Just plain worn out
Some times as an educator we get in the groove of doing the same things over and over. Just like our students we need an alternative means of stimulating our brain a recharge if you will. Often times doing the same classes over and over we become set in our ways and resist the urge to think out of the box.
Hi Ashley,
Good to read about your excitement and desire to keep your teaching fresh for your students. Your attitude will go a long way in helping you to keep your students motivated about wanting to learn the content of the course.
Gary
Wow, thank you this is a great idea. This is only my second quarter reteaching these classes and I already feel burned out that I am a broken record this is a great idea.
Hi Laura,
This is a great idea to introduce some variety with a set curriculum. Your excitement about how to vary your dishes and techniques will help to keep you refreshed and your students will benefit from your enthusiasm.
Gary
As a chef instructor in a culinary school I have found myself worn-out with teaching the same class for a year and am thinking about strategies to re-invigorate the class material. I am not allowed to change the course recipes or ordering, so I think if I look at the ingredientsa available to me and shuffle them around I could come up with new dishes and/or different techniques that could almost make it a different class. This would enerrgize me and in turn my students.
While we are teaching the same courses--over and over again-- that doesn't mean our class content needs to be the same.
I have changed something about my course each semester. You learn what works and what doesn't work--and you can eliminate or add based on that.
Sometime you get outside ideas from co-workers or research--and can incorporate those into the class itself.
I find that my students often inspire me to change things. They also inspire one another. We always start out our course with a personal experience essay--this helps students see one another as people. I will also share my own personal experience essay to show them that I am a human as well.
I've taught the same courses over and over since the beginning, but I am still finding new ways to get the information out to students--you just have to look at it with fresh eyes each semester.
I know that it isn't always possible, but sometimes I try changing the scenery. Going outside or changing classrooms. Sometimes it helps to change the perspective.
Hi Emerson,
Like the way you reflect back on how far you have come from your student days and that ramps you up so you are ready to teach. This keeps you forward focused while remembering where you have come from.
Gary
When I get worn out I relive the days when I was in trade school and focus on the things that got me to where I am
Some time we just need to listen to our students and take note on the students test scores if we have students that are not passing in mass numbers and this is not the norm we have step back and analyze our self.
Hi Jason,
Your statement made me laugh because I have been told many many times that teaching is easy and anyone can do it. You just get in front of people and talk. I would welcome those people to our world where they would find out that teaching is very hard work.
Gary
teaching is only easdy to those who've never done it. Those people truely don't fully understand that teaching is exhausting
Its very easy to be over taken by tiredness or space as i would call it.Me personel i say you need to look at your life goals,man if home life is great work life is great.Of cousre just the oppisite can happen also.
I know teaching the same material can become challenging over time due no variety. I like to always look for new ways to explain the material and the latest up to date information to make it more exciting for me as well as my students.
That is so true , some times we keep doing the same thing over and over that we start to become to complasent in our teaching every day that we forget how this is not only affecting us as a teacher but how it's affecting the students as well. usualy when that happens it tells me that either it's time to teach another course in oder to make it more challenging for me and my students or it's perhaps it's time fore me to take a vacation.
You are right but we always have to teach to the class because students change.
One suggestion, that was not covered in the class, is to visit another instructor's class. Instructors have different ways of refocusing. When we see another instructor obtaining success with another method, it can motivate us.
I couldn't agree with you more. In addition, we figure that since the way we taught it before will be just as good for the newest group of students when in fact, they all aren't the same. I have found that being just worn out on the subject matter and have to find ways to reviatlize myself which then in turn helps the students. That, and trying to find new ways to approach an old or tired approach to a necessary skill.
researching whats new in your field keeping up with new ideas and presenting them to students during the lectures without violating any school policies can be taxing and frustrating while still teaching the corriculum.
I agree with that, I to like teaching different courses within my department. This keeps me up to date with new developments in the courses and keeps me as motivated as I hope my students are.
