rejunvenation & reflection

Ahh, summer. We've built relationships, taught lessons, assessed learning. We're "not quite burned out but crispy on the edges." Now is the time to do what you can to rejuvenate and reflect. Teachers are often relieved at the end of the year, but the end of the year is bittersweet too. You and your students have accomplished so much, and it is helpful to take stock in how the year went, and what you'd like to work on next year.

Before you get too far from the end of the school year, spend some time reflecting on the year. Some great advice is included in this article to help teachers reflect on the year. Here are some more reflection questions you could use to prompt thinking. I also love this post by Elena Aguilar about reflection.

While some times it is difficult to carve out time to reflect on the year, especially if it was a difficult one, this reflection time is well-spent. You and your students will thank you next year for making this time for yourself!

disillusioned, 2016

Every year around this time, I start to feel a little down. The lights around town come down, I’ve overdosed on chocolate, and it’s just too cold. While I might have recharged a bit over break, goals I wanted to reach with students still seem to loom too large, and I’m not sure I’m making a difference.

While this time can be really frustrating, it is also comforting to know that it is normal and that it ends. It is very common for teachers to experience this phase. For some, it begins midway through the fall after the excitement of the beginning of the year wears off. For others, it happens in mid-winter, when the dark and cold make it harder to feel optimistic. While not all teacher experience it, most do at some point, especially in the early years of teaching.

What can you do? I’ve offered some ideas to help you through this time here and here. Other ideas are outlined in this article from Education Week include avoiding highs and lows, letting go of perfectionism, expecting obstacles, and seeking support. The article is worth a read for some helpful hints in understanding these suggestions and making them work for you.

Whatever you do, just know that others have been there, and that you can work through it. Find your support, and lean on them.

What do you do to help you get through disillusionment?

tired teaching?

Guest Blogger: Jay Rasmussen, Ph. D., Professor of Education at Bethel University

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Tired Teaching?

While the title of this first blog post does not sound terribly exciting, it does describe how new teachers feel at times. “Tired teaching” is not just the result of countless hours put into planning, teaching, and grading. It is also a result of trying to function in a challenging work environment filled with “important” meetings and competing demands for time. The phenomenon I describe of tired teaching is known in the professional literature. Weimer (2010) characterizes it this way:

it lacks energy and is delivered without passion; it is easily offended by immature student behaviors; it favors the tried and true over innovation and change; it does the minimum, be that feedback to students, office hours, or the use of technology; it decries the value of professional development and manifests a kind of creeping cynicism about almost everything academic. (p. 174)

Now, no teacher sets out to become a passionless teaching machine. Waning instructional vitality sets in with time but it can be dealt with when recognized. It is important, however, to acknowledge that no one institution, leader, or colleague can do this for us. Staying alive and fresh as a teacher will only result from purposeful action that we take.

So, how do we avoid being that instructor who plods through the day counting the years until retirement? Weimer (2010) offers a few helpful suggestions:

●     Contribute toward a healthy institutional environment. Without this type of environment “we get frustrated, then furious. We get depressed, then disillusioned. We get tired, then exhausted. We get skeptical, then cynical” (p. 181).

●     Recognize that there is much to learn about teaching. One must consider if experience teaches everything one needs to know.  And, are the lessons learned through experience always the right ones” (p. 184)? “Most would agree that experience is a good teacher, but not when it’s the only teacher” (p. 186). “Without an infusion of ideas and information from outside, without openness to other pedagogical methods, without recognition that education is a phenomenon that can be studied systematically and learned about endlessly, teaching stays put; it runs in place” (p. 185).

●     Consider how to marry methods and content. This takes a sophisticated knowledge to accomplish and it often begins with recognition that some forms of content are best understood when processed collaboratively, some by experience, some by example, etc.  “What is taught and how it is taught are inextricably linked” (p. 187). The most effective teachers are not necessarily those with the most sophisticated content knowledge; the best teachers are often those with a continually growing repertoire of instructional strategies that develop along with their content knowledge.

●     Embrace the power of change. A regular amount of change “does for teaching exactly what exercise does to improve overall health” (p. 192). That change can be in the form of new courses, new texts, new delivery modes (e.g., online), new students, etc.

