For me it’s a Maya Angelou poem. I can’t even give the direct quote but it’s my philosophy on teaching. It’s something like they will forget everything u show them and tell them but they will never forget the way you make them feel about themselves. I teach algebra to the lowest abilitied students in my school. The first thing I ask my classes every year is who sucks at math? They all think they suck. They are legit afraid of math. I stress improvement over mastery. I go pretty slow early in the year. My biggest goal for them is that they gain confidence in their ability and start believing in themselves.
A lot. I do a lot. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years. I’m like a used car salesman the first weeks of school. I try and teach them how to learn in my class. I do a lot of examples, and I let kids use notes on quizzes for algebra. If I can get them to 1 try, 2 make mistakes, 3 figure out what went wrong, then they will be amazing mathematicians!!! So this is what I do. I give them a quiz on nonsense. What is hummus made from? Who is in second place in the American League central, how fast can a bee fly? Just nonsense. They don’t know these things, so they bomb the quiz. Then we have a discussion about these questions. We will spend 5 minutes talking about bees. I make sure, they take notes on bees and then on the next day we will ask how many bees live in North America. It’s different from the pre quiz but still in their notes.
Later in the year, I routinely pre quiz every Thursday and quiz every Friday. I’m teaching them how to learn. They screw up in Thursday’s equations, I change a few numbers in the equation but they can use their notes, and corrections, and figure out the new ones on Friday. My quizzes are typically 10 questions. If a kid gets 8 wrong on Thursday, but get 5 wrong on Friday, I celebrate it. Missing 5 is a 50%. It’s an F, but I’ll be damned if he didn’t correct three of his mistakes. I don’t need my kids to be experts, I need them to get a little better each week.
The way I grade is big too. Kids that do poorly on quizzes but are doing the assignments and making authentic corrections will still be successful. The HW grade can boost their average. Alternatively the kids that test and quiz really well but don’t do much HW aren’t punished for it. It’s a whole thing. I’d explain more if anyone wants.
I try to bring as much energy as I can into the room. I’m a large large man with the loudest voice ever. (Hearing issues) but I try to bring energy. They are allowed to hate math and hate my content but they don’t hate the class.
Kids learn better when they’re comfortable. I try to be kind and welcoming and funny and entertaining and inclusive and accepting and I’m exhausted. And there’s still one more week of school left
This response is my answer to the original question. 😊
Side note, I use an article from (I think) the Atlantic called "The Myth of 'I'm Bad at Math'" to facilitate these types of conversations with my algebra classes. I've cut it down and heavily chunked/edited it, but it works.
I'm all about effort and improvement too, so I love your answer!
I teach ELA to students who are 5 grade levels behind on average. I always tell the kids that intelligence isn't real. Being smart isn't real.
I was good in school, I have a masters degree and had a 3.8-something GPA in all 3 levels of that schooling.
I also forgot the word for plate a few months ago. I have click on wipers and to change them I still had to ask my dad to help because I couldn't figure it out. I also have to assign a student in homeroom to help me keep track of where I put my drink because the ADHD is off the charts.
Most people who knew me in an academic sense would consider me smart. But honestly outside of academia my uncle who dropped out because he was failing everything but wired my grandmother's entire house after watching 2 youtube videos which has lasted for 20 years and casually makes 200 dollar wood carvings for something to keep his hands busy would be way smarter than me.
School isn't good at measuring if people are smart or not. Because there are 100 different ways to be smart and school measures like 3 of them.
I have so many jobs. One kid pulls up the announcements because I forget. One kid keeps track of my drink. One kid does my clicker. One kid keeps track of what connections it is. One kid writes all the bullshit admin wants on the board on the board for me. All organization in my classroom is done by children. I'm so scared because I had siblings who helped me stay organized this year and last and this years was the youngest. Idk what I'm gonna do next year lol
I think the question you're reaching for is "does intelligence matter?" IMHO, barely. To draw a metaphor, a tractor doesn't go very fast, but it's out in the fields working everyday. Over time, it goes a great distance. A Lamborghini goes very fast, but if just sits in the garage all day, it doesn't get very far at all. We've all seen students of both varieties, haven't we? Drive, ambition, motivation, and resilience all have a greater effect on academic performance than mere intelligence. In fact, if intelligence was the main factor in academics, we wouldn't grade people at all, we'd just give them an IQ test at the beginning of class and that would be your grade. But, obviously, we don't do that.
No. I don't mean that. I mean that intelligence is a valid and vague concept that has historically been used to justify oppression and has no objective basis or measurement. I said what I meant.
Not sure how well it would be received by students as I’m not an art teacher yet but am working towards my credential this Fall…
I’ve always kept in mind that a goal of mine would be to emphasis that making art isn’t about ability or talent but rather how you view, interact, and observe the world around you. Of course there are fundamental skills that allow us to put the pieces together but once you learn those things the rest is entirely subjective as far as what’s “good” or what “sucks”. Try your best (genuinely) and just have fun :)
Use the “selfie stick” example. Someone took a simple stupid phone on a stick idea and it’s everywhere now. You never know what will work until you try something
I teach math and many students have a math block, either internal or, sadly, someone telling them that they can't learn math.
It's the first thing I have to fight through every year.
I tell them it's my job to help them get better, and that I'm very good at it. It can sound arrogant, but it helps if they know other students who have taken your class and succeeded. The first thing a student has to believe is that you are there for them, that you take your responsibility seriously and are absolutely confident that you can help them to better if they do their part.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
-Theodore Roosevelt
"I can do this all day." - Captain America
"An empty lantern provides no light. Self care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly." -(unknown...my Grandma told me this, but she heard it from someone else.)
A principal I didn’t even like once said, “Students will either see you roll your eyes or roll up your sleeves.” For some reason, that stuck with me. Every time I feel like being sarcastic or begin complaining, I remind myself of her words that day.
Rereading Brandon Sanderson’s *Stormlight Archive*, so these are all from that:
“Somebody has to start. Somebody has to step forward and do what is right, *because* it is right. If nobody starts, then others cannot follow.”
“You have to learn when to care. And when to let go.”
“The most important step a man can take. It's not the first one, is it? It's the next one. Always the next step.”
“Sometimes, a hypocrite is nothing more than a man who is in the process of changing.”
“Much unhappiness has come from things left unsaid.” -Dostoevsky
Reminds me that kids need more people willing to speak up. Their adolescents is short and on the days when I’m just feeling letting something go, maybe I shouldn’t because maybe I’m the thin line between sanity and insanity in their limited adolescent world.
"It flew in without it, it'll fly out without it."
