on rekindling the flame.

You lost that lovin’ feelin´

Whoah that lovin’ feelin´

You lost that lovin’ feelin’

Now itś gone, gone, gone whoah

Don´t sweat the small stuff, they said.  I remember when I was a kid, the nuclear-family sitcoms told a twenty-two minute tale of a suburban husband and wife, passive-aggressively disagreeing over putting the toilet seat down, controlling the remote, or how to handle the visiting in-laws in their Home Alone-sized colonial on their police officer and SAHM salary.   Insert laugh track.  By 8:51pm, you usually knew what was coming next...some epiphany about how love conquers all annoyances and how drinking OJ from the carton really wasn´t all that bad.  

My husband is the greatest.  Yeah, we´re newlyweds, I know, but other than the big stuff that makes him a wonderful man, it´s the little things (like organizing the overflowing kitchen pantry this morning, because he knows how it kills me to have to dig) that show his consideration and thoughtfulness toward his partner in crime.

Little things matter.  It´s the little things that drive teachers crazy.  It´s the little things that cause teachers to leave the profession.  Little things add up to one heaping pile of big things, ultimately leading some teachers to fall out of love with the teaching world. The romance slowly dies and then one day it´s just gone.  

Much of why I started this blog, was to offer reflections on teacher mindset and to fuel teacher empowerment.  As I work on strengthening my own internal locus of control, I often struggle with the highs and lows of being an educator.  Some days I feel the passion fading...the flame burning out.  It´s about keeping that passion alive.  

Reflections on Rekindling the Flame

1. Take a trip down memory lane.  Why did you fall in love with teaching?  Reread old diary passages, pull out old pictures & student thank you notes.  Think about the first teaching experience that shook you to the core.  Where did it all begin?  
2. Try new things together.  You and teaching have had your adventures, but why stop now?  Maybe itś time to explore a master´s program.  Maybe you could move abroad and teach in a whole new setting.  Maybe it´s time to change your role within education and be a librarian, an interventionist, a school leader or transition to adult ed.  Take a leap!
3. Don’t sweat the small stuff.  If those nineties sitcoms taught me anything, it´s that real life is not like the movies.  Or TV.  It´s hard to not sweat the small stuff.  Annoying emails, unnecessary paperwork, a pointless meeting...this stuff does make you sweat sometimes.  Time is precious and so is mental energy.  The dumb little stuff can weigh down excitement from a recent class accomplishment or a meaningful conversation with a student.  The small stuff, though, comes with any profession.  Not every profession, though, provides opportunities to inspire and be inspired by students, teachers and learning every day.  For me, that´s the big stuff that outweighs the little stuff.  
4. Lean on your support system.  Turn to people who know you and get you for guidance.  

Charlie: So you´re the one.

Maverick: Yes, ma´am.  

If education is the one, then we owe it to ourselves and our love to keep the candle burning. Power to the teacher.