Simply Teach Today

Grit and You

This article is an extension of my previous article “The Gritty Classroom,” where I discuss what Grit is and what it looks like in the classroom. If you haven’t read it, please take a moment to read it now. If you are not a teacher, this article is still for you. In this article, I will be discussing how you can apply Grit to your own life both professionally and personally. So hold on because the next few minutes of reading will change your life if you let it.

The Grit Scale

I believe the best way to teach Grit is by living it ourselves. Whether you want to teach it to students, coworkers, or even your own children, you will need to model it within your own behavior. So let’s find out your Grit score. It only takes a minute. Visit Angela Duckworth’s Grit Scale to take a short ten question test to see where you fall on the Grit Scale.

My score is a 3.0 meaning I scored higher than 20% of American adults. This is not where I want to be on the scale and I am determined to move higher on the scale by developing new grittier habits. How can this be done? Let me explain how I think this score can change.

The 4 Factors of Grit

In my previous article, I explained what the four factors of Grit are. I am going to quickly review them here and show you how you can apply them and make them work for you. Grab a piece of paper and a pen, the following will require personal reflection.

Passion

Passion is something you are interested in and would do even if there was no financially rewarding outcome. Passion comes from what brings you joy and fulfillment. This can include multiple things from your job to your hobbies. So what is your passion story? Write down the answer to the following questions to create a picture of what you are passionate about.

What is something that gets you excited about life?

What helps you get out of bed in the morning (besides coffee)?

What do you lose track of time doing?

You will know when you find your passion because you will have an overwhelming sense of desire to go do it right now. You will feel it physically as energy pulses through your body. If you can’t find it at this moment, that is okay. Take time to explore different things and pay attention to how they make you feel. You will find your passion if you just pay attention to how things make you feel.

Practice

It is no surprise that practice is a factor of grit. The more time you spend on a task the more you will improve, period. However, what you are practicing and how you are practicing matters. If you are practicing bad habits, you will get better at those habits. If your practice is working towards a goal, you will achieve that goal. Even so, Duckworth explains it is also the type of practice that is important. Sustained deliberate practice is the best way to get results. Explore your practice habits by answering the following questions.

What is something you practice now? Music? Sports? Cooking? Sarcasm? Procrastination? (Something I seem to practice often.)

What is something you have practiced so hard it has become a habit?

What is a major accomplishment you have achieved? What practice did you have to do to attain that goal?

What are you willing to deliberately practice starting today?

Deliberate practice isn’t about just doing the same task over and over again. Deliberate practice requires effort every time you work on the task. It’s about doing the hard stuff that makes you feel like quitting every time you do it. This type of practice is difficult and is usually accompanied by feelings of apprehension until one day it is a little less difficult and the feelings of dread are a little less than they were before. Intentional practice is a critical component of achievement.

Purpose Drives Perseverance

Purpose is the “why” behind everything you do. The stronger the “why”, the more energy you are willing to engage in sustained action towards your goal. Perseverance is required for any goal worth achieving. There is a popular quote that states “the best views come after the hardest climb,” yet the promise of that view keeps the climber moving forward. Setting goals for intentional growth will always be challenging and the reason behind the goal needs to be compelling. Examine your own purpose behind your perseverance by reflecting on the following questions.

When was a time you kept going even when you wanted to quit? School? Work? Relationship? Running an extra mile?

What was the “why” behind your perseverance?

What is the purpose behind your current passion?

Take some time to really explore your purpose behind your passion. Purpose usually stems from a desire to provide value to others. Identify who it is you are working for and keep them in mind when you encounter the difficult obstacles that are inevitably going to arise on your journey of accomplishing your goal.

Belief

Nothing can be accomplished without the belief that it is possible. There are many things you accomplish on a daily basis because you have the confidence you can get it done. On the other hand, there are things you are afraid to try because you do not have the proof you can actually do it. Everything you do today was once something you had to do for the very first time. Now it is something you do all the time because you believe you can. Belief is probably the most important component of Grit. If you don’t believe you can do it you will not engage in the other three factors of Grit. It’s time to reflect on your beliefs.

What do you believe you can do?

