Why We Stink as Teachers...

     Yes, I said it. As teachers, we are often pathetic. We blow it, and embarrass the profession. It's not that we set out with this goal in mind, but nevertheless too many of us are far below the aspiration we once set out towards. As we finished student teaching, we still had those dreams of changing the world for a handful of kids. Now our biggest focus is time off, pay raises, and less time teaching kids. Where did we go wrong?

      I remember riding in a taxi in Ethiopia, heading to the orphanage to pick up our son. A young helper from the orphanage was along in the taxi, and she shared her dreams to one day teach. She had dreams of coming to the United States, and getting an education. The desire to make a difference was burning in her words and in here eyes. It was the same spark I have witnessed a thousand times.
     The truth is when the right people are around, we talk about helping kids and making a difference, and then the next moment we loathe what we do. The hypocrisy is like a sickness that starts from our wallets and then creeps to our hearts, where we slowly lose our spark and dreams. We tell our students...work hard....study...apply yourself....show passion....your work now will pay off later.... and the killer line, if you work hard and get a good education, you can get a job you will love. How many of us are living those words? When was the last time you told someone you love your job? Can you recall the last conversation you had with a teacher that even mentioned how much you enjoy your job?
    We are the propped up lame, tell the toddling child, "Keep trying. Walking is soooo great!" After we preach our message, out go the crutches and we reveal our greatest flaw. The greatest folly in the whole mess is that we believe our dissatisfied attitude is hidden from our students. Don't be fooled! It comes through in your attitude, body language, lessons, and leave time just as clear as those closed door gripping sessions.
     How does one get their spark back if they lost it? The simplest answer is to start over. No, don't quit your job and hope to get rehired. To get your spark back, you have to re-define what makes you come alive. Once you have that spark, then hold it up high. That spark should define your peer conversations, how you spend your time, and the amount of effort you put into your work. That old self will be heavy and will try to hang on dearly, laugh and cut the rope. Join me. It's hard and sometimes lonely, but there is no greater place to be.

Defining our spark:

A great motivational speaker for kids. He visited our school to share his story. The kids were blown away by his words, and they laughed their guts out:


Taxi Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hailemichaelfiseha/4637093034/