Teaching is without a doubt one of the most rewarding careers! There’s nothing better than helping shape a young person into a productive member of society and watching them prosper. This is probably one of the best reasons to keep teaching!
But the pandemic changed things. And many days, teaching is mentally, emotionally, and physically draining.
Teaching During the Pandemic
If you find yourself run down and trying to find reasons to keep teaching, don’t feel alone. According to a 2013 Gallup pole, Teaching is one of the most stressful occupations in the country (tied with nurses). And teaching during the Pandemic has been more difficult than teachers were prepared for. Teachers have been faced with entirely new models of online and hybrid learning. And their mental and physical health has taken a toll. Now, the country is in the midst of a school-reopening rollout, mask mandate protests, and rising violence in schools.
Teachers are essential for the country’s social and economic growth. Where would we honesty be without teachers? Teaching is a noble career. It’s selfless and the rewards are usually reaped much later than the hard work that’s put in. But the moments that provide encouragement are worth every minute of that hard work!
I’ve written a list of reasons to keep teaching that may help encourage you as you continue! We all know money isn’t the number one reason (ha!). But there’s so much more to teaching than the monetary gains. Read below and see if you resonate with any of these moments. Remember how these times make you feel, and give that fire inside just a little more fuel!
Reasons to Keep Teaching
- Visits from former students
- Noticing how fast students grow (and mature) over summer break
- Working in a supportive district with a supportive administration
- When a student tells you that you are his/her favorite teacher, even though he/she doesn’t like your content area
- Receiving tenure so you don’t need to be evaluated as much
- Watching a student’s reaction when he/she gets an unexpected good grade
- Observing and learning from other teachers
- Writing and receiving a grant
- When your students bring you a snack or food
- Hearing a student say “Thank You!” for a lesson you worked hard to present
- When students are sad that the bell rings and class is over
- Receiving supplies donations from parents and students
- Reading a positive e-mail from a parent
- Sending a positive note home (or e-mail) to a parent
- Getting a compliment from a veteran teacher
- When your students actually understand and laugh at your humor
- Receiving student artwork
- Having a positive parent-teacher conference
- Watching students grow socially and emotionally
- When a student you don’t know approaches you and hopes to have your class someday
- Seeing students read independently (and enjoying it!)
- Being invited to participate in a meaningful event by your students (i.e., graduation, homecoming pep rally, etc.)
- When students ask to come into your classroom during lunch
- Receiving get well cards and letters from your students
- Reading a positive note left by a sub
- When students genuinely ask for your opinion or advice
- Receiving recognition from administration
- Getting to wear jeans on Friday
- Being caught up with grading
- When your students throw you a surprise party (birthday, engagement, baby shower, whatever the event!)
- Going on field trips
- Watching students become more confident as the year progresses
- When you are out and your students ask you to “never leave them again” upon your return
Strategies to Stay Positive
Teachers are so busy being a caretaker of sorts that they often overlook their own needs. Unfortunately, so does society. Remember when all the schools were closed due to the Pandemic and parents had to take over your role? Yeah, they were thankful for you then! For a minute, the world realized the true difficulty of your position. And we began to hear many thanks! I hope this sentiment isn’t too soon forgotten as school begin to reopen.
If you are having a hard time finding reasons to continue teaching, try these strategies:
1. Create the Right Mindset
Research suggests that thinking positively has effects on our body. Our brain produces endorphins (natural painkillers) and gamma globulin (which strengthens our immune system). Our thoughts, feelings, and expectations can partly determine the level of endorphins and gamma globulin our brains produce. Therefore, optimism may actually reduce your stress and help you live healthily. To think positively, start your day on a positive note. Focus on the good things and spend time with positive people throughout your day.
2. Spread Positivity
We all know a teacher or two who spends equal time complaining and teaching. We can’t avoid our co-workers, so that tactic is useless. A good strategy, tough, is to spread your positivity on them! Share with them some of your encouraging moments, and see if you can elicit the same from them. Give a compliment to a co-worker. Make a positive phone call home for your most challenging student. Make it a goal of yours to be the positive influence in your department, hall, or entire building. Teachers encourage a positive learning environment in their classrooms. Now try to do the same school-wide!
3. Keep a Journal
According to WebMD, journaling has many mental health benefits. Journaling can be effective in just a few minutes a day. You can keep it simple or get creative. You can write on paper or keep an electronic journal. You may even try keeping a gratitude journal to keep track of reasons why you keep teaching.
4. Stay Healthy
Staying healthy is an important part of mental health. Eat well, exercise, meditate, and get plenty of sleep to increase endorphins and fight stress in your body. Unchecked stress can lead to fatigue, headaches, unexplained pain, muscle tension, and stomach problems. Do what you can to avoid these!
5. Know Your Limits
Some things regarding teaching (and the educational system as a whole) are simply out of our control. The more we try to control them, the more frustrated, worried, and stressed we may become. Learn to identify what is and what is not in your control. Once you do this, you can stop wasting precious energy on things beyond your control. Then you can focus that energy on making positive changes on other more-deserving aspects of your career.
Final Thoughts
We’ve all had a day when we left work vowing to resign the next morning. Sometimes we wonder what keeps us going. For most of us, it isn’t the paycheck! We may feel underappreciated and underpaid. We may even begin to consider other career options altogether.
But focusing on the good aspects of your job will help you deal with the stress and negativity associated with teaching. Remember that even the small things make a big difference in teaching. So, sometimes it’s the small things that remind us that we are truly making a difference. A simple “You are doing great!” note from an administrator. A drawing from one of your students. Or even running into a former student at the grocery store. All of these situations genuinely provide encouragement to teachers. I hope that you find these instances as excellent reasons to keep teaching.
Thinking positively and starting your day on a positive note are two great strategies to create positive space in your classroom. Now, share this positivity with other teachers and co-workers! Together, everyone can create a more positive, pleasant working environment that you will all be proud to be a part of!