Hello public outlet for my thoughts and feelings.
It has been a long while.
Thankfully it hasn't been like five years which would make me feel super old.
I'm quite young still to be honest, that's a good thing about this!
Anyway,
I am a teacher.
I have been a teacher for almost four years now.
I am in my fourth year teaching in Detroit.
Since I started this blog, I have learned so much about this profession.
One thing I recently realized as I internalized something I watched in one of my master's classes is that:
I DO TAKE MY KIDS' SUCCESS AND ACTIONS PERSONALLY
I feel there is this pressure as a teacher, especially by admin talking to teachers, to pretend that taking things personally is totally wrong.
But this weekend, today actually, I was watching a video in class that really changed the game for me.
This woman (Mimi Silbert) started a foundation that hires, trains, employs ex-felons.
Her words were that "I take everything personally."
She invests in these men and women.
She loves them.
She cares so much about them.
Now, let me ask you,
If you love, care about, and are pouring your heart and soul into very specific human beings every day, will their lack of success bother you?
Do you deeply want control to make decisions for them because you know it would be better for them, that it would make them more successful?
Do you really think you can spending almost your entire day in the productive hours of 7-3 with a group of people and then go home and not care if they remember a thing you said?
Yes of course, we need to be mindful that things are NOT our fault, but, don't you think it is a bit normal then to take things personally?
I am not saying it is okay to beat oneself up, to blame oneself, and to never get over things if someone else makes the wrong decision.
What I am saying is that it is OKAY to be so personally invested in seeing someone's success. I believe inextricably linked to that phenomenon is the possibility (and the high probability) that you will then take their negative AND positive decisions personally.
If you take the credit for the good, do you think it's okay to dismiss the bad?
If you jump for joy when they succeed do you pretend it doesn't matter when the flop?
No.
Of course not.
No.
The reality is we DO take our students' actions and choices personally.
To be honest, if you truly love them, with a healthy balance, you need to be.
-Future Professor Little