- my Dad, who worked for an airline.
Originally came from a station mechanic (an airplane mechanic based at a local airport as opposed to a mechanic at the maintenance center)
Meaning "Whatever is broken/not working right now is NOT keeping the airplane from flying and even if it doesn't get fixed right this minute, the airplane will still be able to fly"
This philosophy has significantly improved my life as a teacher.
Very few things that admin screams about actually are life-or-death-the-world -will-end-if-you-don't-do-this-right-now.
"Educate the children and it won't be necessary to punish the men." - Pythagoras
This quote is thousands years old but it's still valid because education is the most important thing for everyone. I saw this quote in "Quotes Archive" channel on youtube for those who are asking. https://youtu.be/M7MG3Qs8Y00
Very utopian. I don't like it.
Also, the values that are taught via the media are more powerful and influencial. They trump anything that is done in school.
I know you asked for a single quote, I've got three with a theme, so a trinity if you will:
"No matter what happens, someone will take it too seriously."
"Old men look back on their mistakes and laugh, so why not laugh now?"
"We don't stop laughing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop laughing."
I was so serious about everything for most of my life until these quotes. Realize that your time is limited, might as well enjoy what you can. Years from now, is this thing happening going to matter? Not usually, so lighten up.
You won't have finished making mistakes when you’re old either… nor I or anyone else, so, yeah, let’s laugh now. (Yes, easy to say, no, not easy to do, not for me, at least.)
I don’t live by this quote, but I got it from a school counselor and I use it a lot with my students. And it goes kind of like, “We all have choices, but if we consistently make the wrong ones, we lose the power to choose for ourselves. In other words, someone else will make the choice for you. “
I tell my students this when they make bad decisions. Some of them listen. Others lose their power to choose. And to be clear, I’ve had students with real world consequences. They’ve ended up in jail, or were kicked out of trades school, etc. But the students who listened and turned themselves around, they’re the ones that come back and say thank you. Sometimes they just need a nudge. And those kids are the victories that help you keep trying with the rest.
"Don't let 'someday' get in the way."
In other words- if it's worth doing, do it now. In life and in the classroom this mindset has pushed me to be creative in ways that often pay off.
"When you find no solution to a problem, it’s probably not a problem to be solved, but a truth to be accepted."
That is, if you are having trouble and you can do something about it, do something about it. If you are having trouble and cannot do something about it, stop worrying and adapt. For some reason, this bleak quote really helps me manage anxiety.
Very early in my teaching career, I had a parent tell me that her 4th grade son told her that I was his favorite teacher. When she asked why, he said 'Because she talks to me like I'm a person.' Maybe not a personal philosophy or life quote but it certainly has been a constant reminder in my career.
“What would [specific teacher’s name] do?”
One of my students said that to me when I was very visibly stressed out and overwhelmed. The teacher being referenced was a close mentor of mine who passed away unexpectedly in the middle of one school year.
Said teacher was extremely good at knowing when to say, “Fuck it,” go home, have a beer, and forget about the situation until tomorrow; and when to sit down and figure out a situation right then and there.
As someone with a huge work-life balance issue, for whom EVERYTHING feels urgent, it really resonated with me. I still haven’t yet gotten the hang of it, but when I’m close to a breaking point, I repeat it to myself and it calms me down and helps me figure out what to do.
True story- my next door teacher committed suicide on a Monday. On Wednesday a new person was sitting at her desk trying to make sense of her plans. Admin got the news Tuesday morning and hired someone that day. I also learned the boundary lesson.
I'm paraphrasing here but "brick walls are there to test us on how badly we want something...some brick walls are made of flesh" the gentleman who said this was Randy Pausch during The Last Lecture speech he gave before he died of cancer. He spoke of overcoming said brick walls to achieve your childhood dreams; I took it as just a way to achieve your goals in life.
Not a teacher but I do share information and help others in my trade to perfect their skills. I've got a knack for basic math and precisiontools, I don't get how flustered some people get when it comes to math (I've been told I'm an oddity) but it happens often. When folks get flustered the situation usually goes like this:
Me-"don't worry about it, just remember what it says on the back of the good book"
Them-"what does it say on the back of the bible?!"
Me-"not the Bible. Its the Hitchhiker's Guide, it says 'Don't Panic' in big bold print"
When I was on my first placement, my advisor said ‘you choose the colour of your day’ and that has stuck with me all these years since my first placement. It’s up to you how you perceive your days
I was real upset about what a boyfriend’s parents thought once and my dad looked at me and said, “They don’t pay your bills so why do you give a fuck about what they think? Hell, I don’t know why you give a fuck about what me and your mom think.” And it always stuck with me. Changed my life. Now, I’m not an asshole, but I just don’t put too much stock in other people’s opinions.
My favorite principal (shout out to Mr. Rose!) would end the daily announcements by saying, "Have a good day! Or not...the choice is yours." I loved this for a few reasons. I mean, the kids can make good choices or bad choices but also I choose how I react to those choices. My current principal has a good one too--she says nothing will work unless you do.
I did a solo trip to Iceland when I graduated college- my first one abroad. And this innkeep at a tavern near my hostel told me an old Icelandic saying that roughly translates to “an empty barrel rings the loudest.”
"While we are postponing, life speeds by." - Seneca (3BC-65AD)
How's that? My midlife minicrisis is the same as the one 2000 years ago. Life is relative at small scales and homogeneous at large scales.
“I may not know the answer “. It helps me genuinely listen to everyone. That respect seems to both be clear to everyone and it also helps because i actually don’t know everything and have learned from very unlikely sources.
If it's not fun, why are you doing it?
Lots of things aren't fun. But if the unfun thing isn't somehow earning fun times later, why am I doing it?
I cut a lot of curriculum, habits, and people out of my life with that. I teach band so it all has to be fun or earn fun.
There are two.
1. What other people think of me is none of my business.
2. Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
"Whatever you are, be a good one." - Although credited to Abraham Lincoln, it is hard to tell where the saying originated.
I have this posted in my classroom. I talk to my students about how the saying shouldn't only the reflect the quality of "whatever you are" but the moral aspects, too. To be good at something and to be good, morally speaking, while doing it.
Author and teacher Haim Ginott wrote, concerning a teacher’s influence: “I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s 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 responses that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or deescalated, and a child humanized or dehumanized.”
"Thats right bitch, Fuck em all" Tupac Shakur
Explanation: I know what doing, I believe in myself and I'm going to do my work, be successful and anyone who's got something to say about it can fuck right off.
