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The teaching profession is ripe with reasons why a classroom might not succeed. If teachers want to find a culprit for their professional failures, there are certainly many to be had: parents, policymakers, culture, funding, low pay, high and unending expectations—the list could go on and on. As a teaching career progresses, every teacher knows the temptation to shrug indifferently or react cynically to new challenges and methods. The classroom can be a tough place to stay hopeful and positive, but staying optimistic is crucial to teacher self-care’s central purpose, which is to ensure that the teacher can teach at an optimal level in the face of constant change.

The following five strategies will help frustrated teachers gain a more nuanced and joyful perspective on their jobs. Even if they don’t propel teachers to a summit of professional bliss, these powerful exercises can minimize the disappointments along the way. Teachers can use them to foster a positive perspective at any time and in any manner—at the end of a school year, during the summer, or even after an especially taxing day. These prompts can serve as mental exercises, or you may wish to write down your responses.

1. Focus on what worked, not what didn’t: Or, to phrase it another way, focus on the students who behaved; who performed well; and who were courteous, kind, and hardworking. Teachers who feel the strain of change can develop the habit of mentally focusing on only the few who cause problems as they teach a classroom full of students. Most teachers do not need to work very hard to identify disappointments, but more than likely, successes are present as well. It just requires a little more diligence and digging to discover them.

2. Put one class or year into its proper career context: To stay positive, think of one school year as a single slice of your entire career. Do not conclude, “I no longer enjoy my profession,” “The students don’t listen anymore,” or any other discouraging thought that runs through a vexed teacher’s mind. Refrain from making definitive generalizations about your tenure based on isolated circumstances. A taxing year does not negate or lessen the positive outcomes that occurred in prior years of teaching. After all, talented composers sometimes choose the wrong note. Well-regarded authors sometimes don’t write their best prose. Moreover, do not assume that once a career veers into a negative direction, it will necessarily stay that way. One year might be difficult, but that doesn’t mean the next one will be as trying. Athletes often follow a bad game with a good game. A film director can follow a box-office bomb with a blockbuster. Teachers should believe that they can do the same.

RIDE the WAVE

STRATEGY 4

Are you somebody who likes to offer counsel to others? Do you find it rewarding to help other teachers on staff with their problems? List five ways in which you could be of assistance to others on your campus. Because teachers are often their own worst critics, it is useful to pinpoint what encouraging, affirming assessments you can offer up to those with whom you work.

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Visit go.SolutionTree.com/teacherefficacy for a free reproducible version of this feature box.

3. Remember that you can control only what’s in front of you: Almost all people in education—teachers, administrators, and support staff—have heard this advice before, and often, it doesn’t make them feel any better. But it should. So many things go into the success and failure of education beyond what happens in a classroom—from parenting and culture to funding mechanisms and cyclical poverty. Staying optimistic will be easier if you remember you can control only what is in front of you. Extraordinary teachers can occasionally make huge leaps and overcome structural barriers and other high hurdles. But at the end of the day, you will do well to remember that incremental improvement is a victory. You cannot change the world your students come from, but you can use your time in the classroom to modestly improve your students’ chances of eventual success.

4. Remember your favorite teachers: How many of your favorite teachers were naysayers? Probably not many. Whenever you find yourself sliding into the alluring grip of pessimism and despair, try to remember your favorite teachers. The best classes are almost always taught by teachers who make it clear they enjoy the subject, the students, and the lessons they teach. The most effective teachers are almost always optimistic, because they believe what students learn in a classroom can echo beyond the corridors of the school. Even if an optimistic demeanor feels forced or false, it is better than allowing cynicism to reign supreme. As superintendent Stephen R. Donovan (2014) notes:

I have noticed in my school district that some of the most effective teachers appear to be those teachers who seem to remain confident in their ability to make a difference with all students, despite the numerous obstacles that can impact the learning process. (p. 8)

5. Remember that most classroom successes go unacknowledged: Why do you know that the capital of Texas is Austin? Why do you know that the ancient Greek Euclid is the father of geometry? How do you know how to spot a double dribble in basketball? In life, we acquire knowledge, skills, and various capacities along the way, often without noticing it. But just because a person does not know that you helped him or her read, write, or critically think does not mean you have not been a success. In fact, most classroom successes go unacknowledged. Sometimes students are too young to appreciate their teachers. Sometimes people don’t remember who is responsible for their skill sets and education. Try to remain optimistic by understanding that the classroom successes exist; it’s just that the failures of the classroom are usually highlighted and the successes are often taken for granted. The totality of what teachers achieve in the classroom is impossible to measure, yet it is substantial. Acknowledge and remember your classroom successes along the way. As a fellow teacher once said to me, “Teachers need to learn the art of being a great chef—taste their own cooking and congratulate themselves regardless of what the consumer thinks.”