UNDERSTAND THE POWER OF EXPECTATIONS: Humans are conditioned and programmed to settle. As small children we have big dreams of becoming pilots, scientists, teachers, doctors, engineers, etc. As we get older we experience the frustrations and betrayals of life. We don't want to continue to get hurt so we lower our expectations and thus lowering the demands we place upon ourselves. As educators we must beware of our unconscious, limiting beliefs regarding ourselves and more importantly our students. Push through these limiting beliefs and have high expectations. Teachers must set big goals and overcome roadblocks that get in the way of student success. Don't settle for second best for your students or yourself. Excellence is the result of high expectations!
COMMIT TO BEING A BETTER TEACHER EVERY SINGLE YEAR OF YOUR CAREER: You cannot continue to add value to your students without adding value to yourself. In other words, you can't give what you don't have. Some of you are reading this and saying to yourself, "I know the standards I'm supposed to teach." I'm not talking about content knowledge. Our students are constantly changing. The students today are different from the students of the late 1990's when I first began my career. Students today are so technology-oriented. Do your teaching strategies connect the standards with technology? Are you allowing them to use technology to create, connect, and curate? Are you hooking your students when they enter your classroom with something from their world? If you answered 'no' to any of the questions above, it's time to grow some more. Quickly find someone in your school who is doing all of these things and begin learning from them. It's important that you spend time with people you want to emulate. If you surround yourself with people who will not tolerate your low expectations, you WILL get better. Associate with people who are passionate, hungry, driven, successful and will not settle. Finally, we all have those voices from our past that bring us down. Overcome your inner critic and turn him into an inner coach.
TEACHING IS ABOUT SERVING, NOT BEING SERVED: Understand that happiness is about serving others. It's not about obtaining material items. The happiest and most successful people wake up each morning and ask the question, "How can I be of greater service to a greater number of people today?" There are a lot of highs and lows in teaching. Make sure that you know your purpose. If your purpose is to make money and enjoy two months in the summer lounging by a pool, you are going to be a negative and cynical educator. Build a strong social community of passionate educators who will challenge you to get better. Hopefully these people exist inside your school. I also recommend finding people on Twitter or Google+ from which you can learn and grow.
If you follow these simple ideals you will positively impact the lives of students and educators. As educators we will not enjoy a materialistic life, however we can leave a legacy of rich and rewarding relationships and hopefully help others to do the same.