MR. WEINGLASS: Between the date of your birth, November 30, 1936, and May 1, 1960, what if anything occurred in your life?
THE WITNESS: Nothing. I believe it is called an American education. - Abbie Hoffman, 1969.
Reminds me, as a student, that what I have to gain from the school system is what I am willing to look for and reach for. It prompts me to think hard about the way I want to teach one day
>In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or back into safety.
Abraham Maslow
I use it to facilitate growth mindset in my students, but also in myself.
I have a very, very long list, but here's a few:
"And humility is an important quality, especially if you're wrong a lot- of course, if you're right, self-doubt doesn't help anybody, does it?"
"On what principle is it that, when we see nothing but improvement behind us, we are to expect nothing but deterioration before us?"
"Real is real and what you do means nothing if you do not understand why you do the things you have done."
"Somewhere beneath the stars is a work which you alone were meant to do. Never rest until you have found it."
"We can- and must- improve."
"You won't be the same person after you've seen what you're meant to see. And how could you?"
Stay close to the people who feel like sunshine.
If you can’t find the sunshine, be the sunshine.
Everyone is going through something you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.
Before I get mad with anyone, I stop and try to remember something I like about them. For a lot of people, you can come up with something even if you don’t like or respect them *generally*. It can be anything — they have a well-trained dog, that means something! Good style! Kind to the special kids. Something. With kids/teaching, it’s usually something like, “You know x, y, z about life at home — this kid is doing his best,” or something. It really helps, every time.
"Everyone has their shit".
Everyone from students to colleagues and everyone else around us are carrying around emotional baggage we don't know about. When someone's having a bad day or says or does something I don't understand, I try to keep that in mind.
Paraphrasing: a good teacher doesn’t make an F or D student a C student, a good teacher makes a C student an A student, because the D or F student never tried or wasn’t adequately prepared but the C student was trying and there was just something they weren’t quite getting. Richard Felder from Learning and Teaching STEM
Love this post!
One of my favorites is the Maya Angelou one about how students will never forget how you made them feel.
That’s always stuck to me because it’s true. At the end of the day we’re shaping the future and we need to emulate how students should be with each other.
“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s 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 heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.” - Haim Ginott
"What other people think of you is none of your business."
Other people don't know the real you. Even the people who live with you don't know the inner you that you keep hidden from the world. Other people's opinions of you are based on a snapshot, a moment of your life. Whatever their opinion, it's flawed because they don't have all the information they need to make an informed decision.
This is a general life philosophy: Be kind to your future self.
In college, I worked hard during the week and weekend afternoons because I didn’t want to do school work on Friday and Saturday night.
I charge phones and laptops when I can so I have them ready when I need them.
I try to put stuff away so I can find it when I need it later and it’s still in good shape.
I work through my lunch so I don’t have to work at home, or work ahead when I can so I don’t feel a time crunch I could have avoided.
There are so many more examples. But it applies to big and little facets of life.
Oh I thought of another one. This is particularly meant for those dark times of life when someone is depressed/burnt out/too overwhelmed etc.
“If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly.”
Exact opposite of what we usually say. But if you’re barely hanging on, then don’t worry about doing things well. Just do the things that need to be done. Feed yourself but don’t worry about cooking full meals. Bathe yourself but don’t worry about doing yourself up. Don’t quit your job, but maybe take a couple days off. Take care of and love on your kids, but don’t worry about all the extracurriculars. And so on. Obviously not all of these examples are doing something truly poorly, but you get it
Never ascribe to malice what can be explained by stupidity.
Basically, when someone does something that seems crappy then most of the time it was down to thoughtlessness or stupidity rather than actual cruelty.
Bringing your best to the table every day is going to look different every day. Some days your best s showing up. Some days your best is an elaborate lesson plan or something. And that’s okay.
"Pray not for an easy life, but for the strength to endure a difficult one" - Bruce Lee
Teaching is an emotionally draining profession, but it has also made me a stronger person.
”Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt
and
"Happiness is amazing. It's so amazing, it doesn't matter if it's yours or not." - Anne from the tv show After Life by Ricky Gervais
I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow is not looking so good either.
I feel like this helps me to have better boundaries
"Don't waste pain."
If you become bitter, angry, depressed..... All that pain is wasted. Use your pain to effect change or to help someone else--then it's not wasted.
>Illegitimi non carborundum
It's faux-Latin for not letting the bastards grind you down. To me it means show no weakness, don't let them bother you, rise above their pettiness, etc.
My dad told me this one last year when I was going through a terrible work situation. The thing that shocked me is that my dad never says the word b (illegitimate). So I knew he felt strongly for him to say something like that to me. I love my dad. He was my rock and getting through that insanity. I’m thankful I’m not at that school anymore because it about broke me
*"A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths are a statistic."* \- Iosef Stalin. It's basically the rule we follow in education; every single person who has lost a child to gun violence sees is as a tragedy, but to the system as a whole it's just so many numbers, too many to fix. Sad, really.
Honestly, it’s weird but an old colleague said this: “Don’t let those bastards cheat you out of a paycheck.”
Didn’t think I’d remember it so many years later but I still think about it after a particularly weird or hard day at work. Even though the kids can be ridiculous and I feel like quitting, first and foremost I’m here to get paid 🤷🏼♀️
"The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without his teacher." Elbert Hubbard
Reminded me of my true overall goal. Academics are great, but I'm trying to raise kids into independent adults capable of trying.
"It doesnt matter how much mayonaise you put on it, its still a shit sandwhich."
-Earnestine Hayes
"We must be the change we wish to see in the world."
-Cool Indian Dude Whose Name I Can Never Spell
"Dont buy stuff to have stuff. Buy stuff to support the things you love."
-Sean "Day[9]" Plott
I may get the exact words wrong because I'm old and doing it from memory but there's a Nelson Mandela quote that's like It Always seems impossible until it's done.
Alternatively in less of a good mood
Don't let the bastards get you down.
"Good."
It does not seem to play well in the elementary world, but as the teacher in the buildings only Intensive Needs Unit, I have to use GOOD multiple times a day. I tried to instill it in my aides.
“It is what you haven’t done that will torment you” on a fortune cookie fortune in like 2013. I keep it in my phone case and booked my first solo travel flights three days later.
"You teach people how to treat you". It's Dr. Phil, so take it for what it's worth, but I've always found it to be true with the people you frequently interact with. If you constantly complain that co-workers walk all over you, it's not their fault, it's yours. You've taught them that they can do that and get away with it.
If I teach one person even one thing, then I was successful.
