{"id":977,"date":"2016-11-18T20:59:36","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T20:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/shelleythomas\/?p=977"},"modified":"2016-11-21T00:38:21","modified_gmt":"2016-11-21T00:38:21","slug":"what-ive-learned-from-ten-years-in-a-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/shelleythomas\/2016\/11\/18\/what-ive-learned-from-ten-years-in-a-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"What I’ve Learned from Ten Years in a Classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a decade of teaching, I’ve elected\u00a0to take a year’s sabbatical to focus my energies on a creative writing\u00a0project. \u00a0A whole year to immerse myself in research and travel and writing. \u00a0The gifts of time and space! \u00a0\u00a0And yet, when September arrived\u00a0I was surprised at how much I missed the nervous energy and eager anticipation of a new school year. \u00a0Now two months on,\u00a0I find my\u00a0thoughts still\u00a0pull toward\u00a0colleagues and former students. \u00a0I miss them. \u00a0That’s not to say that I’m not enjoying my time away. I am. \u00a0But\u00a0time has a way of framing feelings.\"a68c96cd98244eb090602e7c644a9faa\"<\/p>\n

I’ve been\u00a0reflecting\u00a0on my\u00a0last ten years of teaching and what I’ve learned from a decade\u00a0in a\u00a0classroom and I’ve come up with a short list of little truths and little lessons. \u00a0Some were learned the hard way; others were instinctual. \u00a0It’s not an exhaustive list, and by no means do I suggest\u00a0that it’s\u00a0universal. \u00a0Maybe some will resonate. \u00a0I’d love to hear what’s on your list.<\/p>\n

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1. \u00a0 Some days, it will feel like a job.<\/strong> There will be countless days when you will feel listless and overwhelmed. You will grow tired of late nights and early starts because you toss and turn about the day\u2019s next lesson coming alive for your students. You will wear down. You will neglect other parts of your life. You will want to buckle under that pressure. You will wonder how much longer you can keep this up, and imagine what other lives you could be living.<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Learn from gold and green teachers.<\/strong>\u00a0 Spend\u00a0time together.\u00a0 Before they\u00a0retire. \u00a0They know more than you do. \u00a0Same goes for the green teachers. They see things with fresh eyes, things that you have grown blind to. Listen to them.<\/p>\n

3. \u00a0Speak up! No one will know unless you say something…<\/strong>\u00a0 about what\u2019s happening in your classroom, your passions, hobbies, interests, what else may be happening in your life. You need to share these things to build a community, trust, to forge deep and lasting connections with others. \u00a0You need to listen when others share these things, too.<\/p>\n

4. \u00a0Students know more than they think, even when they think they know it all.<\/strong> Help them to take risks, to break through their insecurities and vulnerabilities. Help them to tap into that quiet voice within and tune out the ubiquitous chatter that pervades their waking lives. Help them to be their true selves. Encourage them to reflect on their education, to test the waters, to try what they\u2019ve always felt\/known they were curious about.<\/p>\n

5. \u00a0Learning isn’t confined to schools or classrooms or tests.<\/strong>\u00a0 It\u00a0doesn\u2019t happen on demand in the span of a 75-minute class period. Recognize real learning as it happens. It takes\u00a0many forms: doodling, window gazing, laughing, thinking out loud, risk taking, pushing boundaries, and being silent. Do not stifle real learning in the name of ‘education’.<\/p>\n

6. \u00a0Students and colleagues have bad days, too.<\/strong> Respect that. Honor that. Don\u2019t take it personally. Just be kind.<\/p>\n

7. You’re not going to like everyone, and not everyone is going to like you. <\/strong>And that\u2019s okay. Don\u2019t try to force relationships or please your audience. If you stay the course, your work will speak for itself. You\u2019re here to educate, not be pals with everyone.<\/p>\n

8. \u00a0Students are forgiving.<\/strong>\u00a0Don\u2019t pretend to have all the answers. \u00a0Students\u00a0need you to show them that it\u2019s okay to make mistakes. That, in itself, is one of life\u2019s greatest lessons. Discover together.<\/p>\n

9. \u00a0Your students are smarter and more talented than you.<\/strong> You will coach athletes who are gifted; you will meet students who will show you new and better ways of doing things. They will show you new things, altogether. They can be your greatest teachers. Let them teach you.<\/p>\n

10. \u00a0Teachers are stewards.<\/strong> Teaching is both an honor and a privilege. You have a responsibility to show your students the beauty and complexity of your subject. And why it matters. The torch must be passed, just as it was passed to you. \u00a0Don\u2019t let it burn out before your students\u00a0have had a chance to see for themselves.<\/p>\n

11. \u00a0Graduations will always be bittersweet.<\/strong> You will miss your students. You will worry and wonder about them, and hope that they\u2019re happy and thriving in their lives. Your students stay with you even after they graduate.<\/p>\n

12. \u00a0Teaching really is<\/em> a vocation, not a job.<\/strong> The days are long; the marking is endless. There will be many times when you feel unappreciated by parents, students, and administrators. You will doubt yourself.\u00a0\u00a0 But you don\u2019t do it for recognition. You do it because deep down you know you couldn\u2019t imagine dedicating your life to any other profession. It is a life well spent.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a decade of teaching, I’ve elected\u00a0to take a year’s sabbatical to focus my energies on a creative writing\u00a0project. \u00a0A whole year to immerse myself in research and travel and writing. \u00a0The gifts of time and space! \u00a0\u00a0And yet, when September arrived\u00a0I was surprised at how much I missed the nervous energy and eager anticipation … Continue reading “What I’ve Learned from Ten Years in a Classroom”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":982,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sabbatical","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/shelleythomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/shelleythomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/shelleythomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/shelleythomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/shelleythomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=977"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/shelleythomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/977\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/shelleythomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/shelleythomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/shelleythomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/shelleythomas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}