Keep the Fire Lit: Longevity and Happiness in Teaching

I was recently speaking with a young teacher who was frustrated with an older teacher who he thought was "lazy". After talking a little longer, I realized this was not a lazy teacher, but one who was dealing with burnout. The net result is the same--loss of effectiveness and productivity--but the solutions are quite different.

Most people enter into the teaching profession filled with idealism and a strong sense of optimism--I know I did! This is often fueled by a passion for service and a desire to make a difference in the lives of others--still does for me. There may also be a strong love of your subject matter we also want to share with others. The problem occurs when the cold bucket of reality clashes with the burning flames of idealism--I clearly remember those early years all too well. The jarring result can often be both intense and, occasionally, devastating for the teacher. How do you keep that fire burning?

The State of Georgia Department of Education recently surveyed a large number of educators across the state. The results were alarming to many.

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/high-stakes-tests-blamed-for-jhigh-teacher-turnove/npyhr/

Teacher retention and burnout are also two topics often linked in educational research. Many of the studies suggest teachers become disillusioned with the process and bureaucracies of teaching and simply feel they can no longer make a difference. Basically, when the negatives outweigh the positives of the profession, teachers burnout. How do we reverse this trend?

Over my career, I have taught in some challenging environments and faced many obstacles. My professional road has not been smooth. However, I would not change one thing about my journey. I learned a great deal from the challenges I faced and I am a stronger, more effective, teacher, as a result. I will be honest, there were times when I felt like my fire was dying out. The diversity of challenges I was facing, most of which were out of my control, was, at times, overwhelming. To quote a friend, "I felt like I was drinking from a fire hydrant." (Talk about something that can extinguish a fire.)

How did I come out the other end and thrive as a teacher? 

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; 

Acceptance
While often associated with 12-step programs, this small piece of wisdom is quite powerful for me. In the teaching profession, there are many things out of your control and you cannot change. When I was younger, I focused a great deal on these issues--colleagues, community, administration, state bureaucracy, facilities, schedule, etc...--to the point I sometimes felt defeated. Once I accepted what I could and could not control, a great burden was lifted off of me. What I could control was my attitude, performance, and work ethic.

Present-Time
You hear athletes talk about it all the time, "We just take it one game at a time...Win the down...One play at a time." They understand that optimal performance only comes from focusing on the present. A great deal of anxiety is generated from focusing on the past and the future. I often hear teachers mention, "Well, back in my day..." "These kids these days." All of the statements reflect a focus on the past. Better yet, "Only 31 more days..." Focused on the future. When I began to focus my energies on my students and teaching one day at a time, I found amazing amounts of energy and much more success.

Perfection Myth
It comes naturally to me as a musician, but being a perfectionist--especially about music--can easily lead to us focusing on failures and overlook our successes. While chasing perfection, I found myself focused on the 3-5 students I could not reach or the parent who just did not understand my vision. The competitive side would not allow me to give-up. It is a difficult reality to accept, but you will never bat .1000, Some students are not ready for what you are offering. Some have too many other distractions. Some people are just not team players. I could go on and on. NOTE of CAUTION: This is not a excuse card to give up on kids. You should try to learn from every kid who leaves your program. Find out why the student is leaving and then LET IT GO! Your batting average may not be perfect, but it needs to be in the high 80%

Process-Focus in a Product-Focused Profession
The Perfection Myth is a result of being Product-Focused. We have accountability and data rammed down our educational throats. It is easy to be focused on these results. When you are product-focused, there will always be something not correct, someone not reached, or one more thing to fix. This mindset leads us to focus on the 3-5% we are not reaching and ignore the 95%. Obviously, this approach is inherently negative and extremely draining and demoralizing. When you focus on doing the right things the right way, you will improve. If there is improvement, there is always something positive to focus on. "Just get better!" Did we get better today? It was a good day? If not, why? How can we change to fix the problem? See! The energies are placed on the positive, not the negatives.This is what some in educational-ese call a "Growth Mindset." Additionally, this approach leads to a healthier view of your students, your situation, and your career. All great mastery requires a large amount of failure, redirection, effort, and repeat. If you are process-focused, the failures are seen as essential and not fatal. If you are product-focused, well, ...

It is About the Students
There have been times in my teaching when the proverbial city of Rome was crumbling around me. I always found refuge in focusing on helping my students. I avoided the ridiculous meetings or unimportant deadlines imposed on me. I stayed out of the places where negativity bred like black mold. I became a teacher to help students, and when I focused on them, all of the other stuff seemed to disappear. Of course, there are times when the students are the problem. What now? I revert back to all of the other previously mentioned mindsets. You can control the now, you will not be perfect, and just get better.

Remain Relevant and Passionate about Your Subject
Do you truly love your subject? If yes, your students will notice and your passion will become contagious. If not, your students will notice and your lack of passion will become contagious. Are you growing and learning new ideas? Are you working to become a better musician, mathematician, scientist, etc...? If you do not grow in your subject area, your fire and passion will clearly fade. Music is one of main hobbies and also my profession. Some may say I lack balance, but if I am doing what I love then it does not feel like a job. The more I know, the more I know I do not know. There is always something new to learn and experience. Never forget!

Remain a Student at Heart
Do you remember what it felt like to learn? To be challenged? To truly struggle to master something? If you remember that feeling, then you will remain empathetic toward your students. I recently read a great article on this topic. http://www.edutopia.org/blog/the-curse-of-knowledge-chris-reddy. Without empathy for the learner, and remaining aware of what it means to be a learner, you are incapable of truly teaching. The lack of empathy that results is crippling to an educator. You must be able to see you, your teaching, and the challenges you place on your students from their perspective. Your success as an educator depends on this mindset

My 28-years as a teacher has been a great ride and I am excited to go to work every day. I teach on the weekend, over the summer, at night as a baseball coach, and I love what I do. I hope some of these ideas are helpful to you on your journey.

A teacher touches eternity, he can never know where his influence stops.~Henry Adams