Do you believe you are or can be “gritty?”

Do you believe you are an exceptional teacher? Parent? Spouse? Employee? Employer?

Do you believe you can make a difference in this world?

A.A. Milne once said, “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.” This is true of every person including you. What are you going to start believing about yourself today?

Grit Goals

This is your moment for change. What is next for you? Look back at your reflections after reading this article and set goals that encompass your passion. Write your goal down and then start planning. What deliberate practice do you need to do to accomplish this goal? How long are you willing to work towards this goal? What is your reason for this goal? Finally, write your goal as if you have already achieved it to create the belief behind the success of the goal. You got this. I believe in you. Now go change the world.

Introducing “Grit”

In order to apply Grit in the classroom, you first need to understand what Grit is. Next, you need to practice it yourself and become an example of what is possible. Finally, you will need to allow the space for your students to practice Grit in your classroom. If you haven’t had the chance to watch Angela Duckworth’s TED Talk on Grit, please take a minute to do so before reading on.

Before we explore Duckworth’s idea on Grit, let’s take a moment to review Carol Dweck’s research on mindset. A broad overview of mindset is – a fixed mindset is when you believe your ability is predestined or fixed and a growth mindset is when you believe ability is malleable and can be changed with practice. People with growth mindsets tend to be more successful than people with fixed mindsets, especially people with very limited fixed mindsets. Grit has the power to take someone with a growth mindset to the next level of success.

Anglea Duckworth introduces her formula for success in her book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. The formula she discovered is talent x effort = skill → skill x effort = achievement. This formula suggests talent does not determine success. There are many talented people who fall short because of their lack of effort. This lack of effort can happen for various reasons including, stress, trauma, mental illness, socio-economic reasons or behavior patterns. Talent is important, but without effort, it will not develop.

4 Factors of Grit

Passion, practice, perseverance, and belief are the four factors that makeup grit. After reading Duckworth’s research, I started looking for these four factors within myself and in my classroom. The following stories are examples to help demonstrate the factors of Grit. As you read, keep in mind examples within your own environment.

Passion

Passion is one of the most important parts of Grit. Without passion, practice and perseverance become even more challenging. My story of passion comes from a very special group of students I had the pleasure of teaching a few years ago.

My experience with gifted students during my first years of teaching usually included a mix of students who brought their own behavioral challenges to the classroom. Some were bored because they weren’t being challenged enough so they would disengage. This disengagement led to class disruptions or lack of motivation. Other groups of gifted learners would challenge me frequently to prove they were smarter (they didn’t need to prove it, I already knew they were.)

However, the gifted group I had a few years ago was very different from any group of gifted learners I had worked with before. They loved school, they loved to learn, they just loved everything about academics. They didn’t challenge me and if they did happen to get bored with the content, they would quietly finish the assignment and read quietly as I finished the lesson with the rest of the class. This didn’t happen too often, because, thankfully, the sixth-grade math curriculum introduced them to brand new content like statistics and algebra. There were times I had extended activities for them to work on, but most of the time they would take the lesson I was teaching and break it down to get a deeper understanding of the content and strategies. They did this without prompting because they had an intrinsic desire to learn and understand.

This group of students entered the sixth-grade with the highest test scores I had ever seen and I was worried because I wasn’t sure how I was going to help them maintain those scores let alone make a year’s growth. However, because of their desire to learn, they blew those scores out of the water in the spring. Their passion for academics and learning propelled them forward within a mainstream learning environment.

Practice

It is well known that we can’t develop skills without practice. Steph Curry did not pick up a basketball for the first time and make a perfect three-point shot. He had to put in an insane amount of practice to master this skill. However, in Grit, the type of practice is important. Duckworth stresses it is the hard, deliberate practice that helps people achieve results. My story of practice comes from something I have struggled with from the very beginning of my teaching career – immediate feedback.

There are so many moving parts when it comes to being a teacher, right? I have my strengths, such as planning lessons, but I have my weaknesses too with immediate feedback and student accountability being at the top of my list. I am really good at designing lessons and making sure they align with the standards and are engaging yet impactful. However, I am terrible with the follow-through. I get so caught up in planning and teaching the lesson I forget to set up work completion expectations and immediate feedback. This is where I decided to focus my hard, deliberate practice.

