I’ve come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom.  It is my personal approach that creates the climate.  It is my daily mood that makes the weather.  As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration.  I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.  In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or deescalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.
- Haim Ginot, Professor of Psychology

Do you believe this?  If so, how do you control such power?

I think now is the time of year that we start feeling seriously overwhelmed.  The holiday feeling has worn off, and the thoughts of the long stretches between “down time” days and the ever-impending EOGS weigh heavily on our minds.  Every year seems to have more and more paperwork and documentation.  We begin to question our own methods as we struggle to get students to “buy in” to the program.  Why don’t they understand the importance of what we do everyday?  How can I get them to pleasantly pay attention and absorb this vital information?  

How can we keep ourselves motivated?  What can our educational system do to motivate teachers?  How do we continue to feel as though we make a difference?  

Tell us what motivates you as an educator.  What do you need that you are not getting?  What are you getting that makes you want to return each day? 

Okay, a friend got me to thinking and pondering…did you know that Einstein said ” the only thing that interferes with my  learning is my education.”  What do you think Einstein meant by this?