Why do I teach?

My principal recently showed a video in our afterschool professional development from a TED Talk by Simon Simek. He explains why it is important to start with the "why" rather than the "what" or "how."



At the beginning of the year, I created a "why" statement. I thought about why I became I teacher and what drives me to come back to the classroom each and every day.
  • Why did I look forward to coming to work?
  • Why would my students look forward to learning in the classroom?
  • Why would students want to learn with me?
  • What drove me to become a teacher?
Once I had gathered all my thoughts (there is a lot going on in this brain of mine sometimes), I created a great why statement, I wrote it on a small chalkboard, and put it on a bulletin board in my room to display with the hope my students and I would see it every day as a reminder.



I thought this was a great why statement - it shows inclusivity, supportive environments, and that success is not limited to the highest performing students. However, in recent reflection I'm not sure if this truly is as fantastic as I first thought. If this is my "why," then my "how" and my "what" need to be supporting this statement.

ALL is a very scary word . . . it can be very overwhelming when you have a class with students with varying degrees of understanding, yet each and every one of them should feel just as important, safe, successful, empowered, encouraged, engaged, understood, the list could go on forever, as the next. So how do I accomplish all of this in the amount of time I see my students each day? How do I ensure every student gets what they need from me each time I see them? What can I do in my classroom to help my students become successful? These questions envelop me each day and I can't help but think, maybe this why statement was great, but now it's time to make it greater by ensuring it stays relevant through focusing on the "what" and "how."

What is your why? Tweet me @KaileyLaRocque or comment below to let me know!



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