●     Infuse new ideas. Instructional vitality thrives on new ideas. Most would concur that regular pedagogical reading should be a part of every teacher’s life but research has consistently shown that this does not happen. Fortunately, new ideas and fresh insights are readily available in the form of professional development activities, consultation with faculty development specialists, and conversations with colleagues.

●     Explore different conceptions of teaching.  What teachers believe about teaching has an impact on how they actually teach. Akerlind (2003) found that teachers typically start as teacher transmission-focused which revolves around covering material. This category is often followed by being teacher-student relations focused which is characterized by developing good relations with students as a way of motivating them. The next category, student engagement-focused, brings attention to what students (vs. the teacher) are doing. The final category is student learning focused. Teaching in this category is focused on assisting students in developing critical and original thinking, questioning of existing knowledge, exploring new ideas, and becoming independent learners. It is important to note that growth in conceptions about teaching does not occur automatically as careers progress. Movement on this developmental continuum requires conscious effort.

Bertolt Brecht once said, “The world of knowledge takes a crazy turn when teachers themselves are taught to learn.” Learning, especially as a teacher, is effectively summed up by thinking about the two characters for the word “learn” in the Chinese language. One character represents “study” and the other represents “practice constantly.”

It is an honor to author this blog post. What are your thoughts/feelings, experiences, questions, and suggestions related to being a tired teacher as you move into your new career?

Let us learn together!

Jay Rasmussen, Ph. D.

Bethel University

Professor of Education

Faculty Development Coordinator

Program Director MA in Education

References

Akerlind, G.S. (2003). Growing and developing as a university teacher: Variation in meaning. Studies in Higher Education, 28(4), 375-390.

Weimer, M. (2010). Inspired college teaching: A career-long resource for professional growth. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

disillusioned, the 2014 edition

There comes a point in almost every teacher's academic year where they begin to feel disillusioned. This is particularly true for novice teachers. It usually happens after the excitement of the beginning of the year wears off. Disillusionment is characterized by the stress that settles in after the beginning of the year flurry. You have likely been evaluated by your principal, made it through the first set of parent-teacher conferences, and might be struggling with aspects of your teaching that aren't going as you'd envisioned. Things seem different than you imagined them.

 It's important to acknowledge the way you feel, first and foremost. This doesn't mean that you don't enjoy teaching. It is a very common phase of teaching. Check out the New Teacher Center phases of new teachers for more info. Or, check out previous blog posts about this topic here, here, here, here, and here.

There are a lot of things you can do if and when you begin to feel this way. First, take care of yourself. Taking care of yourself makes you a better teacher. Get sleep, enjoy a night away from the gradebook with your spouse or children or friends or doggie. Exercise. Try a new healthy recipe. Watch videos of cats or the beaches in Bali. Spend some time every day thinking about what you are thankful for. Whatever it is that fills your soul, find a way to make it happen.

Then, focus on what might be contributing to your disillusionment. Next time you feel frustrated, write down things that are causing your frustration. From your list, think about what is in your control and is ongoing. What is one thing you can do to make a change in this factor? Think about ways to let go of those things that are not in your control.

The upcoming winter break can serve as a chance to reset - to gain some perspective, to refocus on the big goals for the academic year, to recharge with family and friends and fun.

What is your plan to get through the disillusionment? If you have experienced this before, what has helped you in the past?

Reference: Mendler, A. N. (2012). When teaching gets tough: Smart ways to reclaim your game. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

preparing to start

The most successful people I know got that way by ignoring the race to find the elusive, 

there's-only-one-and-no-one-has-found-it right answer, and instead had the guts to look 

at the infinite landscape of choices and pick a better problem instead.

- Seth Godin

When I first started teaching, every new situation I encountered seemed like a monumental problem to be solved. I was exhausted all the time from solving problems, most of which stemmed from just not knowing enough. I struggled to keep up with the pace of planning, instruction, assessment, reflection, planning, instruction... and balance committees and parents and find time to learn more about the areas in which I needed further professional development. I didn't know how to pick the better problem, because I did think there was one right answer and I was sure to mess it up. I know now, of course, that this is not true. And that even the solution to a problem one time is not likely to fix the situation the next time. So it is more important to spend energy on the big picture. 

