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Ask for help > depleting motivation
depleting motivation
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N.F.T
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depleting motivation
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Hi.
I �m in a fix and I �m hoping that someone out there can help me. I �ve been a teacher for close to 5 years. I �m a young guy, 29, never started out in life wanting to be a teacher...studied performance art and got a MA but here I find myself, in China, teaching kids.
I �m a passionate person by nature...I attack life...but lately...I �ve really been struggling to motivate myself to teach...I �ve misplaced my passion for this job...and I had a lot of passion.
What do other teachers do when they feel this way and they still have a long week to get through? I took the past 2 days off work claiming to be sick, but in fact I was soul searching and trying to find the passion and motivation to make it through another year in this job.
I can do it...I can go through the motions of teaching, make it to the end of every day, but that �s no way to live. It �s not fair on me, it �s not fair on the kids I teach.
Any advice from teachers out there who sometimes feel the same way? Usually I �m the BEST at self-motivation....but lately I �m struggling.
I understand this isn �t a therapy site, but I �m certain that all teachers go through this at some point in their careers....and I �m hoping some of you who have can share your stories with me and possibly a nugget of advice.
Thanks in advance!
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17 Jun 2011
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Dyana13
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i feel like you do sometimes, but then i start thinking about the small things that make me happy to be a teacher. like the fourth grader that took my hand yesterday and said: "thank you for being my teacher this year" or the way the children �s faces light up when they finally understand something that was difficult for them to grasp. a nice vacation also helps. do anything that relaxes you for a while. i found out if the teacher is not happy, the students are restless and the classes are harder to teach.
hope this helps you.
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17 Jun 2011
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MapleLeaf
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I �m never bored, even taking the job of not teaching right now, when teaching is really my passion. There �s always something to learn, to discover, there �s always challenges at any kind of job. How to make the place better, more productive, how to bring more income to the company, how to make people happy when they talk to you. The same strategies can be applied to teaching. Read Montessori books-- she �s an inspiration and was very passionate in teaching inventing her own genius method. When I tought in regular school, I started to get bored too and Montessori lessons really helped me making the lessons more alive and interesting, though there �s lot of work making Montessori material, but it �s worth it! Try something new, challenging, spice your lessons up with a new method.
Good luck!  |
17 Jun 2011
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MarionG
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N.F.T.,
I can definitely relate to what you wrote. I too, never thought I �d be a teacher. Human Rights and Laws of War are my field of expertise. When I started teaching kids a few years ago I really felt I �d found my purpose in life. I looooved teaching, would thrive on challenging classes, get high on seeing the kids improve and slowly but surely master cetain skills. Nothing compared to the kick of feeling a real connection with these young persons.
Lately I too, find it difficult to touch that passion. I don �t know why: Maybe it simply isn �t new anymore, maybe the discipline issues are starting to get on my nerves, maybe I �m just really tired, maybe the frustration of having almost half a class with some kind of problem (pdd, add, adhd, �plain� dyslexia or other LD, even some tourettes and of course aspergers...), lack of appreciation from people over 12 years old....
I agree with Dyana13 though. I feel that what helps is looking at the small things. The hugs from the girls in the 6th grade, the little notes from the fourth graders saying "I love you and please teach us again next year". The kid �s face when he finally manages to read his first real sentence.
or inspirational movies like MR. sir, Dangerous minds, Glory road, the emperor �s club, can pick me up a little.
I must admit I �m a little scared that the true passion is damaged for good...and I would love to hear from veteran teachers what they do to keep feeling connected to the love of teaching. |
17 Jun 2011
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Mietz
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I can relate to your feelings, too. Maybe you could change the age group you are teaching? Teaching adults for instance is still teaching, but a different context and challenge - different subjects etc. It might work.
All the best for finding your path again!
Mietz
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17 Jun 2011
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dufffy
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NFT,
You must not get down like that! Unfortunatly working in the public sector has become extremely hard. We have up to 37+ students in a language class. You don �t have any REAL choice of your teaching method because so much is imposed on us (as explained by Marion). It is almost impossible to fulfil the needs of all these students. Your feelings are normal and unfortunatly more and more teachers in the public sector ( I repeat) are feeling the strain and fustration. It is totally different working in the private sector and this can not be compared .I have been working 20 years for both!! All I can advise is more or less the same as Marion, look out for those who appreciate. There are far more than you think. When you don �t feel good, you see things grey. You think all you do is put order in class and the efforts you make in teaching is a waste of time. Be careful "it shows" and those who want to ruin your lesson WILL!! Let them know that you won �t be defeated.Those who enjoy your work will be happy you have done so!Talk to other teachers, don �t feel like you are the only one! This lack of motivation has become more and more current and will have to be dealt with! This year, 4 new teachers started and ended the year by saying "we �ve done 1 year and refuse to do more!"What a shame, all these people who wish to pass on their knowledge. We need to support each other. Never have teachers put so much in to their work. Look at all these wonderful WS!! We have to stop blaming ourselves if the students don �t appreciate. They are just not interested in English or Bob keeps pinching Tom because he didn �t understand and is therefore disturbing the concentration of the others. There are too many mixed levels in one class and now too many students with other learning problems!Keep your chin up and try and vary your material to suit all, Good luck! |
17 Jun 2011
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Mehlika Sultan
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hi
i got the same situation when just because of somebody didn �t like me (not my teaching) i was fired from my first place of work being as assistant teacher. the reason was lack of experience! BUT HOW A NEW GRADUATED TEACHER CAN BE ACCUSED OF THIS? later i got a 2 month depression and i tried again. it �s hard but everyday a new step in your life.