I started with student accountability. After every lesson where students need to respond or create something, they have to show me so I can mark it down as completed. The more I practiced this the more students got used to the routine and the result was less missing work from students.

Immediate feedback was a little harder however, I decided to set aside 20 minutes every day, usually after school to focus on correcting the assignments or journals from that day. I might not get everything done in those 20 minutes but it was time deliberately spent practicing something I struggle with. There were days I would work longer and there were days I would just do the 20 minutes. I started to notice a difference in my teaching when I initiated this practice. My lessons that followed seemed to flow better because I had a better understanding of what my students understood. Also, I wasn’t as overwhelmed at the end of the quarter because most of my grading was done. Immediate feedback is still a struggle for me but forcing myself to review student work 20 minutes a day has made a big impact on my teaching. Every year I am determined to be a better teacher than I was the year before and the power of deliberate practice will help me attain this goal.

Perseverance

It’s important to mention that Grit is more of a marathon than a sprint. It is not about setting a short term goal rather it’s a long term investment in the desired outcome. There are two students of mine whose stories I want to share to help explain perseverance. Please note the names of these students have been changed to protect privacy.

My first student, Henry, always struggled with work completion and attendance before he entered the sixth-grade. He comes from a loving home but not very structured. When he would come to school, he was exhausted from playing video games until late the night before. He was always respectful and did not cause problems but, because of his fatigue, it was hard for him to get his work done.

Something shifted for him when he entered my classroom that year. He decided this was the year he was going to get his work done. He set a goal for himself and worked hard to reach it. From day one he put his head down and got to work. He improved his attendance so he didn’t have as much missing work. He would even stay in at recess using his own self-discipline to get work completed in most of the subjects. There were times when he struggled more than others but he never gave up. His grades and test scores improved drastically throughout the year.

Another student of mine, Mary, failed her first social studies test of the year. It was a district assessment that is completed online, so I don’t let my students make corrections to get a better grade. Instead, I set everything up to help them be successful. I put all the notes and chapters online so they can access them from home to study. Students can also access a review of the chapter that has a variation of all the questions that will be on the test. After her first failure, Mary asked if she could do extra credit (which I allowed because I don’t let them correct the test.) I also showed her the resources I had put online for her to study. Mary did not fail another social studies test that year.

Belief

Henry Ford once said “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” Grit only works if you believe you can achieve the desired outcome. My final story is about a student, Helen, who had the capability but did not succeed until she believed in herself.

When Helen entered my classroom she didn’t think she could do anything. She couldn’t be a good kid, she couldn’t be a smart kid, and she was right. Before she got to my class, she had been in trouble for various behaviors. She would dart out of class and disappear. She wouldn’t do her work and would become outright defiant. When she thought she couldn’t, she was right.

Something changed for her in sixth-grade. She met a new group of friends who were the good kids and the smart kids. They believed she could be like them too. That is when something magical happened. Helen started to believe she could. She started doing her work and working on her grades. Her behavior improved as well. She still had days where she would slip back into old habits but it only lasted for a short period of time. Helen scored way below grade level on the first state assessment in the fall. However, when she took the state assessment in the winter, she went from intensive to advanced in reading! She is a perfect example of how believing in ourselves can impact our results. Helen always had the capability but she needed to believe in herself first.

What’s Next?

Now that you know what Grit is, what’s next? The next step is to learn about your own “Gritty” behaviors and model them in the classroom. In my next article, “Grit and You,” I will show you how to find your own Grit score and explain how you can bring those habits into your teaching.

Finally, you will need to allow space in your classroom for your students to practice Grit. The third article in this series, “Bringing Grit into the Classroom,” will provide you with strategies you can use to implement Grit into your classroom environment.

Angela Duckworth asks “what’s next” at the end of her TED Talk. I believe the answer to this lies in the classroom. As educators, we have access to people when they are the most impressionable – during childhood. Bringing Grit into the classroom and modeling it for our students can plant the seed that will last a lifetime.