Summer break is a wonderful time to reflect on the past year and plan for the future year. For teachers unsure where they will be teaching in the fall, the summer, though, can also be a time of anxiety. One thing that you can consider doing is joining one of the free MOOC (massive open online course) for new teachers through the New Teacher Center. The New Teacher Center is offering MOOCs designed specifically for new elementary and secondary teachers to provide them will some tools to start the year successfully. Each 4 week course starts July 21st, with an expected work load of 2-4 hrs/week. Not too much time involved, it's free, and it might be a way to channel any nervous energy for new teachers.

If you decide to try it, stop back and comment on this post to let us know how it went!

coming to a close

Everything has to come to an end, sometime.

― L. Frank Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz

For those of you dear readers in the midwest (a.k.a. the land of the polar vortex), many of you had your school years extended due to school closings for cold and snow. Those days were necessary at the time, but for many, those added days are challenging now that summer has finally descended. 

The end of a school year is frantic, busy, and bittersweet. I find the reflecting stage of the end of the year invigorating. Many teachers find that they have them most interesting ideas for improvement during the ending weeks of the year and through the summer. Make sure you have a place where you can keep track of your ideas and that they don't get lost in the hustle and bustle of end-of-year packing (and throughout the summer at home). 

This time of year can also be a bit disheartening. There's so much I didn't get accomplished! This can lead to new ideas, though, and you can't forget all that you did accomplish! 

Congratulations on the end of the 2013-2014 school year. For you first year teachers, this is a particularly momentous ending. But with that ending comes anticipation for the 2014-2015 school year. Just don't forget to enjoy a bit of summer before then!

I'll be continuing to post throughout the summer!

disillusionment - keep it simple

A couple weeks ago, I posted about disillusionment, a phase that many new and experienced teachers encounter at some point during the school year. Something to keep in mind during this time is that many others have and are experiencing this phase, and that it is completely normal to feel down, hopeless, disappointed, and frustrated in your first years.

There is a lot of advice on the internet to help teachers thrive through this phase. I'll try to share some ideas that have helped me in the past and that have helped other new teachers I know.

Find a mentor. You may have one assigned to you through your district mentor program for new teachers. Or your district may not have a mentor program in place. Now is a great time to connect with that person. If you don't have an assigned mentor, find one in your building. Ask your principal to help you if you don't have an idea of someone you'd like to approach. It can be so helpful to share your feelings with someone in your district/building who knows what initiatives are in place and the testing schedule and the committees you've been asked to be a part of for the year. Now is the time to ask the questions that have been brewing in your head but perhaps you feel as though you should already know the answers (you shouldn't. you need to ask).

Simplify. It is never too late to simplify your routines, your management strategies, your parent newsletter. Part of simplifying might be to schedule specific prep times or before school/after school/evenings to grade papers. Once you have a schedule, you might not feel so overwhelmed staring at the stack of papers on your desk. You'll get to them on Tuesday prep and Thursday night from 7-9:30. And decide which assignments need deeper levels of feedback and which assignments don't. And stick to it.

One thing that I try to do when I start feeling overwhelmed is to find the small, easy tasks and start clicking them off my list. If you handle these small tasks immediately, your to-do list will stay manageable. Just reply to that email right away instead of reading it and moving on. Recycle papers that you've read and don't need to hang on to - instead of putting them back in your in-box, only to have to be read again.

Also, consider: What can students be responsible for? Are there some things that you're doing that really should be the responsibility of students? Taking even a small thing off your platter ('cuz let's be honest, it's bigger than a plate) can help you feel less disillusioned.

Be mindful of progress. When you start noticing things that aren't going the way you want them to, this can be a sign of progress. You're starting to think about new and more effective ways to help students learn, and you want to do the best job you can to support students. Teaching is a continuum, one that is always in a state of change. Once you begin to master X, Y starts to nag at you. And once you have an action plan for Y, you discover issues Z, A, B, and C. There is always room for improvement, but as you reflect on ways you'd like to improve, keep in mind what you've already done to get you there.

Tell us: What are some ways you thrive through the disillusionment phase?

Happy 2013! Are you feeling disillusioned?

I have always felt that the new year begins in August. January feels like an odd time for teachers to celebrate a new year, since our year begins in late August and ends in June. But the official, internationally recognized New Year can also provide a time of reflection, rejuvenation, and renewal for teachers also.

