self. We need to work with a goal of student achievement in mind. Any tie we create between student achievement and our own elevation is tainted, and certainly a bad place to be working.
The other extreme is to take no action. This stance is also focused on self. When we are unmotivated to try new things in our class because of our own fears or excuses of time. This is also a role we play that reaps undesired results. With this focus, we create stale a classroom that you can fast forward 15-20 years, and everything will look exactly the same, just the student faces have changed. This position has removed the ugly pursuit of self benefit, but it has also removed a passion that will inspire students to excel and achieve. This kind of teaching runs counter to research based methods that prove to be effective in reaching all learners.
So how does one stay pure of self yet relevant? Here are three simple practices to implement that will help.
1. Be a reflective teacher. Honestly look at what you do from time to time. Evaluate the purpose of lessons and activities. (Blog, Journal, Discuss with Colleagues, etc.)
2. Make Goals for Classroom Changes. What would I like my class to look like in a month or two? What practices have I been doing by habit, but have not been reaping results in my students?
3. Be Knowledgeable, Discerning, and OK with what is relevant in current teaching. Keeping up with best practice can be tiring, and it is easy to say, "Oh I have seen this come down the pipe before." The truth is, the cycles of practices is not a bad thing. If is a good practice, then it currently should be continued to be held up as beneficial. Why not become an expert on a few practices and help younger teachers (like myself) put things in play?

Stay near by, Pitfall #2 is around the corner. Until then, please share and comment. Your reflections help me grow!