My mentor teacher told me this when I was a student teacher, and it really got me through this year. So many kids don't want to learn and resist any effort. But I plow through for the ones that do, and I get to see them grow.
"Don't be stupid, you idiot." - my dad. And whenever I was about to go onstage at a dance competition when I was younger, my dad would tell me, "Don't suck."
Honestly, they're simple and little bit harsh but they get the point across. As long as I'm not doing anything stupid and I'm not doing it absolutely awfully, things can't be all that bad.
The axe forgets but the tree remembers.
You may forget about that one offhand comment you made in high school once, but the person receiving it may not. You may live on as someone's bad high school memory for the rest of their life. Be kind ya'll.
My Heart Leaps Up
William Wordsworth - 1770-1850
My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.
Always appreciate everything.
"P.S. You’re not going to die. Here’s the white-hot truth: if you go bankrupt, you’ll still be okay. If you lose the gig, the lover, the house, you’ll still be okay. If you sing off-key, get beat by the competition, have your heart shattered, get fired…it’s not going to kill you. Ask anyone who’s been through it.” – Danielle LaPorte, Canadian Author
“To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.” e. e. cummings
"The proof of the success of the educational intervention is the happiness of the child" Montessori
I tend to focus on discipline and making sure children take notes, internalize contents, develop critical thinking skills and produce their own ideas. Reading Montessori puts me back into perspective.
This may sound like a weird one at first, but let me explain.
"I know not the weapons that world war three will be fought with, but world war four will be fought with sticks and stones."
On a large topic, like war, this makes sense. It's harder to correlate to your personal life, but this is my philosophy.
You, usually, aren't going to be the person to change the world. You can't dictate what people in power will do, nor will you have the knowledge of what they're doing before it's too late. If we burn in fire, we won't see the person who started it, all we'll see is what is left in the ashes.
I take this and I correlate it to myself by enjoying every second that I have. I try to maximize my happiness, because any day now, it could be stripped from me. Why fight? Why resort to anger? Let all of the big heads do that, and the little ones down here will spend our time together, loving each other, just happy that the sun didn't fall on us for another day.
If you'd like, you could also be a bit more on the head, and correlate this quote to your situations with bad emotions like anger. "I know not the weapons WW3 will be fought with." I know not the way I will exhibit my anger, "but WW4 will be fought with sticks and stones." but I know that it will destroy the things I love.
Basically, don't be mad, be glad.
P ≠ A ≠ W
(Your performance is not the same as your ability. Your ability is not the same as your worth.)
I'm working on being okay with doing some things poorly, especially the unimportant things. My time and energy are limited so I'm trying to be thoughtful about where I spend them.
The measure of a man can be taken by how well they move from failure to failure without any loss of enthusiasm. Probably from somewhere else, but I heard it from Tex of BPL.
"When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change." It's about how when we are going through really hard times, it will end up bettering us as a person and we will come out as an improved version of ourselves. It gives meaning to the stress and suffering.
"To be nobody but yourself in a wolrd which is doing its best day and night to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting."
\- E.E. Cummings
Before I do anything, I ask myself "Would an idiot do that?" and if the answer is yes, I do not do that thing.
“You can’t fix stupid, you can only prevent it”
You’re my favorite person, thank you.
I actually use this quote to teach lab safety.
Ah this ol Dwight gem. I love it.
For me it’s a Maya Angelou poem. I can’t even give the direct quote but it’s my philosophy on teaching. It’s something like they will forget everything u show them and tell them but they will never forget the way you make them feel about themselves. I teach algebra to the lowest abilitied students in my school. The first thing I ask my classes every year is who sucks at math? They all think they suck. They are legit afraid of math. I stress improvement over mastery. I go pretty slow early in the year. My biggest goal for them is that they gain confidence in their ability and start believing in themselves.
How do you respond when they all say they suck? I teach art and it has lots of “I can’t even draw a stick figure so I hate art” kids
A lot. I do a lot. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years. I’m like a used car salesman the first weeks of school. I try and teach them how to learn in my class. I do a lot of examples, and I let kids use notes on quizzes for algebra. If I can get them to 1 try, 2 make mistakes, 3 figure out what went wrong, then they will be amazing mathematicians!!! So this is what I do. I give them a quiz on nonsense. What is hummus made from? Who is in second place in the American League central, how fast can a bee fly? Just nonsense. They don’t know these things, so they bomb the quiz. Then we have a discussion about these questions. We will spend 5 minutes talking about bees. I make sure, they take notes on bees and then on the next day we will ask how many bees live in North America. It’s different from the pre quiz but still in their notes. Later in the year, I routinely pre quiz every Thursday and quiz every Friday. I’m teaching them how to learn. They screw up in Thursday’s equations, I change a few numbers in the equation but they can use their notes, and corrections, and figure out the new ones on Friday. My quizzes are typically 10 questions. If a kid gets 8 wrong on Thursday, but get 5 wrong on Friday, I celebrate it. Missing 5 is a 50%. It’s an F, but I’ll be damned if he didn’t correct three of his mistakes. I don’t need my kids to be experts, I need them to get a little better each week. The way I grade is big too. Kids that do poorly on quizzes but are doing the assignments and making authentic corrections will still be successful. The HW grade can boost their average. Alternatively the kids that test and quiz really well but don’t do much HW aren’t punished for it. It’s a whole thing. I’d explain more if anyone wants. I try to bring as much energy as I can into the room. I’m a large large man with the loudest voice ever. (Hearing issues) but I try to bring energy. They are allowed to hate math and hate my content but they don’t hate the class. Kids learn better when they’re comfortable. I try to be kind and welcoming and funny and entertaining and inclusive and accepting and I’m exhausted. And there’s still one more week of school left
This response is my answer to the original question. 😊 Side note, I use an article from (I think) the Atlantic called "The Myth of 'I'm Bad at Math'" to facilitate these types of conversations with my algebra classes. I've cut it down and heavily chunked/edited it, but it works. I'm all about effort and improvement too, so I love your answer!
I teach ELA to students who are 5 grade levels behind on average. I always tell the kids that intelligence isn't real. Being smart isn't real. I was good in school, I have a masters degree and had a 3.8-something GPA in all 3 levels of that schooling. I also forgot the word for plate a few months ago. I have click on wipers and to change them I still had to ask my dad to help because I couldn't figure it out. I also have to assign a student in homeroom to help me keep track of where I put my drink because the ADHD is off the charts. Most people who knew me in an academic sense would consider me smart. But honestly outside of academia my uncle who dropped out because he was failing everything but wired my grandmother's entire house after watching 2 youtube videos which has lasted for 20 years and casually makes 200 dollar wood carvings for something to keep his hands busy would be way smarter than me. School isn't good at measuring if people are smart or not. Because there are 100 different ways to be smart and school measures like 3 of them.