However, the darkness of winter and the fact that the school year is not even half over can lead new teachers to experience a phase of disillusionment. This phase typically hits new teachers (and experienced teachers too!) sometime in the middle of the school year and can last for quite a while. Stress is a major factor in leading new teachers to feel disillusioned. Sickness, which seems to be going around big time this year, can make a stressful job more stressful. You're run down if you can get to school, and planning for a sub if you can't is always more work than being in schoolo to begin with. And sickness might have hit you over break, too, which might have made you feel tired and unrefreshed when you headed back to school this week. The learning needs of your students feel urgent, especially in the spring testing season staring you down, but classroom management issues might be getting in the way of accomplishing what you want to academically with your students. Observations and evaluations by an administrator or instructional coaches, which add a lot of stress to an already stressful job, can lead new teachers to feel uncertain in their competence as a teacher. The reality of the commitment to teaching is finally clear, and during the disillusionment phase teachers might question their decision to become a teacher.

But know this - this is a common phase of teaching and you are surrounded by others that are experiencing this too. It might not help to know that others feel this way, but it might help you know you aren't crazy or alone. Even after years and years of teaching, I still experience this feeling, sometimes for only a few days or weeks, and sometimes for longer. This phase (like all things) does pass, but it can help the time pass more quickly if you seek out or reach out to a supportive network of other teachers with whom you can talk about these feelings. Maybe this is the time to contact a teacher you went through your preservice program with that you have been meaning to communicate with but just haven't made the time. Or find the other new teachers in your building and/or district and suggest a happy hour to talk things through. Other supportive folks, like family and friends, can definitely help too, but sometimes you just need to talk to another teacher that might be feeling the same way. This feeling of disillusionment can be a very difficult challenge to get through in your first years of teaching., but talking with others can help.

The bottom line is that it is helpful to find some way to acknowledge these feelings (if you're having them) and talk with others about them. I'll return to this topic soon with some advice to help you get through this period. In the mean time, you can check out the post about this from last year.

the end is in sight!

It is hard to believe that there is less than a month left of the school year. You have almost made it! May and early June for first-year teachers is often the reflection phase in the cycle of teaching. You begin to reflect over the year, take stock in the successes and the failures, the changes made in management, curriculum, and instruction that influenced student achievement and development.

If you haven't done so already (and before you get settled into a well-deserved summer break), take some time to craft a new vision for teaching for next year.  Consider:

1. What was my overall impression for the year? How did I enjoy teaching, the school, the students?
2. What were my relationships like with: students, parents, administration, fellow teachers, support staff?
3. What was successful for me and for the students in my class(es) this year? Why was it successful?
4. What concerns me about the progress the students in my class(es) made this year? What else concerns me?
5. What can I try differently next year?
6. What professional development would help me as a teacher?

You probably have a list of things you want to rethink over the summer, and these reflections might help focus what you want to accomplish over the summer. Setting new goals and creating a new vision for your classroom can really help you get excited for a new school year, even when you're exhausted from the current year.

Every teacher, no matter how experienced, can benefit from continual reflection, and these questions can get you started. I have some reflecting to do myself!

** Resources:

http://edbuzz.org/djohnson/2010/06/end-of-school-year-reflections/

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/classroom-solutions/2010/05/improving-instruction-next-year

moving beyond disillusionment

A few months have passed since I last wrote about the common phases of first year teachers. At this point in the year, firmly into second semester or starting your final trimester soon, there is a new excitement. Some of it is overwhelming (I only have 57 days left in the school year and I need to accomplish all this?!?!), but some of it comes from taking a look at what you've done so far and how much your students have grown. You might be feeling more comfortable with the curriculum and the workings of the building. Maybe you've developed a unit you're particularly excited to try. Maybe, just maybe, you're able to reflect on what you'd like to do next year. Hopefully, you have moved out of disillusionment and into rejuvenation.

For today's post, I wanted to share an article written by a first year teacher, because I think it will speak to many of you. Posted on the New Teacher Center's website, I think that the experience of this new teacher will strike a chord with you.

How are you feeling at this point in the school year? Are you moving beyond disillusionment?

getting through disillusionment

Before break, I wrote about the frustrating and challenging phase that many new teachers experience: disillusionment. I wanted to return to this topic, because despite the challenge of this phase, there are things you can do to help you through it.

