by Terry Heick
Simple premise, like the title: what kinds of “things” make teaching unsustainable, and what kind of advice can help teachers think through these ideas to mitigate any harm and make the profession more enjoyable, and therefore sustainable.
10. Develop a healthy and useful professional learning network.
See also 10 Reasons Why Every Teacher Needs a Professional Learning Network
Human connections sustain humans.
9. The school year is a marathon, not a sprint.
And this should have significant implications for instructional design – the spiral, for example. Some ideas students can “get” immediately, while others can follow them throughout the year. Continually spiral these ideas complex enough that students have a chance to master them.
8. You don’t need a million tools and strategies to teach well.
You don’t need a million tools and strategies to teach well, so use a handful that are flexible and powerful.
THE 40/40/40 rule is a wonderful on-the-fly measurement tool to help you prioritize content, instruction, and assessment. Any other useful tools that may come in handy? Metaphors, similes and teach with analogies (use them to teach complex ideas – “a thesis statement is the _____ of an essay and…”; “The civil rights movement was like…”; RAFT homework. Selection committees.
Be picky.
7. Never take it personally.
Teaching is a deeply human endeavor and, of course, it is natural to “take it personally.” Sure, do it. But as much as possible, strive to be a professional just like a surgeon. While surgeons undoubtedly care about their patients because they care, they must be professional, calculated and objective. You never know what a student is going through, or “where they are” in their development as a human being. Have a short memory and be their best chance to become something great.
6.TStudents should talk more than you.
This one is easy to forget, especially when you have so much to teach. There is one change, though: try to focus on what and how students learn rather than what “you teach.”
See also 7 differences between good and great teachers
5. How you phrase your thoughts is everything.
It’s not much different from a relationship, marriage, money, or any other career.
You cannot teach if you are exhausted, uninformed, too hard on yourself, disconnected, or critically misunderstand your role (as a colleague, peer, teacher, department head, etc.). . It’s not your job. to save the world. Every child needs something different. In response, try to adopt learning models, tools, teaching strategiesand more, and use them in a way that doesn’t require superhuman effort on your part to make it work.
They should work harder than you.
4. You are a professional and you control your own attitude.
You see what you want to see, so choose to see and assume the best in people and circumstances, and move forward from there. Schools can be places filled with bad policies and absurd bureaucracy. There is too much pressure to accomplish too many things from too many different places. You probably can’t change most of this, so focus on what you can change – and that starts with the way you think.
Students are always watching you. How you treat people (even “problem students”); how you show compassion or show responsibility. Where to go for resources. How do you define “success”. What you do when you’re frustrated or upset. Your dedication, know-how and expertise. They may not see all of this every time, but they never stop looking.
This means your voice is heard outside of the classroom, where they will continue to talk about you for years to come if you’ve done it right.
3. How you make students feel can last a lifetime. Careful.
You are a larger than life figure to most students. You are a teacher – you may be the loudest voice in their already busy minds. Consider the character you are playing with this in mind accordingly. Additionally, the way you conceive of students in your mind absolutely changes the way you will think, respond, and teach students.
2. You come first
This goes against what teachers have long practiced – and what they are conditioned to believe.
While we strive to provide student-centered classrooms, they absolutely cannot come at the expense of teacher well-being. In fact, any practice of teaching or education in general that comes at the expense of teachers’ well-being is inherently unsustainable.
And any system (e.g. public education) that abuses and “destroys” the elements (e.g. teachers) upon which it depends to function is, at best, flawed and irrational and, at worst, destructive and unsustainable. Just as airlines remind adult passengers to put the oxygen mask on themselves before their children, educators must prioritize themselves, too. You can’t teach if you’re not “good” – and you can’t be consistently “great” if you’re not thriving as a human being and a professional educator.
See also Examples of Student-Centered Teaching
1. Find your thing
Although teachers must possess and demonstrate skills and expertise in a wide range of areas, from psychology to technology to content areas to people and communities, we also often have a “thing.”
Either way, it’s equal parts identity, purpose, love, and curiosity. Whether it’s students, your craft, your content, your community, or anything else, be clear in your mind about why you do what you do and never let it go.
Any advice for teachers? 10 things not to lose sight of this year; Flickr user friendly image attribution sparkfuneelectronics
Founder and Director of TeachThought
