I participated in an #Edthink Twitter chat recently and one of the conversations were about joy.
Joy, such a short word with major significance. It is more than a feeling, it is a choice. Joy can be the difference between hope and hopelessness. Choosing joy is something educators must do on a regular basis.
Educators are privileged to work, day in and day out, with tomorrow's future leaders. In that group of future leaders, one might see a student with a 3.4 GPA involved in every extracurricular activity a high school student could possibly participate in, hoping to increase likelihood of college acceptance or the student who is earning a 3.8 GPA, working 30-40 hours a week to keep the lights on and food in the cupboard. They might even engage with the student who has been so traumatized due to being trafficked by her mother to help pay for the mothers drugs. Sometimes, the best she student can bring everyday is just herself nothing more. Maybe teachers have the young lady who experienced loads of abuse, heartache, and abandonment throughout her formative years, but comes to school everyday because there are two hot meals, a shower, and a place where she can wash her clothes everyday.
No matter the student, each one is experiencing some stress and they all have one thing in common...they have a teacher who has been given full authority to love, teach, empower, grow, and shape the student to become the best person they can be. We are charged to reveal to our students their full potential.
With this responsibility and power as educators, comes additional stress and hardships such as, standardized assessments, the need for more time, desire to get more technology and funding so students are provided better educational experiences.
Educators, when those stressors pile on your back this school year, I encourage you to choose joy.
Choosing joy can give you hope and being hopeful spreads joy.
Whether your students come from families of affluence or extreme poverty, they deserve to have a teacher who chooses joy and spreads joy.
Please join me this holiday season and choose joy.
Joy, such a short word with major significance. It is more than a feeling, it is a choice. Joy can be the difference between hope and hopelessness. Choosing joy is something educators must do on a regular basis.
Educators are privileged to work, day in and day out, with tomorrow's future leaders. In that group of future leaders, one might see a student with a 3.4 GPA involved in every extracurricular activity a high school student could possibly participate in, hoping to increase likelihood of college acceptance or the student who is earning a 3.8 GPA, working 30-40 hours a week to keep the lights on and food in the cupboard. They might even engage with the student who has been so traumatized due to being trafficked by her mother to help pay for the mothers drugs. Sometimes, the best she student can bring everyday is just herself nothing more. Maybe teachers have the young lady who experienced loads of abuse, heartache, and abandonment throughout her formative years, but comes to school everyday because there are two hot meals, a shower, and a place where she can wash her clothes everyday.
No matter the student, each one is experiencing some stress and they all have one thing in common...they have a teacher who has been given full authority to love, teach, empower, grow, and shape the student to become the best person they can be. We are charged to reveal to our students their full potential.
With this responsibility and power as educators, comes additional stress and hardships such as, standardized assessments, the need for more time, desire to get more technology and funding so students are provided better educational experiences.
Educators, when those stressors pile on your back this school year, I encourage you to choose joy.
Choosing joy can give you hope and being hopeful spreads joy.
Whether your students come from families of affluence or extreme poverty, they deserve to have a teacher who chooses joy and spreads joy.
Please join me this holiday season and choose joy.