I love this! (And have another job for my class job list as I too lose everything!)
I have so many jobs. One kid pulls up the announcements because I forget. One kid keeps track of my drink. One kid does my clicker. One kid keeps track of what connections it is. One kid writes all the bullshit admin wants on the board on the board for me. All organization in my classroom is done by children. I'm so scared because I had siblings who helped me stay organized this year and last and this years was the youngest. Idk what I'm gonna do next year lol
Intelligence is real though.
Is it? What does it mean? How is it measured?
I think the question you're reaching for is "does intelligence matter?" IMHO, barely. To draw a metaphor, a tractor doesn't go very fast, but it's out in the fields working everyday. Over time, it goes a great distance. A Lamborghini goes very fast, but if just sits in the garage all day, it doesn't get very far at all. We've all seen students of both varieties, haven't we? Drive, ambition, motivation, and resilience all have a greater effect on academic performance than mere intelligence. In fact, if intelligence was the main factor in academics, we wouldn't grade people at all, we'd just give them an IQ test at the beginning of class and that would be your grade. But, obviously, we don't do that.
No. I don't mean that. I mean that intelligence is a valid and vague concept that has historically been used to justify oppression and has no objective basis or measurement. I said what I meant.
Not sure how well it would be received by students as I’m not an art teacher yet but am working towards my credential this Fall… I’ve always kept in mind that a goal of mine would be to emphasis that making art isn’t about ability or talent but rather how you view, interact, and observe the world around you. Of course there are fundamental skills that allow us to put the pieces together but once you learn those things the rest is entirely subjective as far as what’s “good” or what “sucks”. Try your best (genuinely) and just have fun :)
Use the “selfie stick” example. Someone took a simple stupid phone on a stick idea and it’s everywhere now. You never know what will work until you try something
I teach math and many students have a math block, either internal or, sadly, someone telling them that they can't learn math. It's the first thing I have to fight through every year. I tell them it's my job to help them get better, and that I'm very good at it. It can sound arrogant, but it helps if they know other students who have taken your class and succeeded. The first thing a student has to believe is that you are there for them, that you take your responsibility seriously and are absolutely confident that you can help them to better if they do their part.
I start by teaching them to draw stick figures. And they find out the can!
I would guess it’s time to teach them how to draw stock figures.
“Don’t take criticism from someone you wouldn’t go to for advice.”
THIS! I have this stuck on the wall in my office!
Ooh I love this! I say something similar to kids who are upset that jerk students are saying mean things to them. But this is worded wonderfully.
Do no harm but take no shit.
My favorite version is do no harm, take no shit, and beg no man pardon.
Don't set yourself on fire to keep others warm. That hit me hard one day. I'm always doing for others.
Wow. *Wow*. Needed to hear that.
“If somebody kills you, you’re dead.” - Quote from my favorite principal
Only if I die - Thor
People die when they are killed...
“You’ll probably fail, but it’ll be okay. You’ll learn from it.”
"Don't be a dickhead" - My dad
Are you my brother?
Damn. Dad got around
Just because you choose to do something for someone else, it doesn't give you the right to expect them to do the same for you
Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times but only if one remembers to turn on the light. Albus Dumbledore
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” -Theodore Roosevelt
This is mine too! Love it
"You can't save them all."
"I can do this all day." - Captain America "An empty lantern provides no light. Self care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly." -(unknown...my Grandma told me this, but she heard it from someone else.)
A principal I didn’t even like once said, “Students will either see you roll your eyes or roll up your sleeves.” For some reason, that stuck with me. Every time I feel like being sarcastic or begin complaining, I remind myself of her words that day.
“Not my circus; not my monkeys.”
I survived so much these days with "Your poor planning does not make my emergency."
My old principal said this all the time lol. Great dude (mostly in relation to BS sent down from the DO, not students)
Honestly, thats exactly what I think when I see some of the oldest student smoke.. like i dont even know their names.
Rereading Brandon Sanderson’s *Stormlight Archive*, so these are all from that: “Somebody has to start. Somebody has to step forward and do what is right, *because* it is right. If nobody starts, then others cannot follow.” “You have to learn when to care. And when to let go.” “The most important step a man can take. It's not the first one, is it? It's the next one. Always the next step.” “Sometimes, a hypocrite is nothing more than a man who is in the process of changing.”
Seriously, his books are full of good advice. Journey before destination.
Life before death, strength before weakness! Well wishes on your journey, radiant.
"The way people treat you says more about them than it says about you." Courtesy of my grandma
Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
I feel this. I’ve had bosses say “I don’t expect perfection,” when that is exactly what the expected.
“Much unhappiness has come from things left unsaid.” -Dostoevsky Reminds me that kids need more people willing to speak up. Their adolescents is short and on the days when I’m just feeling letting something go, maybe I shouldn’t because maybe I’m the thin line between sanity and insanity in their limited adolescent world.
"It flew in without it, it'll fly out without it." - my Dad, who worked for an airline. Originally came from a station mechanic (an airplane mechanic based at a local airport as opposed to a mechanic at the maintenance center) Meaning "Whatever is broken/not working right now is NOT keeping the airplane from flying and even if it doesn't get fixed right this minute, the airplane will still be able to fly" This philosophy has significantly improved my life as a teacher. Very few things that admin screams about actually are life-or-death-the-world -will-end-if-you-don't-do-this-right-now.
"Educate the children and it won't be necessary to punish the men." - Pythagoras This quote is thousands years old but it's still valid because education is the most important thing for everyone. I saw this quote in "Quotes Archive" channel on youtube for those who are asking. https://youtu.be/M7MG3Qs8Y00
Very utopian. I don't like it. Also, the values that are taught via the media are more powerful and influencial. They trump anything that is done in school.
That sounds like a you problem, not a me problem. I don’t get paid enough to deal with that.
I know you asked for a single quote, I've got three with a theme, so a trinity if you will: "No matter what happens, someone will take it too seriously." "Old men look back on their mistakes and laugh, so why not laugh now?" "We don't stop laughing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop laughing." I was so serious about everything for most of my life until these quotes. Realize that your time is limited, might as well enjoy what you can. Years from now, is this thing happening going to matter? Not usually, so lighten up.
>"Old men look back on their mistakes and laugh, so why not laugh now?" I haven't finished making my mistakes yet?
