Today’s Meditation

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“If you feel burnout settling in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself. The point is to have a long-term perspective.” —Dalai Lama

Teaching can be a revered profession, but unfortunately many are seduced by the summers off and the vacation time during the Christmas holidays, 180-day work year, etc.

And not everyone knows how to become a great teacher. It takes perseverance, talent, effort, and patience. A lot of patience.

What makes the difference?

Like a long-distance runner who keeps training day in and day out, but the one that has the best training under his belt won’t’ necessarily win. Attitude, skills, determination, strategies, and maybe even having a support group comes into play. But none of these will help by themselves. And as we’ve seen with barefoot runners, the type of sneakers you wear won’t help you win.

The same holds for teachers.  Each of us has a fairly similar set of tools to work with — a computer, a desk, software to enter grades and attendance, etc.

But it is the skills and abilities of the teacher, each individual, that makes all the difference. Therefore, it is critical to nurture the teacher within to refine those skill sets. The perseverance, talent, effort, and patience.

How do you nurture the teacher within?

You’ve already started on this journey to make sure you are nurturing the teacher within by practicing this meditation, by banishing the procrastinator, silencing the self-critic, reigning in the self-doubt in order to come out a better teacher, a better person, a ready, relaxed, and happy teacher.

“Invent your world. Surround yourself with people, color, sounds, and work that nourish you.” —Sarak

When a school or district gives its teachers the environment to continually excel and thrive and nurture herself, the talent a teacher possesses becomes extremely important. But you can do this on your own as well; by creating the conditions necessary for growth and development.

The definition of nurture

To nurture is defined as 1. to feed, protect, support, and encourage, 2. to bring up, educate, 3. upbringing, training, education, 4. development, the nurture of young artists, 5. something that flourishes, food.

You might have noticed that “education” and “development” came up more than once in different forms.

In that regard, you are in luck, as a life-long learner, you can train and develop, bring up the side of you that gives you more skills, more ability, more support, for you.

The life-long reader

Educate yourself by bringing yourself to the forefront of your teaching, and teach well, you must read.

“While slight attention to the soul can go a long way, it isn’t enough to maintain the active life and give the soul mere morsels.”        —Thomas Moore

When was the last time you read something inspiring about teaching? And I don’t mean a meme or humorous teacher analogy or video on Facebook. I mean a real book, or a professional article, something that can inspire you to invite love into your teaching. When did you last deepen your understanding and knowledge of the craft of teaching? Again, not just sitting absentmindedly at a professional development, skimming the material you’re supposed to read. But truly engaging.

And when was the last time you took really good care of yourself, your health, and ate healthy, nutritious meals, not a Luna bar gulped down during a break…

When you find the time to nurture yourself, you can create that perfect teacher’s life and it’s easier to have a positive mindset. You’ll have more time, more freedom, and life’s little challenges won’t’ bother you as much, you’ll have all your “ducks’ in a row.

“What’s vital about our creative process is that we learn to use it, to nurture it, and express it in our daily lives.” —C. Diane Ealy

Ask yourself what nurturing the teacher within means to you. There isn’t a set answer for this, everyone is different. You’ll need to decide what’s best for you.

Is it going back to university to earn a higher degree, take some classes? Is it getting on the school board, or finding out about professional development that you’ll enjoy? And not just the ones your district makes you take, so you can garner the needed education credits for your certificate.

Find what nurtures you.

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Take time today to nurture the teacher within and you will find quickly that you will become more productive and less likely to be plagued by burnout and fatigue.

Nurturing requires commitment and a gentle approach toward yourself, to truly allow yourself to blossom as a teacher. Create a pattern of self-nurturing to feel your best. Every day.

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Keep Reading the blog: Day 18 Shaping the Happy Teacher’s Life

©2017-19 Taru Nieminen  The Happy Teacher Solution