Self-motivation will bear fruit if you set goals, share and gain knowledge.
Priyanka Gupta
One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world
– Malala Yousafzai
Fulfilling the many responsibilities that come with teaching can overwhelm educators and the fatigue can lead to demotivation. Here are some pointers that can help you stay enthused:
Set goals: Doing something without a goal can demotivate you. The grind of teaching lesson after lesson can leave you exhausted and jaded. Goals are crucial and give you something to work towards to. They can be student oriented or personal growth-oriented. Achieving the goals creates a sense of achievement that will keep you motivated. In case you are unable to meet your goals as desired, you can examine them to see where you are
lacking. The desire to reach your goals again will keep you motivated.
Attend and conduct workshops: If you are seeking a sense of perspective, nothing can substitute for listening to like-minded people. A little push that comes from meeting and hearing people with the same story as yours works wonders. It will surely motivate you to do better at the job that you loved. This one thing might be the pep talk you needed. You can also host workshops where you can discuss teaching, various pedagogies, new strategies and ideas.
Read: Other than books for professional purposes and qualifications, make sure you read for inspiration. Dive into hearty reads with stories that make you feel good, or read something from a different language or anything else that interests you. Self-help books can be of great help as well.
Write: Just like you work on your lesson plans, make a journal of your teaching experiences and learning. Writing down how your teaching is going can make it more interesting and might just show you ways out of whatever hole you’re stuck in. Also, if you really can make something of that journal that will help other educators, you can even get it published.
Seek out professional development opportunities: Enrol for the classes that you think will enhance your professional skills or take up that online course you’ve been eyeing. Doing and not just thinking things helps you improve.
Collaborate with peers: This is an effective approach to pull up your socks. Collaborating with peers can significantly boost your confidence and motivate you. The more experienced teachers you interact with, the better you will get at your work. By doing so, teachers who are new to the profession get a sense of support and validation that the things they are
trying actually do work. You can do so by creating teachers’ communities within school, or a better structural collaboration can be done via the web. You can collaborate with teachers across globe through social media. Your imagination is the only limit. Once you get started you will see the benefits of it.
