Can be too easy to get burned out on not only teaching the material but also out of concern for the students and what motivates them.
Elanor,
Thank you for these motivating remarks about the role we educators play in the lives of our students. I commend you and your family for the generations of involvement and life impacting work you all have done. This is the type of impact that keeps us coming back to the classroom year after year.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have to say that I have seen instructors burn out faster than almost any profession. I am a 5th generation teacher, and I have grown up in the educational setting. When we REFOCUS our instructional methods, we are really reevealuating what we are doing. Seeing what works, and what does not. Sometimes, as teachers, we don't see the good that we do on a daily basis. We miss the "Ah-ha" moments and don't see the change we have made in the students lives. As human beings, we want to know that what we are doing is making a difference and many times it is only the bad that is pointed out, or we don't see the good. By REFOCUSing our instruction we are able to focus on the positive and not get brought down into the negative.
Ruth,
Like the way you get yourself fired up and ready to finish out a course. It is easy to get worn down to the point that you are just going through the motions. So by giving yourself a pep talk and trying something new in the course you can get fired back up and enjoy completing the course with your students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
For myself long hours and going to graduate school, I tend to get into a slump towards the end of the semester. It is at that time I need to remember why and what it is I love about teaching. I have to apply the REFOCUS on myself and analyze why I am where I am, and find some time for myself to recharge my batteries. When I am refocused then I am better able to encourage and teach my student.
EDWARD,
Good point about needing to stop and reflect on how far the class has come. Then we need to remind our students that they have made major strides in their career development as a result of what they have learned thus far in the course. Doing this should recharge both instructor and students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
AS stated in the lesson. There comes a time during the course of training when an instructor loses steam and seems to run out of ideas. Maybe the student response has dwindled or the class is scoring low and the morale is down. AT this time is when the instructor needs to refocus and reignite the flame that was lit in the beginning of the course. This can be accomplish by refocusing on the accomplishments of the class or the successes of the instructor.
Stephanie,
Yes, it can so that is why we need to recharge ourselves and strive to keep our passion for our content high as well as our enthusiasm for teaching.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Andrea,
I commend you for taking on this difficult task. You are right about students not caring for your course. From your comments I sense you have a great attitude about how you can engage students and help them to see the value of developing good communication skills. By helping them to see how good writing can benefit their career you are giving them an opportunity to enjoy success in many different parts of their lives.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Because you can get a little drained and tired teaching the same topics over and over. Even having students quarter after quarter who have the same obstacles can be taxing.
At my career college, I teach some Gen Eds - NOT anyone's favorite topic. Worse, I teach grammar and writing. My students hate that they are required to take my course, many have had very bad experiences, have been ridiculed by their public school teachers, and they walk into my classroom believing they will fail.
It is so important to impress on them the usefulness of writing skills in their chosen fields, but I feel like a huge part of my job is being a cheerleader - re-educating them to believe in their abilities.
But that's also part of what is exhausting. Taking the time to use the REFOCUS methods will definitely help recharge both instructor and student. Grammar is tough - nobody likes it and many rules are arbitrary, so it's easy for all to get bogged down. Maybe I'll incorporate some REFOCUS methods into each class period, just to keep our spirits up! :)
Patricia,
Thank you for these comments about the need for REFOCUS time. For those of us that teach longer block classes it is a challenge to stay fresh and up on the latest content as well as delivery methods. We do wear down and as a result we need to do what we can to remain fresh. I am looking forward to the end of our session in three weeks so I can work on some new activities I want to try when we come back in January. I can't wait to see if they will work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Daniel,
Like your example. As an outdoors person myself I can relate to the need to keep your fire burning. When you are teaching using only the "coals" you are doing a dis-service to your students and yourself.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Hello David: I can relate to an overly long day, revolving terms (our terms are either 6-weeks or 12-weeks and some days- the only way I know where my classroom is- is when I look on the attendance sheet!), and 57 hour work weeks. To be honest with you, I do not believe that my REFOCUS time makes it to midterm. I can go about three weeks before I begin to feel myself searching for other interesting and fun lessons so I can get my heart beating a bit faster! The part that I dislike the most about this is that I truly believe I do not ever have enough time to properly reflect on the day's events. I find myself thinking about something that went well or something that I need to change a few days after it occurred, and I do not feel good about that. I am glad that the holiday season is approaching because it will give me an opportunity to regroup. As always, I will spend a lot of hours on my computer searching for new and innovated ways to present material to my students.
This was a great topic !! I have camped in the great outdoors a lot in my life, and I know how important it is to add more wood every so often so your camp fire doesn't burn out. I haven't thought about it in this way before, but teaching is much like a camp fire.......we must be prepared to "fuel the fire" to prevent burnout.
LeWando,
Good way to keep your excitement high and your students focused on being successful in the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
David,
Have fun with this effort and come back ready to fire up your students and finish out the term with vigor!
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Robert,
So true. This session I have six sections of the same course. I have to work hard to keep my enthusiasm high because it is new for each section no matter how many times I have been through it.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Denisse,
What are some way you do this with your students?
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This is necessary to avoid apathy. I refocus each class based on the the experiences my students bring to the course.