Some of the actions you can take I’ve already written about, such as observing a mentor or other experienced teacher. You could also observe and meet with an effective and motivated fairly new teacher, such as a second-year teacher, who is close enough to their first year of teaching to be relatable, but have some additional perspective and growth since then to share. A principal, curriculum director, or instructional coach can usually help set something like this up.

Speaking of instructional coaches, if you are fortunate to have one or more in your building, they can be a tremendous resource. Are you nervous about an upcoming unit? Work with the coach and perhaps see if they can teach a lesson or two within that unit. Working with your students in your content can provide you an even more purposeful model than even observing someone else in your department, school, or district.

At the end of the week, make a promise to yourself to think about one success (however small) from the week, and write it down, perhaps in your lesson plan book, a reflective journal, or on a bulletin board at school and home. Something will have gone well every week, improving your math lesson from first to last hour, having a positive interaction with a particular student, you got those papers graded, or you had an effective team meeting. If you feel comfortable, share this success with a trusted colleague and make it a habit.

Something else you can do to work through disillusionment is to set a short-term goal – something manageable that you can accomplish in the next month or two. Find someone to help you set and check in about your goal – an administrator, a teacher, an instructional coach, or a friend from your preparation program.

Some people in this phase like to read inspirational books, such as The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer, Why I Teach by Ester Wright, or Teaching from the Heart by Sharon Draper. Others don’t find that particularly helpful. And that’s ok.

All that aside, it is still important to honor what you are experiencing. You don’t need to go through this alone, though, and in all of these ideas is the suggestion that you build a community around working through this challenge.

Anyone else out there have ideas for getting through this difficult phase in teaching?

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References:

http://www.veanea.org/home/1404.htm

disillusioned

It is likely for many of you first year teachers that you are in a phase of disillusionment. This typically happens for first year teachers after a couple months of school and can last for quite a while. You may have been observed and evaluated by an administrator, which can add a lot of stress to an already stressful job, leading to uncertainty in your competence as a teacher. The reality of the commitment to teaching isn't always clear before you start teaching, and during the disillusionment phase, teachers can sometimes question their decision to become a teacher. You might have been sick once or twice (or more!) which compounds feelings of dissatisfaction. The needs of students feel urgent but classroom management issues might be getting in the way of accomplishing what you want to academically with your students.

What you need to know is that you are not alone. It might not help to know that others feel this way, but they do! I did big time in my first year of teaching, and still feel this way at times. It does go away, especially if you have a supportive network of folks to talk about this with - either at your school or friends from your preparation program, or friends who don't know teaching but know you and can provide some boosts to your self-esteem. But this feeling of disillusionment can be a very difficult challenge to get through in your first year of teaching. It is a very real and frustrating phase.

Winter break will provide you an opportunity to reflect and reset. You need some time to build yourself back up. Take lots of time for fun, and set some realistic goals for the spring, both professionally and personally.

I'm off next week, but will be back posting in 2012. Happy holidays, dear readers, and a warm, healthy, happy new year!

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References: http://newteachercenter.org/blog/phases-first-year-teaching

recharge

For all teachers, but particularly first year teachers, Education Minnesota Conference weekend can provide some necessary reflection time. At this point, you've likely fallen into survival mode. The newness of the year has worn off but you still can't quite catch up. This weekend can be a great opportunity to stop, connect, and recharge. If you're like me, you spent some time at the Professional Conference today, which is always a great opportunity to network or learn something new. But, as I would suspect, some of you took the opportunity to slow down a bit.

This long weekend might be a great opportunity to send an email or make a phone call to another new teacher you graduated with or you met at new teacher orientation. That person you've been meaning to find out how their year has been going but just haven't had the time? Yeah, that one. These friends can offer important personal and emotional support for you in this tough first year. They can also be a sounding board for instructional reflection and problem-solving. Particularly in my first year of teaching, I needed people to talk with about "my kids," people who understood how hard this job was and how nagging the concerns for students can be. How best intentions fall flat. How exhausting it is to plan 6 straight hours of instruction. every. day.

Even if you've been too busy to connect since you've left your programs or orientation, set aside a few minutes this weekend or in the next few weeks to reconnect with someone who can relate to where you are in this journey of your first year of teaching.

Whatever you have planned for this weekend, the conference, yard work, a last trip to the cabin, sleep, I hope that you can find some time to recharge.