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Recent conversations with veteran and new teachers alike have raised more than a few questions about why we choose to stay in the teaching profession. New teachers feel lost, and veterans feel overlooked. So, to all of my teacher friends, I would ask that we shift our focus and try to rediscover our purpose for entering education in the first place.
As a teacher in post-pandemic education, it is extremely difficult to ignore the negativity and regain my focus on why I got into education in the first place. At the end of the day, we must learn to ignore the distractions that seem to overshadow our memories of our inspiration to enter this crazy world of education. Here are three reminders to help teachers rediscover our purpose for teaching. Inspiration is our cause, influence is the effect, and ultimately impact is the outcome.
My Inspiration for Teaching
Like many, my inspiration to enter teaching was my experience with teachers growing up. I had several brilliant, caring, and influential teachers who left a lasting impact on my life. As a Black educator myself, I know how important it was to have Black educators in front of me. Having several Black teachers allowed me to see a representation of strong Black role models throughout my education. My teachers genuinely cared about the success of their students.
I have such fond memories of my education and teachers. And I always thought it would be a blessing to have the same effect on someone else’s life. I strongly believe in giving back what was afforded to you. I wanted to be not only a mentor but a person that a student would say played a significant role in their life. I wanted to help them experience that epiphany wherein they finally decided what they wanted to do for the rest of their lives.
All teachers need to think back to what inspired them to enter education. And I believe you should share those memories with your students once you revisit them. Turn your inspiration into a way to inspire others. That is how we can shape the future generation of students and potential educators.
My Influence as a Teacher
There is much that is outside of our control as educators, and it can be demoralizing. However, it is important to remember what we can influence. I believe that teachers can influence students by having great teaching philosophies. I am dedicated to having high expectations for all students, especially when I am convinced that all kids can succeed in anything they set their minds to. I will fight to give my students opportunities to show what they have inside them. Students can demonstrate what they are capable of if only given the opportunity. Mindsets like these are how teachers can influence students’ lives.
These philosophies have also helped me to extend my teaching beyond the classroom. I believe in educating the whole child. I believe that you should teach appropriate life lessons as well as curriculum lessons. Common courtesy, etiquette, and organization are lessons that can influence students as much, if not more than what they might learn from your assignments.
When I watch my students speak or sign a greeting upon entering my classroom, I know this is a practice they will carry with them through life. When I watch my students sign excuse me, please and thank you unprompted when interacting with other students in the classroom, I know these simple acts of courtesy will be ones they do unconsciously outside of my walls. When I watch my students organize their binders, I know that these are skills they may keep in their future collegiate or career spaces. Watching students put my lessons into practice helps remind me of my purpose as an educator.
My Lasting Impact on Students
Thinking about teachers’ influence encourages me to do my best to ensure that the influence goes deeper and makes a significant impression. Analyzing our purpose for being in the classroom allows us to also help our students find their purpose in the classroom and in life. What life lessons can I teach that can create memories beyond the curriculum? What words can I say that would have a lasting impact on a student’s future? What experiences can I foster that can be pivotal in making a student say that a teacher impacted their life?
The single most powerful example of a teacher making an impact on a student’s life is when that student enters the field of education themselves. There is no greater sign of how much a teacher has impacted a student’s life than to hear that they also want to work with children and make their own lasting impact on future generations.
I have several students who have either become interpreters, paraprofessionals, and teachers. Helping a student along their journey to find their own purpose in life is one of the most impactful things a teacher can endeavor to do. I had a sign language student whose mother is deaf enter my program. She had been interpreting her whole life and decided to enter the interpreting field. I taught another student who took two levels of sign language classes with me and went on to work with deaf students for the past decade. More than a handful of my students have become teachers themselves. Many have come back to tell me that I directly impacted their decisions to either work with deaf individuals or enter the field of education. There is no greater compliment one can receive as an educator.
Rediscover Your Inspiration, Influence, and Impact to Shift Your Focus
Teachers, as Dr. Thomas ‘TJ’ John said, “don’t let the external music affect your internal lyrics of life.” The music may be chaotic and loud and may not even sound like music at all. And the lyrics of life keep changing in the broken system of education. Do not let that distract you. Do whatever is necessary to rediscover your purpose. Rediscover your own inspiration, influence, and impact, and shift your focus to what keeps you coming in day after day. Know your power, passion, and purpose, and let that be the light that guides you on your heroic journey to inspire, influence, and leave a lasting impact on this generation.
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