Teachers

Before I spent time telling you about SB5 that is being debated in Ohio. But this time I want to talk a little bit about why I love what I do. There are days that I feel like I want to get out of it. There are days when I come home saying I NEVER want to go back to school. But, when it comes right down to it, I don't know what else I would do (besides athletic admin). Besides, who loves what they do 100% of the time? Right, that's what I thought. :) So as I was digging through my professional portfolio to find license information, I found a page with quotes that was titled "Teaching Inspiration". I put this page together a few years ago and after reading through them I felt like I wanted to share what really inspires me to be a teacher. Of course I will be using quotes because that's what I do. Bear with me.

1. "I touch the future. I teach." -Christa McAuliffe
A profession that matters, teaching. Most successful people and maybe even unsuccessful people can look back and remember one person that touched their lives. That is who I strive to be. I want to touch lives and therefore touch the future.

2. "Every student can learn; just not on the same day and the same way." -George Evans
I understand more than ever how tough some kids have it at home. Some students come in after very few hours of sleep and can barely keep their eyes open. Is the only place they get to rest at school? Sounds absurd. It's true sometimes, and sad. Also, in a perfect world, every student learns with only one teaching method. But of course that is not the case, and I love to mix it up!

3. "I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand." -Chinese Proverb
I love this. Students will never forget something they actually get to DO!

4. "Among teacher variables, enthusiasm has the most powerful and positive impact on student learning."       -Toni Kempler
I love to be enthusiastic and make a kid smile who comes in frowning. It is soooo hard some days to pretend like I am the enthusiastic to teach. I try my hardest to make my students think that the possibility of them learning something new enthuses me! :)

5. "The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to feel important." -John Dewey
All it takes is a conversation, kind word, smile, or compliment to make someone feel important. I like to pick a few a day. Then, throughout the year, I hopefully make each student feel important.

6. "If you can reach 'em, you can teach 'em." -Educational Proverb
HOW TRUE!

7. "Set high standards, have high expectations, and watch your students perform at high levels." - Dr. Robert Cazenave

8. "Kids of all ages and all cultural backgrounds love to act silly, say funny things, and laugh. Teachers need to understand that they need to be able to do this in school, too. - Professor Joseph Napier
It is more fun to have humor in school. This is easy to forget and something I would like to improve on.

So you can see that amongst all of the turmoil going on in the state of Ohio with teachers, there is still inspiration. I don't want to forget this. It is always a good reminder!