I have been doing a lot of reading/listening to books and podcasts about having a positive attitude and living with a growth mindset. We all go through difficult times and we all can counter challenges. We can see these challenges as frustrations or as I have heard from mental training videos we can look at each moment as a chance to grow.
Yesterday I came home full of frustrations. Lately I have been feeling misunderstood and challenged. I am trying to do new and different things in my classroom. I don't necessarily see different as better, but I get the impression that some people would prefer I not change the status quo. I am a self confessed head case, so many of these issues could be between my ears, but until I learn to deal with them; they will continue to add stress to my life.
This morning (as I was trying to fall back asleep) I remembered a line from a Key Note Speech: What if I looked at every challenge as an opportunity to grow? I believe there is great power in the ability to experience adversity with a positive attitude. I always tell my students that mistakes are where learning happens. In life, adversity is where learning happens.
Adversity
1. People challenging new ideas
-When people disagree with me, I am forced to really analyze what I believe in. This process (although not always pleasant) allows me to solidify my thoughts/beliefs and my views either become stronger or change due to the new information. It is human to not like disagreements, but it is through these moments that my thoughts become clearer. I need to make sure I listen to the thoughts and not take it as a personal attack.
Positive Outcome
-My ideas become stronger and I learn from other perspectives.
2. Feeling misunderstood
-As a music teacher, I always feel like I have an X on me. I am not a "real" teacher and I "only" teach music. I do not say this to disrespect my profession, but even well intentioned teachers give off this impression. It is a thought I am going to have to learn to deal with, but I cannot let it disrupt what I want to do. Music teachers can still do great things!
Positive Outcome-I need to remember that what I do is important regardless of what others think and I can help prove that specialists can do great things in their classrooms.
3. Relationships
-My parents taught me as a child to respect those who are older then me and now that I am a teacher I sometimes have difficulty interacting with coworkers. I struggle between being friends with them and feeling like I am a child again. I have a hard time feeling like I am on the same level as they are.
Positive Outcome-My relationship skills with become stronger and I will be forced to focus on my communication and listening skills.
Adversity is not usually fun, but I NEED to remember in these moments that I can use them to help me grow. Instead of becoming frustrated and looking at it as a negative, I should be thankful for the opportunity to get better (I know, this is far easier said then done.)
How do you deal with the frustrations that come with being a teacher?
Positive Outcome-My relationship skills with become stronger and I will be forced to focus on my communication and listening skills.
Adversity is not usually fun, but I NEED to remember in these moments that I can use them to help me grow. Instead of becoming frustrated and looking at it as a negative, I should be thankful for the opportunity to get better (I know, this is far easier said then done.)
How do you deal with the frustrations that come with being a teacher?
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