Why Mailing It In Is Hard As An Educator.
Dear Educator,
As a teacher, it is hard to mail it in. Of course, there will be days where you wish you could and other days where you do. But unlike many other professions, being in education means that you are constantly judged based on your last performance.
Growing up, I enjoyed acting. I loved role-playing and presenting in front of a live audience. But, on the nights where I didn’t feel 100%, I still needed to deliver. If my performance were anything less than the audience expected, I would hear about it — either from the audience or our director. It was hard. Most of my acting was done as a teenager, and, like most adolescents, I didn’t always want to be doing the things I signed myself up for, even something I enjoyed. But this time in my life taught me a valuable lesson. Anything less than 100% of my best was not good enough in the paying audience’s eyes (and ears).
As Educators, we too deliver a performance every time we teach a class, lead a lecture or even oversee a work/study group. And our audience is, in many ways, far less forgiving than what I experienced when I hit the stage.
So what happens when you can’t give it 100%? In some cases, you can ask a fellow Educator to step in. But most of the time, you need to dig deep.
I have found energy in focusing on the “performance” aspects I fully control. The way a slide or concept is delivered. The amount of time I spend on a specific topic or even the amount of time I give to questions. Like a high-end athlete who makes micro-adjustments during her competition, I make micro-adjustments to ensure that everything I deliver is at its best.
Until next time, I hope you continue to inspire minds and shape the future.
josh