Losing Passion

In today’s education system it is easy to describe deficiencies in schools. Teachers are working in less than desirable conditions with minimal resources and high expectations. Due to the famine of support public education gets from lawmakers and society in general, education is in a critical position in the U.S. This lack of support leads to many problems including overloading and demoralizing teachers leading to  burnout and the result is our education system losing good teachers. This article is not about taking action to make the appropriate changes that need to be made to shift society’s mindset about public education. Instead, this article is about shifting the mindset of good teachers to help them stay in the classroom until the education system can be fixed.

Scarcity is Easy to Find

Most of us entered into the education field because we were passionate about making a difference in the lives of children. As we entered our classrooms for the first time, we would soon realize that not everyone shares our same passion. The bad news is those people can impact our classrooms by refusing to fund our public schools and attack teachers and administration. So let’s focus on scarcity for a moment. The lack of funding and support from lawmakers and other stakeholders leads to larger class sizes, minimal resources, added responsibilities, and heightened expectations among many others. This can lead to disengagement and weakened empowerment of teachers. When we walk into our classrooms in the morning, we should feel refreshed and excited for the day but many walk in feeling overwhelmed with all the meetings, expectations, grading, lesson planning and anything else that unexpectedly arises during the day. However, even with all of these responsibilities, I can help you feel refreshed and excited for the day. Here’s how.

Starting With Abundance

Remember back when you were a student working toward your education degree. As you would work on an assignment or fill in your practicum hours, you would daydream about the day you had your own classroom. Well guess what?! That dream has come true. You worked hard and you made that dream a reality. The next time you walk into your classroom I challenge you to just focus on everything you do have from your teacher desk and chair to the classroom library you worked hard to build. Curriculum resources and materials are in your classroom and whatever is lacking in that area you have the power to fill in. You have the creativity and skill to open up a browser, get on Pinterest or Teachers Pay Teacher to find supplemental materials and activities for whatever your curriculum might be missing. No one can take that away from you. At the end of the day you have everything you need to be the best teacher you can be, because your most valuable resource is you. You have already proven you can do hard things by finishing your degree and taking on the challenge of being a teacher in today’s education system. I promise, if you start focusing on the things you do have, your days will become less overwhelming and more exciting again.

Gratitude is Key

Simply start by writing down at least three to five things you are grateful for before you even start your day. This can be done before you leave for school or as soon as you walk into your classroom, but this practice can be life changing both professionally and personally. For the sake of this article, though, we will focus on the things you can be grateful for professionally.

Teaching Partners or Co-Workers

Seriously, how could we make it through the day without them? Start out your day writing at least one thing you are grateful for about your teaching partner or a co-worker who is your support system.

Administration

Don’t roll your eyes at me. Administrators also have a passion for education and they want you to succeed. I have a fantastic principal in my school, but I know not every teacher feels the same about the principal in their building. However tough or awesome your administrator might be, there is always something you can be grateful for. Write it down every morning and watch the relationship with your principal grow.

Students

It is easy to get caught up in focusing on the tough students. They are the ones who require more of your attention and energy during the day. So before the day begins write down a student you are grateful for and why. This can be any student, but make sure you write down a different student each day. Keep this close by so you can reference it when you get frustrated with your class. You can also share what you are grateful for with the student you are writing about to help strengthen your relationships.

Yourself

Don’t forget to include yourself in your daily gratitude. You are an amazing teacher and I want you to write down something you did to help make your day easier today. For example, you could write down you are thankful you corrected the spelling the day before so today you can focus on organizing the science materials. Remembering your accomplishments helps to relieve the overwhelming feeling of pressure to get everything done. It will get done!

Abundant Teaching

Being a teacher in today’s public education system is tough and I do not want the diminish the need for change. In fact, I encourage you to expect and work for change. In the meantime, though, take the time to focus on the abundance you have around you. I promise, starting your day from a place of abundance and gratitude will reignite your passion for teaching.

