As an educator, have you ever thought about WHY you do what you do? I'm willing to bet that you don't do it for the money or summers off. If you're like me, your WHY changes throughout the years.
Becoming a mother changed my 'why' in ways I could have never imagined. Not only that, but my relationship with my students began to change. I became more caring and nurturing toward kids that weren't even mine, yet they were mine. They'll always be "my kids." The amount of patience I had with my students grew infinitely! When I had my second child, I began to really see my students for the individuals they were rather than a classroom full of 20-something kiddos that were all ready to learn at the same pace and in the same ways.
When my personal children became school aged, my teaching changed once again. I have one child who just "gets" school. Things typically come easy to her. My other child has to work a little harder and longer to achieve mastery. We could blame it on age (being one of the youngest in the grade) or gender, but what good would that do?
On the way to school this morning, I was listening to comments like this:
I hate this!
I'm scared!
I'm not good at this!
Why do I have to go?
I don't want to make new friends!
...all because he was invited to attend a club in the early mornings for students who benefit from a little extra time working on their academic skills.
My immediate reaction was to talk about growth mindset and how we have to change our mindset when we're faced with things we don't want to do. That task may seem terrible at the time, but it's really set in place to HELP. Teaching a kid how to have a growth mindset is challenging, but I'm going to keep working at it!
Teaching students who are all ready for instruction at different levels is HARD, but my kids make me want to do better and BE better! My kids - the ones I birthed and the ones I teach on a daily basis - are my why. I want them to feel successful, but I also want them to realize that their versions of successful don't have to look like everyone else's.
