“It seems everybody is piling on teachers right now. We have become fashionable targets.”

People aren’t going to understand what we do. We will always face criticism and negative comments.

“Honestly, I don’t let it bother me and you shouldn’t either.”

Take Risks

Knowing this, it might seem easier to play it safe. I know a lot of people want us to stick to the tried and true methods of teaching. But, theses methods are no longer relevant and don’t inspire our students. It’s time to change and take risks!

“An all or nothing mentality exacerbates the fear of failure. If you believe everything you do has to work one hundred percent of the time, you are less likely to take risks and step out of your comfort zone.” 

We Learn From Mistakes

We expect out students to make mistakes and to learn from them.  We should do the same thing. If we only present lessons and material that we know has worked in the past, we don’t have the chance to fail.

Dave Burgess says, “If you haven’t failed in the classroom lately, you probably aren’t pushing the envelope enough. You are being too safe.”

How Do You Define Success?

Success isn’t something that is bestowed upon you by an outside source or test score. It doesn’t come from winning the championship or going undefeated. How then can we define success? 

I think John Wooden said it best: “Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you make the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”

Keep Your Enthusiasm, Stay Strong!

“You have to have the intestinal fortitude, self-confidence, and personal power to press on and do what you know is right for your students. Don’t allow misguided and ill-informed critics to steal your enthusiasm for innovation. If you let them, they will sap you of the strength needed to persist in this brutally tough profession.

You have to learn how to take a punch, bob and weave, and keep moving forward. What you do as an educator is too important to let somebody standing on the sidelines to prevent you from being the absolutely most powerful teacher you can be. Some people will just never get it! That’s OK. that’s their problem; you can’t let it become yours.”

Have a great summer!

This is the last post of my Teach Like a Pirate Series and the last Teaching Tip Tuesday entry of the year. I hope you all have a safe a happy summer. And if you haven’t read Dave Burgess’ book, I highly recommend you add it to your summer reading list.