Why Back to School is not About You (read this even if you're not a teacher:))
Welcome back to school! We are officially here!
And...whether you are a first year teacher or been at it for 20+ years, your back to school may begin in August like mine with recurring nightmares of students screaming down the hallways and climbing up the walls of your classroom. Or this year, how am I going to do all this… virtually, social distanced, or in-person with mandates and restrictions? The students come with problems you struggle to solve and behavior that has you stumped! The panic and anxiety are so real you already feel like a failure, and YOUR new school year is right around the corner!
I still, after 22 years, spend time thinking about my new bunch of kids and wondering how the dynamic will flow.
Will they like me?
Will they respect me?
Will I be able to do a good ENOUGH job?
And then it hit me one day after listening to another AMAZING podcast from Angela Watson. The TRUTH is.....ITS NOT ABOUT ME!!
WHAAAAT????
Yep!!! It’s REALLY not! In the world of education it is said ALL THE TIME. “It’s about the KIDS!” We SAY IT and SAY IT and SAY IT, but what does it really mean?
Wellllll, I am learning that it looks a lot like this.
In ANY profession, we can easily make it about ourselves. And when we do, we get anxious wondering if we will measure up. When presenting, teaching, meeting new patients, or clients it’s easy to second guess if we are the best, most qualified for the job.
BUT ...if you step back and take a look at the people we are
presenting TO,
teaching TO,
speaking TO,
and focus on THEIR needs and how we are going to meet them, the perspective changes.
This year on the first day of school, my focus becomes LEARNING about my kids from day 1.
>>>Greet each of them EVERY morning.
>>>ASK questions to learn more about the people they are.
>>>THEN and only then, strive to meet their needs.
Take steps in succession and get the job done.
It’s not about you and your feelings of inadequacy. The perspective has to shift to the person you are serving. All of your anxiety melts away when you are no longer worried about yourself, and are focused on others. Then as an added bonus in the world of teaching, the negative behaviors begin to subside or diminish and trust begins to build.
Relationships begin to grow and learning takes place. The cool thing is, this can happen anywhere and in any career. Take an interest in others, let them know that you are listening, and take the pressure off of yourself while building relationships. It will pay dividends because... isn’t this where your focus should be anyway???!!!
Start here and NOW!!!
Don’t waste another moment!
And especially this year when everything is turned on its head.
Scale back and focus on what is necessary.
Don’t overcomplicate things. (Less is MORE)
Keep systems simple and consistent.
What your students need now more than anything is YOU!
So be there and be present.
Cheers to another school year! May it be the most amazing and rewarding school school year yet!
Always cheering you on!