Just Do YOU!
I love and hate this time of the year. As we move into July and back to school mode, many of us spend time scrolling on Instagram, Pinterest, and spending too much money on Teachers Pay Teachers. I can feel my teacher brain slowly starting to wake up. Then, anxiety hits!I am in awe of what I see on the internet. It is an amazing time to be a teacher. I remember in the long ago dark ages where the only place you could find a teacher resource or idea was to drive to a teacher supply store or look in a catalog. (Yes... I'm that old!) Now, anything and everything you could possibly need is a click or scroll away...hence the anxiety. Many of us wonder, "Am I doing enough?"
I love and appreciate everything the Teacher Tubers, Pinterest People and teachers of Instagram do! But, it can bring about feelings of inadequacy. Even the most experienced teachers can sometimes feel as if they are not doing enough every time they scroll.
Well, I'm here to tell you... you are enough! Just do you!
I'm especially directing this to new teachers. Use what you see as inspiration - not a goal. Find new ideas, activities, tools, designs, etc. as a part of a process for growing and learning. Be brave enough to figure out what works for you.
I remember when I saw a giant Kerplunk used as a classroom management tool on Instagram. I was so inspired and quickly navigated to Amazon and bought mine! I had a great classroom management system, but I loved this idea so much, I added it to my system. I even surprised myself that I was willing to try something new. I found a way to incorporate it into my system.Find a new idea and make it your own.
There are no perfect classrooms or teachers! It can be hard to remember that so much of what you see is photographed, filmed and edited, sometimes multiple times to show them at their best. We all want to shine!
Try to appreciate that everything you see is done in spirit of sharing not shaming.
We are so lucky to live in time where access to other amazing teachers is a click away.