Resilience, Teach

Resilience!  All educators need it.  It can help you press forward in teaching and help you stay motivated and inspired when times are tough in your classroom.

When teaching is frustrating, it's tempting to throw yourself a pity party.  (I know I've thrown my fair share of pity parties.)  However, a better approach is to look outward.  Notice that all educators have gone through similar experiences.  Most importantly, start thinking of others...and you'll soon find yourself feeling fulfilled.  It's strange how that can happen--when you put others first, somehow happiness starts creeping in.

One such example of this is Anne Sullivan. Keep reading, and I give a few more details, but to really get into detail about Anne's incredible life, check out the following links: Book, cartoon, and more

Anne Sullivan is a famous educator.  She taught Helen Keller (who was both blind and deaf) to communicate.  What you may not realize is how defeated Anne Sullivan felt at times--yet she pressed onward.  Anne Sullivan was visually impaired.  She was raised by a single father, who was abusive.  She taught Helen for more than a decade and accompanied her to college to translate/note take. It was not easy--yet she stuck with it.  Talk about resilience!  Anne's teaching has been called miraculous, but it was neither easy nor instantaneous.    

As educators, we all experience discouragement.  But press onward!  You can do it!  Be resilient.  Resiliency is among the most important traits an educator can possess.  So when you're feeling down, keep on going.  Know that we've all been there, and you can do it.  Just put one foot in front of the other.  

If you are looking for more encouragment for teaching, you might enjoy my blog post about the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and how it teaches us that you are making a difference--even if you don't realize it. (Click here to view it.) You might also enjoy just browsing my blog archive to read all the uplifting messages.

As always, hang in there, Teach!
Happy Teaching,
Frank
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Be sanguine, Teach!

Having a hard time with teaching?  You should be, it is tough!  Here's another blog post to help give us educators inspiration to press forward.

I am writing this at an unprecedented time in history.  Most schools throughout the country--including mine--are physically closed (though open digitally) because of the Covid-19 Coronavirus.  It can be a distressing time for many of us.  I hope this message can provide another ray of hope for educators at this time, as well as in the future when we are struggling with the more normal classroom challenges educators always face.

Recently I was reading about a famous historical figure, Joseph Smith.  Many--including myself--revere him as a hero and forerunner of the westward expansion of the U.S.  There were many times when he was imprisoned unlawfully.  The book I was reading described him as "sanguine".  I didn't know what that word meant, so I had to look it up.  It means "optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation".

I've been thinking about that term ever since I first came across it.  I've come to believe that educators are the most sanguine of any group worldwide!  What other group collectively faces the distresses and disappointments and demands and struggles that us educators face...and yet through it all remains optimistic and positive and cheery. The signs on the following links remind us about this principle.  I think it's a great idea to put up one of these signs somewhere in your classroom.

So, Teach, keep being sanguine!  Keep being optimistic and cheerful no matter what.  Keep pressing forward no matter what.  Keep being positive no matter what.  Even when the difficult times come (as they do constantly do in our line of work), keep your head up and rise above it with a positive outlook.  Keep being sanguine.  That's what teachers do.  That's what YOU do.  Keep it up!

If you are looking for more encouragment for teaching, you might enjoy my blog post about how to notice the happiness in our line of work. (Click here to view it.) You might also enjoy just browsing my blog archive to read all the uplifting messages

As always, hang in there, Teach!
Happy Teaching,
Frank

P.S. If you enjoyed this content, you can receive each post I publish by filling in the "follow by email" box at the top right (on the desktop version of the site)

(Click to see the resources I've created)