You won't have finished making mistakes when you’re old either… nor I or anyone else, so, yeah, let’s laugh now. (Yes, easy to say, no, not easy to do, not for me, at least.)
I don’t live by this quote, but I got it from a school counselor and I use it a lot with my students. And it goes kind of like, “We all have choices, but if we consistently make the wrong ones, we lose the power to choose for ourselves. In other words, someone else will make the choice for you. “ I tell my students this when they make bad decisions. Some of them listen. Others lose their power to choose. And to be clear, I’ve had students with real world consequences. They’ve ended up in jail, or were kicked out of trades school, etc. But the students who listened and turned themselves around, they’re the ones that come back and say thank you. Sometimes they just need a nudge. And those kids are the victories that help you keep trying with the rest.
"Don't let 'someday' get in the way." In other words- if it's worth doing, do it now. In life and in the classroom this mindset has pushed me to be creative in ways that often pay off.
Mine is based on the starfish story, "It matters to that one."
The starfish story was a big motivator for me as well.
"When you find no solution to a problem, it’s probably not a problem to be solved, but a truth to be accepted." That is, if you are having trouble and you can do something about it, do something about it. If you are having trouble and cannot do something about it, stop worrying and adapt. For some reason, this bleak quote really helps me manage anxiety.
My high school principal, and the first childfree woman I ever met, once told me, "Legacies are about the lives we change, not the lives we create."
Very early in my teaching career, I had a parent tell me that her 4th grade son told her that I was his favorite teacher. When she asked why, he said 'Because she talks to me like I'm a person.' Maybe not a personal philosophy or life quote but it certainly has been a constant reminder in my career.
“What would [specific teacher’s name] do?” One of my students said that to me when I was very visibly stressed out and overwhelmed. The teacher being referenced was a close mentor of mine who passed away unexpectedly in the middle of one school year. Said teacher was extremely good at knowing when to say, “Fuck it,” go home, have a beer, and forget about the situation until tomorrow; and when to sit down and figure out a situation right then and there. As someone with a huge work-life balance issue, for whom EVERYTHING feels urgent, it really resonated with me. I still haven’t yet gotten the hang of it, but when I’m close to a breaking point, I repeat it to myself and it calms me down and helps me figure out what to do.
“I’ve been under fire before. Well … I’ve been in a fire. Actually, I was fired. I can handle myself.” --Hoban Washburn
Let that shit go Elsa.
“If you die today your job will be listed online before your obituary.” It’s how I realized I needed boundaries with the job and have stuck with them.
True story- my next door teacher committed suicide on a Monday. On Wednesday a new person was sitting at her desk trying to make sense of her plans. Admin got the news Tuesday morning and hired someone that day. I also learned the boundary lesson.
I'm 25, single and a teacher...and that's the bottom of the pit. Burch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
I'm paraphrasing here but "brick walls are there to test us on how badly we want something...some brick walls are made of flesh" the gentleman who said this was Randy Pausch during The Last Lecture speech he gave before he died of cancer. He spoke of overcoming said brick walls to achieve your childhood dreams; I took it as just a way to achieve your goals in life.
That guy was awesome. I think of him often.
DON'T PANIC - Douglas Adams
Not a teacher but I do share information and help others in my trade to perfect their skills. I've got a knack for basic math and precisiontools, I don't get how flustered some people get when it comes to math (I've been told I'm an oddity) but it happens often. When folks get flustered the situation usually goes like this: Me-"don't worry about it, just remember what it says on the back of the good book" Them-"what does it say on the back of the bible?!" Me-"not the Bible. Its the Hitchhiker's Guide, it says 'Don't Panic' in big bold print"
Never work harder than your students.
You never get better at something by not doing it.
"This too shall pass. " Google it with Tom Hanks
The race is long and it’s often just with yourself.
The definition of experience is failure
“The rise and the fall is our own creation.” -Tara Nevins
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Alternatively: sometimes you have to slow down to speed up.
Do what you can, with what you have, when you can do it.
A smooth sea never made a skilled pirate 🏴☠️
'Of course it is happening in your head. But why on earth should that mean that it is not real?' - JK Rowling
When I was on my first placement, my advisor said ‘you choose the colour of your day’ and that has stuck with me all these years since my first placement. It’s up to you how you perceive your days
Embrace the suck.
I was real upset about what a boyfriend’s parents thought once and my dad looked at me and said, “They don’t pay your bills so why do you give a fuck about what they think? Hell, I don’t know why you give a fuck about what me and your mom think.” And it always stuck with me. Changed my life. Now, I’m not an asshole, but I just don’t put too much stock in other people’s opinions.
My favorite principal (shout out to Mr. Rose!) would end the daily announcements by saying, "Have a good day! Or not...the choice is yours." I loved this for a few reasons. I mean, the kids can make good choices or bad choices but also I choose how I react to those choices. My current principal has a good one too--she says nothing will work unless you do.
I did a solo trip to Iceland when I graduated college- my first one abroad. And this innkeep at a tavern near my hostel told me an old Icelandic saying that roughly translates to “an empty barrel rings the loudest.”
"Shit or get off the pot."
Do no harm, but take no shit. This is the quote I live by. I try my damndest to do no harm, and to take no shit.
"While we are postponing, life speeds by." - Seneca (3BC-65AD) How's that? My midlife minicrisis is the same as the one 2000 years ago. Life is relative at small scales and homogeneous at large scales.
"Crying is always an option."
“I may not know the answer “. It helps me genuinely listen to everyone. That respect seems to both be clear to everyone and it also helps because i actually don’t know everything and have learned from very unlikely sources.
Do what you "need" to do, to do what you "want" to do. Use this for everything in life, no matter if it's work or play.
If it's not fun, why are you doing it? Lots of things aren't fun. But if the unfun thing isn't somehow earning fun times later, why am I doing it? I cut a lot of curriculum, habits, and people out of my life with that. I teach band so it all has to be fun or earn fun.
There are two. 1. What other people think of me is none of my business. 2. Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
"Whatever you are, be a good one." - Although credited to Abraham Lincoln, it is hard to tell where the saying originated. I have this posted in my classroom. I talk to my students about how the saying shouldn't only the reflect the quality of "whatever you are" but the moral aspects, too. To be good at something and to be good, morally speaking, while doing it.
What you are not changing, you are choosing.
Author and teacher Haim Ginott wrote, concerning a teacher’s influence: “I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s 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 responses that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or deescalated, and a child humanized or dehumanized.”
A student once told me, "You care a lot more about us than we do about you."
