Teachers are releasing themselves and it has been a long time coming...
After three years we have had it, I don't need to look at the data to know why teachers are releasing themselves from the toxic love of Teaching. I had to take FOUR assessments BEFORE I started teaching. I acquired two more degrees all while completing yearly professional development requirements. After years of chasing society standards of success, we said, enough!
You won't break my soul.
That is a very radical and prophetic statement. It is definitely on repeat as I recover from the world-wind of teaching through a panni. If you are anything like me you do the work because you let your passion and purpose drive you. Many of us had to dig deep for the motivation. Constantly making sense of the senseless. This is heart level work and the MAGIC and CULTURE established in our classrooms was not by accident. We worked and overcome for this! We advocated for this! We built this foundation and community culture of care with so many odds stacked against us.
Here are 5 things I know to remain constant:
Teachers are committed to learning.
Teacher remain willing and are tenacious.
Teachers believe that creating a community from scratch is invigorating.
Teachers understand that Progress is Gold.
Teachers are committed to releasing the mess so that we can continue our impact.
As you recover from the throws of the year and teaching during tough times, I would like you to consider:
How can we instill core values in our students when the status quo is so LOUD?
How can we build our own foundation in our classrooms?
What does release look like to you? To your students?
I know that when we teach growth mindset, we are practicing a cycle of learning and unlearning. We can look at the standards, curriculum and mounds of "support," as resources and feel confident in knowing we are doing our best with the hand we have been dealt. We can add to our tool box depending on our level of comfort and capacity. And we stop searching for a quick gimmick or 1-2-3 fix, because you have everything you need inside of you!