Most educators today are familiar with or have actively engaged in the teachings of Carol Dweck’s Mindset. There are so many facets to her research, but the power of the word “yet” is one of the main components of transforming a “fixed mindset” to a “growth mindset.” For example, if you say “I can’t do this” you have a fixed mindset and will probably give up and never learn to do it. You will believe you are not capable of the skill or concept and that will become your truth. However, if you say “I can’t do this, yet” you will believe in yourself to get through any obstacles and you will learn the concept or develop the skill. This is true in your own learning and the learning of your students. If you have not read about Dweck’s Mindset research, I highly recommend it for your own growth and the growth of your students. In addition to using the power of the word “yet,” I want to introduce you to six more phrases that can foster a growth mindset, and bring a more positive energy to your teaching.

“I Can”

Instead of focusing on circumstances that are out of your control, focus on what you can control. As educators, we hear many heartbreaking and terrifying stories about what some of our students have to endure. Instead of saying “I don’t know what I can do to help” or “How can I expect them to care about school when they have this going on at home,” start thinking about what you can control. You probably already have started making a positive impact on your students just by developing a warm, welcoming and accepting classroom culture. Keep this energy going by focusing on the environment you create instead of what is happening outside of the school boundaries. To do this, it is important to use “I can” statements when you think or have discussions about your students who have a challenging home life. Start by saying “I can make a difference for this child today just by smiling at them and letting them know I am happy they are here,” or “I can provide a place for my students to feel safe and welcome during the hours they are with me.” This is just one example of how you can change “I can’t” to “I can.” The power of “I can” actually works with anything you find yourself thinking you can’t do. Believe in yourself and remember, there is so much more you can do than you can’t do.

“I Choose”

This statement is very important because, as teachers, we make choices for ourselves and our students multiple times a day. You might find yourself saying “I should be moving on to the next lesson because I am getting behind on curriculum pacing.” This thought will only bring on an overwhelming feeling of anxiety and you will find yourself less engaged in the content you are teaching because you feel the need to move on. Instead, you should be telling yourself “I choose to slow down and reteach this lesson because that is what my students need right now.” Using “I choose” puts you in control of your choice and forces you to take action. Using the phrase “I should” makes your actions less definite and takes the power away from you and gives it to an unknown variable. It is very important for you to stay deliberate in your actions and know the decisions you make for yourself and your students are your choice.

“I Enjoy”

Every morning before you go to work remember the things that bring you joy as a teacher. The “a-ha” moments, the excitement of a new lesson, the smiles and hugs you receive on a daily basis, or even the beautiful chaos dismissal brings – whatever it is that makes you want to go to work. Most of us became teachers because we are passionate about education and we wanted to make a difference in the world. Use the passion from your core beliefs about why education is so important to fuel your energy each day. Channeling these emotions will help you fall in love with teaching again, and teachers who love their work create fun and positive learning environments for their students.

“I Create”

You don’t have to have a beautiful “Pinterest” classroom to be a creative teacher. Teachers are naturally creative in so many ways. So, instead of saying “I’m not sure how I am going to teach this,” say “I know how to create engaging and effective lessons.” You have been creating lessons since before you were a teacher. Creating opportunities for your students to engage in the content and grow from experience is what you were trained to do. Of course there will be obstacles to overcome in the curriculum you are required to teach and creating learning experiences to meet those requirements can be challenging. When faced with this dilemma, just take a moment to look back at all the amazing things you have created as a teacher and reflect on what really worked. As you do this, you will start to get inspired and your brain won’t be able to help itself. It will just get to work on creating the lesson you are struggling with.

Also, remember you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are plenty of resources at your disposal if you are just willing to use your fingertips and a google search bar. Using the ideas of other teachers only makes you stronger because you can find different ways to present content while still making the tweaks you need to meet the needs of your students. You are a teacher, you are creative, you got this!

“I Love”

Love is the most powerful emotion there is, and when you teach from a place of love it’s almost impossible to fail. So, instead of saying ” I wish,” try saying “I love” instead. For example, “I wish I had a smaller class size – thirty students makes it too hard to differentiate and meet all of their individual needs.” Large class sizes do come with their own challenges, but instead of focusing on what you can’t control, trying loving it instead. Try thinking things like “I love all of my students and I only get this unique group for one year, so I am going to give them everything I have,” or “I love my job and a good challenge. I have overcome obstacles before, and I can’t wait to see what I create this time around.” Whatever the challenge is, come at it from a place of love and you will see how amazing you can be.