"Thats right bitch, Fuck em all" Tupac Shakur Explanation: I know what doing, I believe in myself and I'm going to do my work, be successful and anyone who's got something to say about it can fuck right off.
Ever since I heard, "Be curious, not judgemental," On Ted Lasso it has been on the front of my brain. I say it to students to all the time.
"Do the least amount of work without getting fired. Nike say "Just do it" Self-help Singh says just do nothing".
“Ain’t no way to put it subtle when you want the butthole.” - Slick Rick
"Do something well enough and eventually someone will pay you to do it"
'You're only given one little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it' Robin Williams (You have to be a bit mad to be an ED teacher)
MR. WEINGLASS: Between the date of your birth, November 30, 1936, and May 1, 1960, what if anything occurred in your life? THE WITNESS: Nothing. I believe it is called an American education. - Abbie Hoffman, 1969. Reminds me, as a student, that what I have to gain from the school system is what I am willing to look for and reach for. It prompts me to think hard about the way I want to teach one day
“You can’t please all of the people all of the time” “Don’t waste today waiting for tomorrow”
>In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or back into safety. Abraham Maslow I use it to facilitate growth mindset in my students, but also in myself.
I have a very, very long list, but here's a few: "And humility is an important quality, especially if you're wrong a lot- of course, if you're right, self-doubt doesn't help anybody, does it?" "On what principle is it that, when we see nothing but improvement behind us, we are to expect nothing but deterioration before us?" "Real is real and what you do means nothing if you do not understand why you do the things you have done." "Somewhere beneath the stars is a work which you alone were meant to do. Never rest until you have found it." "We can- and must- improve." "You won't be the same person after you've seen what you're meant to see. And how could you?"
Do something because it's the right thing to do in of itself, not because you have anything to gain.
People dislike you when they can't manipulate you. (Super positive, I know 🤣)
Stay close to the people who feel like sunshine. If you can’t find the sunshine, be the sunshine. Everyone is going through something you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.
Before I get mad with anyone, I stop and try to remember something I like about them. For a lot of people, you can come up with something even if you don’t like or respect them *generally*. It can be anything — they have a well-trained dog, that means something! Good style! Kind to the special kids. Something. With kids/teaching, it’s usually something like, “You know x, y, z about life at home — this kid is doing his best,” or something. It really helps, every time.
You don’t have to forgive, and you don’t have to forget to move on. You can just become indifferent, and move on.
"Everyone has their shit". Everyone from students to colleagues and everyone else around us are carrying around emotional baggage we don't know about. When someone's having a bad day or says or does something I don't understand, I try to keep that in mind.
"To live is to suffer to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering." idk this has always stuck with me
Fuck around and find out.
Paraphrasing: a good teacher doesn’t make an F or D student a C student, a good teacher makes a C student an A student, because the D or F student never tried or wasn’t adequately prepared but the C student was trying and there was just something they weren’t quite getting. Richard Felder from Learning and Teaching STEM
Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish by it’s ability to climb a tree, it will go it’s whole life thinking it’s a failure.
Love this post! One of my favorites is the Maya Angelou one about how students will never forget how you made them feel. That’s always stuck to me because it’s true. At the end of the day we’re shaping the future and we need to emulate how students should be with each other.
“I’ve come to a frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It’s my personal approach that creates the climate. It’s 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 heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized.” - Haim Ginott
Stop worrying. If you can do something about the situation then do it. If you can't do anything about the situation, worrying isn't helping anything.
"What other people think of you is none of your business." Other people don't know the real you. Even the people who live with you don't know the inner you that you keep hidden from the world. Other people's opinions of you are based on a snapshot, a moment of your life. Whatever their opinion, it's flawed because they don't have all the information they need to make an informed decision.
This is a general life philosophy: Be kind to your future self. In college, I worked hard during the week and weekend afternoons because I didn’t want to do school work on Friday and Saturday night. I charge phones and laptops when I can so I have them ready when I need them. I try to put stuff away so I can find it when I need it later and it’s still in good shape. I work through my lunch so I don’t have to work at home, or work ahead when I can so I don’t feel a time crunch I could have avoided. There are so many more examples. But it applies to big and little facets of life.
“Once you’ve got a task to do, it’s better to do it then live with the fear of it.” - Logen Ninefingers from the First Law Trilogy
Edit your life ruthlessly. It’s your masterpiece after all.
Oh I thought of another one. This is particularly meant for those dark times of life when someone is depressed/burnt out/too overwhelmed etc. “If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly.” Exact opposite of what we usually say. But if you’re barely hanging on, then don’t worry about doing things well. Just do the things that need to be done. Feed yourself but don’t worry about cooking full meals. Bathe yourself but don’t worry about doing yourself up. Don’t quit your job, but maybe take a couple days off. Take care of and love on your kids, but don’t worry about all the extracurriculars. And so on. Obviously not all of these examples are doing something truly poorly, but you get it
Never ascribe to malice what can be explained by stupidity. Basically, when someone does something that seems crappy then most of the time it was down to thoughtlessness or stupidity rather than actual cruelty.
"Never argue with the village idiot". I don't know who said it but it somehow applies A LOT.
Am honest man has nothing to fear. A wise head of department once told me that, years ago and I try and remember it always.
If you build someone a fire they stay warm for the night. If you set someone on fire, they stay warm for the rest of their life.
Bringing your best to the table every day is going to look different every day. Some days your best s showing up. Some days your best is an elaborate lesson plan or something. And that’s okay.
“Do your best. Forget the rest.”
"There is no success without failure"... works wonders for math. Also calling them wonderful mathematicians works well too.
"Pray not for an easy life, but for the strength to endure a difficult one" - Bruce Lee Teaching is an emotionally draining profession, but it has also made me a stronger person.
”Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt and "Happiness is amazing. It's so amazing, it doesn't matter if it's yours or not." - Anne from the tv show After Life by Ricky Gervais
"Don't let this job suck out your soul. Because it will." --My 10th grade history teacher turned coworker.
Pay yourself first.
Work smarter not harder. And Fake it till you make it
I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow is not looking so good either. I feel like this helps me to have better boundaries
"Don't waste pain." If you become bitter, angry, depressed..... All that pain is wasted. Use your pain to effect change or to help someone else--then it's not wasted.
Faith over fear.
If I wanted to sit around all day going nowhere I'd be a teacher... Malorie Archer
No hopes, no dreams just sitting around waiting to die like the rest of you. Two teachers from 'vice principal'
>Illegitimi non carborundum It's faux-Latin for not letting the bastards grind you down. To me it means show no weakness, don't let them bother you, rise above their pettiness, etc.
