It is February, and as usual, I love my students. I no longer feel the polite, anxious, and determined love of August, but a more genuine affection that comes from really knowing them. By this point in the year, my students and I have figured each other out. I know their interests, work habits, and personality quirks. They know how to tease me and what questions will prompt me to tell a story. We have established a level of mutual respect, and now we laugh more heartily, grin more frequently, and feel a warmth in the classroom despite the gloomy weather outside.
I鈥檓 in a similar season in my career. Somehow the weeks have turned into semesters, which have turned into years, and I find myself a veteran teacher. The love I have for my profession is deeply rooted in the person I鈥檝e become, and I find a satisfaction in being an education veteran that I couldn鈥檛 have predicted in those first turbulent years in the classroom. After all, love is a flame, a madness, a battlefield鈥攑ick your metaphor鈥攁nd teaching can be, too.
Full of good intentions, I blazed through my first few years in the classroom, loving my students fiercely, putting in long hours, making countless mistakes, and shedding many tears. Fortunately, with persistence and a lot of support, I was able to survive those years. Now my relationship with teaching resembles all the best long-lasting loves鈥攔ich, fulfilling, still passionate, yet less likely to hurt.
Unfortunately, many enthusiastic and talented teachers do not get to this point. The recent is reflected in the revolving door of 20-somethings who cycle through my own school, and schools around the country. These teachers leave for , for more respect, to pursue opportunities for advancement, or because the physical and emotional demands of the job are just too difficult. Their stories are compelling, and I empathize with them鈥攂ut it鈥檚 also difficult for those left behind. Studies have shown that teacher turnover is costly, not only for school budgets but for .
I believe one solution for teacher turnover is . But I also think educators, amid our many challenges, need to remember how to love what we do.
So how do we develop a love of teaching that lasts? Obviously, our students inspire us to teach, but what if even that love is clouded by paperwork, politics, testing, and such? I鈥檓 certainly no expert, but I chatted with other veteran educators, and we each shared many of the same strategies:
Be a Lifelong Learner
A key to long-term success in the classroom is a willingness to try new things. Public education is ever-changing, and while change can be intimidating, it is also incredibly rejuvenating. Over the past three years, for example, I鈥檝e switched to standards-based grading, created self-paced learning modules, and arranged my classroom for flexible seating. This year, for the first time, my students blog weekly. Whereas traditional essays explore assigned topics and are written with a teacher鈥檚 scrutiny in mind, these blogs allow students to choose their own topics and to write for a broader audience. As a result, my class has produced some of the most authentic writing I鈥檝e seen in all my years as a teacher. There have been failures along the way, of course, but implementing these changes has brought me much joy, keeping that 鈥渟park鈥� alive.
Be Invested
Seeking opportunities for teacher leadership is both gratifying and invigorating. When my superintendent asked teachers in my district what we would find rewarding, aside from monetary compensation, we overwhelmingly requested opportunities for input and investment. It feels good to be heard, to know that we matter, and to aid in decision-making. Feeling invested in your school and community validates your hard work and makes it easy to stay. I鈥檓 fortunate to have discovered a school district I love, and after 17 years, there are few teaching joys greater than recognizing the new mom or bearded gentleman waving at me in a store parking lot as one of my former middle schoolers.
Find Your Support
I would not be the teacher I am today without many individuals investing time and effort into helping me be successful. My first principal believed in me, despite my disastrous classroom management, and my first teammates helped me navigate parent conferences. I am a more effective teacher because of collaboration with my professional learning community members.
One of my favorite pieces of marital advice I received was, 鈥淓verything鈥檚 better with a friend.鈥� Even life鈥檚 most mundane chores are pleasant in good company鈥攖his principle has been true for me not only in marriage, but in teaching. I can鈥檛 count the hours I鈥檝e spent laughing with teammates while making copies. We always make an effort to love our students, but it helps to love our colleagues, too.
The relationships we build within our schools are critical, and burnout is inevitable if we don鈥檛 help each other. (Fortunately, if you feel alone in your building, there are numerous virtual communities available, from Twitter to the CTQ Collaboratory.)
Choose to Love It
Another great piece of advice I received before marriage was that love is not just a feeling; it鈥檚 a decision. This idea also applies to teaching. There are always bad days, difficult months, and sometimes even entire school years that feel more draining than others. In those challenging times, it鈥檚 important to step back and decide to love teaching anyway. is a proven technique for improving happiness, so try to focus on the good.
Also, choose to bring back the fun. Earlier this year, when one of my teacher friends was in a slump, I asked her, 鈥淲hat do you and your students really enjoy?鈥� Then I told her, 鈥淒o that.鈥� Play an extra round of a digital learning game, sit together on the floor for a read-aloud, plan a lesson outdoors. There鈥檚 nothing wrong with making your class an enjoyable place to be; in fact, it鈥檚 quite the opposite. If you鈥檙e not feeling the love, odds are your students aren鈥檛 either.
Don鈥檛 Give Up
People are not attracted to education for the money, respect, or recognition. We teach because we love helping students, we love learning, and we want to make a difference. Remember that. And if you know in your heart you love teaching, then don鈥檛 give up. Because we鈥攜our students, your colleagues, your communities鈥攏eed more teachers who love our profession. And we need you to stay.