You will come across students who make it harder to love them too. This is when it is so important to replace “I wish” or “I can’t” with the words “I love.” Such as changing “I wish she would follow the direction just once,” to “I love how she is at school today and I am going to keep giving her directions regardless of whether she chooses to follow them or not, because I will not give up on her.” Students know when you don’t like them, and sometimes it can be hard to find something to love. However, if all your students know you love them, it will be so much easier than if they feel like they are disliked and not welcome. There is always something you can find to love about a child (yes, even those adolescent, pre-teen, fantastically sarcastic middle schoolers), so take the time to write to each of your students to let them know the positive you see in them. This activity will help you recognize what you do love about them, and it will show them how much you care.

“I Rock”

This is the statement you get to use to celebrate yourself. I love this one, because as teachers we all bring unique strengths and talents to the table. Focus on what you are fantastic at and remember to bring that into the classroom as often as you can. You only get these kids for one year, and they need to learn from you. Children spend thirteen years in school and they will be exposed to so many fabulous teachers who will make an impact on them in different ways. You need to be authentically yourself, so you can share with your students the amazing things you are good at for the short time you have them.

For example, if you are amazing at project based learning where students are actively engaged in the content through projects you have created, you need to own that and integrate it into your instruction as often as possible, because the teacher they get next year might have a strength in direct instruction, but does not do any project based learning. Use what you are great at to make sure your students get the best of you while they have you.

Choosing the right words can make a huge difference in how you feel about your job. Teacher burnout is a real thing and there are changes that need to be made at a higher level, but honestly you have the power to keep yourself from burning out just by changing the dialogue you use to describe your life as a teacher. These six phrases help create a confident vibe within you, and trust me when I say that vibe is contagious. Changing your inner dialogue will not only help you change your mindset, but it will also help you create a positive environment that your students, co-workers and administrators can’t help but notice.

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t — you’re right. – Henry Ford

Most of you have heard this quote before, and I am sure many of you have shared this quote with your students – I know I have. The flip side to this quote is that it also refers to how you feel about the capabilities of others. If you truly believe the people in your lives, including your students, are not capable of doing something, they won’t be able to do it. This is a limiting belief in your ability to teach and inspire and in the capabilities of your students that keep you performing at the same level as before without making progress. For example, have you ever said or heard someone say “this student has an IQ of 80 and will never be able to meet grade-level expectations,” or “this student has an IEP and therefore will not meet grade-level requirements” These restrictive statements determine the teacher and the student will fail before they even get started. If you honestly believe a student can’t do something, you will never take the actions to make sure they succeed. Let me explain how this mindset works, and what actions you can take to fix it.

First let’s tackle the fixed mindset of student abilities. When you believe one of your students is not capable of meeting grade-level expectations because they have a low IQ or learning disability you have already taken the first step toward failure. Many educators will do everything they can to make sure they meet the needs of their special education students including following modifications in the IEP and working with the resource teacher to help meet any accommodations students require, however, still maintain a belief that those students cannot perform at the same level as their peers and will unknowingly treat them as such. What if you believed wholeheartedly that this student can meet grade-level expectations and you believed you were the one who could help him or her reach that level? The answer is, you would start taking action towards meeting that goal. But, how?

The most important step is to actually believe in yourself and your students. You need to change the way you talk about your abilities. Instead of saying “I can’t get through to this child,” or “I don’t know how to teach this child to succeed at this grade-level,” you need to ask yourself “what can I learn about this student’s abilities,” or “how can I introduce the curriculum to this student at his or her level?” You also need to change the words you use when you talk about the abilities of your students. Instead of saying “this student can’t do this grade-level assignment,” say “this student can do this part of the assignment,” and then hold him or her to that expectation. To start this process, you need to start by asking yourself the right questions. Some of the questions I ask myself are “what can this student do,” “what skills does this student already have,” and “what level is this student currently performing at?” Once I find the answers to these questions, I am ready to create lessons or materials that will help me meet the needs of my students. The following is an example of how I have used this information to modify curriculum I am currently teaching to make sure all my students are performing at grade level expectations.

