Ever had a "good teacher" day? I used to excitedly tell my friends and family every time I had one. It was a day when all of my students seemed happy and engaged the entire day. Things just fit together, like the pieces of a puzzle. My lessons flowed nicely and maybe some kind of unexpected "teachable moment" occurred.
I'd venture to say I had about 15 of these kinds of days my first year of teaching. I think I might average about one a week in my current position. This has something to do with my self-confidence, I know, but it also has to do with my position as a non-classroom teacher. It's easy to feel like a "good teacher" in 45 minute segments!
I used to keep an old-fashioned (meaning non-electronic) journal in my early days of teaching. This entry from my third year made me smile today as I was reading through it, which I often do... to remind myself of where I came from and how I got here, wherever here is!
2/10/08- "It was a good teacher day today. 'Test Prep' all day and the kids had no clue. It CAN be done!"
If I had known what Twitter was in those days, I might have shared this with my PLN. At the time though, it was self-affirming enough to have a day that just felt right. The entry was accompanied by one of my favorite quotes, by George Bernard Shaw:
PEOPLE WHO SAY IT CANNOT BE DONE SHOULD NOT INTERRUPT THOSE OF US WHO ARE DOING IT.
I think of this every time I hear a news story about bad teachers. Bad teachers are only bad when they choose to stay bad. Everyone can have "good teacher" days, but they only happen when we work for them.
I'm still working for them. Are you?
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