Motivation
"I have been a teacher for many years and I have no interest in being an administrator. The problem is that I have seemed to have lost my passion. I miss being excited to go into the classroom. How can I get that back?" ~TELL2 MTP
I really appreciate the honesty of this individual. They are not a bad teacher... FAR FROM IT! They are going through something that we all encounter at some point in any career. My answer to this teacher is in 3 parts: 1) Planning, 2) Experimentation, and 3) Making classes fun FOR YOU too!!!
Planning:
As time goes by we become more and more comfortable with our classes, our lesson plans, and our materials. Often, the longer we teach a subject the less time we take in planning what we will do. This gives us all more time to enjoy our colleagues in the canteen or focus on getting our extra-work done, but it steals from us the excitement of having a goal for the class or trying a new idea, teaching method, or activity. By taking more time to plan each lesson we are better prepared to try new things and really retrieve better enthusiasm from the students. This in turn causes us to feel more successful and thereby enjoy a higher sense of accomplishment.
Experimentation
All of us are required to attend meetings, seminars, workshops, and online modules for our jobs. These are often dry and boring, or full of information that we know or just doesn't really seem to be of any help to us. But how much of it have we actually applied in the classroom? Trying new things is exciting, because the results are uncertain. My advice is to take the time to plan and implement the ideas that you have. Finding out what works (or sometimes doesn't work) only leads to new ideas on how to make things better. The more invested we get in the outcomes of our lessons and our methods the more we will increase the excitement and challenge of each visit to the classroom.
Make Classes Fun... FOR YOU too!!!
I really appreciate the honesty of this individual. They are not a bad teacher... FAR FROM IT! They are going through something that we all encounter at some point in any career. My answer to this teacher is in 3 parts: 1) Planning, 2) Experimentation, and 3) Making classes fun FOR YOU too!!!
Planning:
As time goes by we become more and more comfortable with our classes, our lesson plans, and our materials. Often, the longer we teach a subject the less time we take in planning what we will do. This gives us all more time to enjoy our colleagues in the canteen or focus on getting our extra-work done, but it steals from us the excitement of having a goal for the class or trying a new idea, teaching method, or activity. By taking more time to plan each lesson we are better prepared to try new things and really retrieve better enthusiasm from the students. This in turn causes us to feel more successful and thereby enjoy a higher sense of accomplishment.
Experimentation
All of us are required to attend meetings, seminars, workshops, and online modules for our jobs. These are often dry and boring, or full of information that we know or just doesn't really seem to be of any help to us. But how much of it have we actually applied in the classroom? Trying new things is exciting, because the results are uncertain. My advice is to take the time to plan and implement the ideas that you have. Finding out what works (or sometimes doesn't work) only leads to new ideas on how to make things better. The more invested we get in the outcomes of our lessons and our methods the more we will increase the excitement and challenge of each visit to the classroom.
Make Classes Fun... FOR YOU too!!!
We are always saying to "Make classes fun," but that doesn't just mean for the students. Each of us bring unique interests, skills, and talents to the table. Don't hesitate to incorporate those into the lessons. Whether it is football, or baking, or cars, or collecting seashells... all of it can be utilized to aid in the classroom. It has the added benefit of taking the students out of their world and into yours. It demonstrates how English can be used to discuss things that are fun. Beyond the book or the exam, involving our interests shows how English can be useful to communicate things in any topic. It also makes room for discussion and opinion. "Do you agree?" The more we are bringing ourselves and our interests into the classroom, the more fun we will have. The more fun we are having the more fun the children will have and vice-versa.
I again want to thank all of my teachers for their honest sharing and discussions. As we all go through low points in our motivation, I hope that these short recommendations will be of help to your rekindling the fires. There is an old proverb, "Better than a thousand days of diligent study, is one day with a great teacher." If you find yourself lacking the drive to be that "great teacher" at times try improving your planning, experimentation, and making classes more fun ... for you. Who knows... it could change your outlook overnight.
I again want to thank all of my teachers for their honest sharing and discussions. As we all go through low points in our motivation, I hope that these short recommendations will be of help to your rekindling the fires. There is an old proverb, "Better than a thousand days of diligent study, is one day with a great teacher." If you find yourself lacking the drive to be that "great teacher" at times try improving your planning, experimentation, and making classes more fun ... for you. Who knows... it could change your outlook overnight.
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