I am currently teaching sixth-grade science and social studies, and I have students who are reading at a first-grade level according to their Lexile score. However, I believe they are capable of learning sixth-grade concepts, so I take the main ideas from each chapter and rewrite them in a lower reading level. I read the new excerpt from the book to my students, then I make them read it to me. I follow this with the student giving a verbal summary of what they read, and finally, they need to write a journal entry. The rest of the class is expected to read the same chapter (at grade level) and then write a journal entry. My students reading at a lower level are expected to do the same assignment as their grade level peers and are exposed to the same information. The only difference is they are exposed to it in a way that ensures comprehension.

The transformation of truly believing in yourself and your students won’t necessarily come right away. There are so many factors in the world of education that affect you and your students daily. Some days will be messy and some lessons and activities won’t work out the way you hoped they would. That is life. Just take the lessons learned from those experiences and keep moving forward and you will see growth in yourself and your students. Start with yourself, walk into your classroom tomorrow and remind yourself that you are the difference your students need to achieve success. Believe in yourself, believe in your students, and success will follow.

I am an education junkie. I am constantly reading education blogs and listening to education podcasts. The moment I am faced with an obstacle regarding students or content, I jump over to Google or Pinterest to find different strategies that might resolve my problem. One of my favorite strategies for student motivation that I have found comes from collecting data from the most important participants in education – my students. I truly believe in the power of student surveys and reflection, therefore after every test I give, I list a student survey on the board for my students to give me feedback on what went well and what can be improved.

The student surveys that I post usually include 5-6 questions that not only require my students to reflect on their learning strategies, but also on their motivation to learn. The questions also provide me with feedback on my teaching strategies so I can adapt the next chapter or unit to meet the needs of the class I have right now. This is a very powerful activity that only takes a few minutes after the test, but provides me with a better understanding of each of my individual students as well as the needs of the entire class. Students are encouraged to be honest and are assured there will be no retaliation if the feedback for the teacher seems a little harsh. However, in sixth grade students are still secretly eager to please the teacher and have a hard time criticizing the teacher’s methods. But the ones who are brave enough to provide some me with some criticism teach me so much about my instructional strategies.

I use this writing activity right after students complete the test. We are on an electronic assessment site, so students get their test results immediately. The following are sample questions I ask my students to reflect on.

• Did you get the grade you expected?
• Did you work your hardest this chapter/unit?
• What did you struggle with this chapter/unit?
• What worked for you this chapter/unit?
• What is something you can do differently during the next chapter/unit?
• What can Ms. Brodock do the same or differently to help you during the next chapter/unit?
• What is something from this chapter/unit you knew really well, but it wasn’t on the test?

I only choose about 4-5 of these prompts for students to write about, however I always make sure I ask the question about what I can do to help support them as we move forward in the content. The feedback I get from them is priceless, but this activity also ensures my students are reflecting on their own learning practices as well. Even if they don’t know how to answer or they decide to give one of their unique and possible “snarky” responses, their brain still has to absorb the question and it can’t help but think about how to answer it. This really is a win-win activity.

In today’s world, we see so many great teachers leaving the profession for various reasons. Lack of support from administration, parents and society in general play a major role in teacher burnout. Other reasons include workload, testing expectations, and all the other hats teachers must wear in addition to their role as an educator.

Simple Teaching takes us back to the basics of teaching. While we do need to make sure our students are provided with the best education so they can be successful as they step out into their futures, we need to know that we cannot do it all. Education is a 13 year process for most students and we are only a small part of their journey. Our job is to make sure we do everything we can to make our students become the best they can be when we have them, but also realize they have a whole community of teachers who will support them as they advance through their education. Teaching to your strengths as an educator is essential in helping your students reach their full potential.

At Simply Teach Today we will cover strategies that will help teachers get back to the basics of teaching to help minimize the overwhelming feeling of having to do it all. We will discuss everything from classroom management, classroom organization, instructional strategies, social emotional learning and life beyond the classroom.