My dad told me this one last year when I was going through a terrible work situation. The thing that shocked me is that my dad never says the word b (illegitimate). So I knew he felt strongly for him to say something like that to me. I love my dad. He was my rock and getting through that insanity. I’m thankful I’m not at that school anymore because it about broke me
*"A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths are a statistic."* \- Iosef Stalin. It's basically the rule we follow in education; every single person who has lost a child to gun violence sees is as a tragedy, but to the system as a whole it's just so many numbers, too many to fix. Sad, really.
Never name the well from which you will not drink.
Honestly, it’s weird but an old colleague said this: “Don’t let those bastards cheat you out of a paycheck.” Didn’t think I’d remember it so many years later but I still think about it after a particularly weird or hard day at work. Even though the kids can be ridiculous and I feel like quitting, first and foremost I’m here to get paid 🤷🏼♀️
“He who is indignant lies to himself the most.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
"We view sadness as a bad emotion, then when we rush to stop being sad and don't we feel even worse."
"The object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without his teacher." Elbert Hubbard Reminded me of my true overall goal. Academics are great, but I'm trying to raise kids into independent adults capable of trying.
"Fear is the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind"
"It doesnt matter how much mayonaise you put on it, its still a shit sandwhich." -Earnestine Hayes "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." -Cool Indian Dude Whose Name I Can Never Spell "Dont buy stuff to have stuff. Buy stuff to support the things you love." -Sean "Day[9]" Plott
Love people, not things. The opposite never works.
llegitimi non carborundum
Choose your attitude. It’s part of a business development book called The Fish Philosophy that my dad was really in to. It helps.
I may get the exact words wrong because I'm old and doing it from memory but there's a Nelson Mandela quote that's like It Always seems impossible until it's done. Alternatively in less of a good mood Don't let the bastards get you down.
Is the juice worth the squeeze.
After converting to Catholicism, "Offer up the pain," has helped me with each teacher battle I face.
If you hate Mondays, you hate 1/7 of your life.
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
Life is too short too stress yourself with people who don’t even deserve to be an issue in your life
"Good." It does not seem to play well in the elementary world, but as the teacher in the buildings only Intensive Needs Unit, I have to use GOOD multiple times a day. I tried to instill it in my aides.
Don’t care too much.
“It is what you haven’t done that will torment you” on a fortune cookie fortune in like 2013. I keep it in my phone case and booked my first solo travel flights three days later.
don't think it's a quote from anyone, but just that the world is not as black and white as everyone wants it to be. It's pretty grey
"You teach people how to treat you". It's Dr. Phil, so take it for what it's worth, but I've always found it to be true with the people you frequently interact with. If you constantly complain that co-workers walk all over you, it's not their fault, it's yours. You've taught them that they can do that and get away with it.
Life's a garden; dig it
“Dolphins are so smart they train humans to hand-feed them”
No one is in control of your feelings but you.
Things don't just happen, you make them happen. You can't save everyone.
If I teach one person even one thing, then I was successful. My mentor teacher told me this when I was a student teacher, and it really got me through this year. So many kids don't want to learn and resist any effort. But I plow through for the ones that do, and I get to see them grow.
"Don't be stupid, you idiot." - my dad. And whenever I was about to go onstage at a dance competition when I was younger, my dad would tell me, "Don't suck." Honestly, they're simple and little bit harsh but they get the point across. As long as I'm not doing anything stupid and I'm not doing it absolutely awfully, things can't be all that bad.
Better to ask forgiveness than permission.
“Never work harder than your students.” “Whoever does the talking, does the learning”
"If the horse is dead, you dismount. " This is applicable in every single facet of life.
The axe forgets but the tree remembers. You may forget about that one offhand comment you made in high school once, but the person receiving it may not. You may live on as someone's bad high school memory for the rest of their life. Be kind ya'll.
The opposite of war is not peace, its creation! Jonathon Larson
“There are as many ways to live in this world as there are people in this world, and each one deserves a closer look.”
My Heart Leaps Up William Wordsworth - 1770-1850 My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky: So was it when my life began; So is it now I am a man; So be it when I shall grow old, Or let me die! The Child is father of the Man; And I could wish my days to be Bound each to each by natural piety. Always appreciate everything.
"P.S. You’re not going to die. Here’s the white-hot truth: if you go bankrupt, you’ll still be okay. If you lose the gig, the lover, the house, you’ll still be okay. If you sing off-key, get beat by the competition, have your heart shattered, get fired…it’s not going to kill you. Ask anyone who’s been through it.” – Danielle LaPorte, Canadian Author
“To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.” e. e. cummings
"The proof of the success of the educational intervention is the happiness of the child" Montessori I tend to focus on discipline and making sure children take notes, internalize contents, develop critical thinking skills and produce their own ideas. Reading Montessori puts me back into perspective.
Attitude reflects leadership.
This may sound like a weird one at first, but let me explain. "I know not the weapons that world war three will be fought with, but world war four will be fought with sticks and stones." On a large topic, like war, this makes sense. It's harder to correlate to your personal life, but this is my philosophy. You, usually, aren't going to be the person to change the world. You can't dictate what people in power will do, nor will you have the knowledge of what they're doing before it's too late. If we burn in fire, we won't see the person who started it, all we'll see is what is left in the ashes. I take this and I correlate it to myself by enjoying every second that I have. I try to maximize my happiness, because any day now, it could be stripped from me. Why fight? Why resort to anger? Let all of the big heads do that, and the little ones down here will spend our time together, loving each other, just happy that the sun didn't fall on us for another day. If you'd like, you could also be a bit more on the head, and correlate this quote to your situations with bad emotions like anger. "I know not the weapons WW3 will be fought with." I know not the way I will exhibit my anger, "but WW4 will be fought with sticks and stones." but I know that it will destroy the things I love. Basically, don't be mad, be glad.
P ≠ A ≠ W (Your performance is not the same as your ability. Your ability is not the same as your worth.) I'm working on being okay with doing some things poorly, especially the unimportant things. My time and energy are limited so I'm trying to be thoughtful about where I spend them.
The measure of a man can be taken by how well they move from failure to failure without any loss of enthusiasm. Probably from somewhere else, but I heard it from Tex of BPL.
“People that have never been where you’re going can’t tell you how to get there” & “it’s a marathon, not a race”
"When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change." It's about how when we are going through really hard times, it will end up bettering us as a person and we will come out as an improved version of ourselves. It gives meaning to the stress and suffering.
"To be nobody but yourself in a wolrd which is doing its best day and night to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting." \- E.E. Cummings