later on i was crying loudly when my kids performed perfect on the stage for Closing year ceremony. it showed my work. and believe me or not your becomes like ducky!!! you are so happy that cant breath. and later the brother and sisters of my graduated kids came and gave me hug n flowers and with some of parents still keep contact cause we had unforgetable moments.
especially the small kids they are so innocent...their eyes asking for help, being close to you when they are afraid, hugging every morning n saying morning ms...
just close your eyes n try to imagine all this...
best wishes and good luck n hope u overcome through all this...
aysegul
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17 Jun 2011
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Zora
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Hi there,
I know exactly how you feel. Every year I go through something similar, usually at the end of the year. I think it has to do with the fact that as the years go by, you just find yourself more tired at the end of the year. Tired of dealing with the bureaucracy that goes with teaching or tired of dealing with parents that are unappreciative of your work. I find that the best thing to do when this happens, is exactly as Marion said. "Focus on the small things that make you happy."
I don �t know if you are near the end of the school year in China, but if you are, maybe, since you are a person that has a natural passion for art and dramatics� You should put your whole curriculum to one side and go into class ready to do something totally different. Something fun for you. If it �s fun for you, there is a good chance it will be fun for the children too.
I would also like to add something that I �ve always believed. Teaching is a vocation. Many of the good teachers come to this profession by chance. For me, I had always liked teaching as a child, but as I grew older, I thought being a lawyer or a chef or a computer programmer was way cooler. In the end, I took Business Applied To Computer Sciences, having totally forgot my days as a child in front of an old blackboard teaching my stuffed animals.
When I finished school, I didn �t quite know what to do. What I studied didn �t really interest me as a profession, and I decided, on my mothers encouragement, to head down to the local English center and see if they needed any help. To make a long story short, it was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I loved teaching from the get-go. It became a passion for me. I enjoyed every part of the process, from making the worksheets, the flashcards, that games even filling out the report cards...
Now, I won �t say that there aren �t days that I just want to throw in the towel. I honestly hate dealing with parents and I think that education has lost a lot of its importance in society. People don �t value teachers as they used to and to me, this is sad.
What I �m trying to say, is don �t give up� We all have bad days, bad weeks or even months! Teaching is not easy. It takes a lot of energy from a person. You don �t realize how much of yourself you give to people on a normal basis. And often, teachers tend to be the most selfless people around, we neglect ourselves so that others can be happy... And the funny thing about this is that we do it quite willingly, because it makes us happy.
So, try to find something that makes you happy in your daily life, whether it be a book that inspires or an art gallery or just inspirational films and movies� Something that makes you feel good for a change. I think what you need is a bit of rest, a change of scenery, a break from it all. A few days or weeks doing something different might even be good because it allows you to focus on yourself for change.
Take heart, and don �t let this get you down too much� We all have bad days, believe me, it �s part of being a teacher � unfortunately!.
Cheers,
Linda
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17 Jun 2011
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jamiejules
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hi there,
We �ve all been in your situation at one point or another in our careers... (granted that does not help!!!)
I found that after teaching for 5 years (a few years ago LOL) I was feeling dubious about everything to do with my job and to be honest looking back on it now I think it is a healthy reaction: during the first few years of teaching we learn, experiment loads, try to motivate ALL the kids and work stupid hours. then the whole stress of getting to know how the "teaching" works seems to fade away and you �re left with an empty feeling of "where do I go now???"
I suppose it �s like having given birth (not literally!!!) for some time you are "pregnant" with dreams and have high hopes... you try to envisage what it will be like and all of a sudden you are a teacher (I remember one of my teachers at the training center in France who said "you actually become a teacher after about 5 years"...)
what I suggest would be to focus on what has worked and build on it but with different materials, stuff you have never used before to go back in the danger zone,the excitment of teaching and learning at the same time (I don �t know if I am making sense to you??)
for instance if you have never used songs try to integrate them, if your students are used to doing quite a bit of writing in the lessons drop the pens altogether and do improvisation on a set theme, if they sit in classes move the furniture against the walls: in a nutshell, surprise them and they �ll surprise you back hopefully giving you the little push in the right direction...
I do hope you find a way to get back on track.
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17 Jun 2011
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class centre
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Hi,N.F.T.!
After the University I had told myself I would never be a teacher. Only in 10 years the circumstances did lead me to a secondary school. Now I �m 55 years old and I run my own English teaching school.
And I adore my job. But now it �s summer and I �m happy for not having to go to school. You understand what I mean.
When I only began, I had three lessons a day ( for a very little salary). but I also had a classroomI was so lucky not to share with anyone.So, I enjoyed my work very much. (1. How high is YOUR teaching load a day? May be you should change it?) Now that I run my own school, I get very tired by the end of the day, but I know for sure that I �m doing my work just right, the results are amazing, the sts and their parents are happy. That is what gives me strength to get up each morning and go to work. (2. If you make it your own private business, it can add new sense to your work). Make your time table more relaxing if you can. Summer holiday is a huuuuuge reward. But the best reward is children. You are an artistic person. Just amaze them! Sing, dance, draw for them! They �ll love you and your subject. They will pay you back, you �ll see.
Good luck! Take a breath and go on...
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17 Jun 2011
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