You believe education is a calling. You want to help students learn and grow. You feel certain that, as a teacher, you can make a difference. Turning “A” students into “A+” students is probably not how you would define the purpose of your role. More than likely, you teach because you enjoy helping all students learn and grow. You believe in the importance of developing young people into productive members of society.
An ongoing, life-fulfilling reason to pursue a profession is the intrinsic satisfaction gained from performing that role. Other factors for choosing a particular job include salary, benefits, location, and vacation. While you may enjoy having summer vacation each year, how do you stay inspired during the school year to spring out of bed each morning excited to teach?
Many teachers say that the joy of teaching comes from seeing the lightbulb “go on” over a student’s head. As a teacher, you have the opportunity every day to help students learn, and develop their reasoning skills to become creative, expansive thinkers who will venture farther and faster into the world and contribute more than preceding generations. You envision a future when your students can build, pioneer, create, explore, expand, lead, collaborate, help, fix, run, save, and perform excellent work that justifies their commitment and exceeds the demands of their education.
Teachers matter! Teachers guide learners’ growth and empower them to become critical thinkers. Teachers who create more “Aha! Moments” in the classroom positively impact students’ motivation, efforts and educational outcomes.
Perhaps today, students have only to learn the distributive property in your pre-algebra class. However, when you help a student learn and grow you are helping a member of a future generation build a bright future—20 years from now—that you might get a glimpse of…when you see one of your former students thriving as an entrepreneur or another who became a teacher because of you. At the end of the day, you feel pleased that your students are doing well. Each night, after the homework is checked and the lesson plan is reviewed, you can rest with a satisfied smile at the notion of creating more “Aha! Moments” tomorrow.
For technical information and tips, a book titled Create Aha! Moments is available for purchase on Amazon.com. The subject matter applies to all content areas and grade levels as it addresses how to meet learners’ needs for relevance, importance, and meaning. Happily, the creation of “Aha! Moments” can bring more joy of learning and teaching to classrooms everywhere—and make a positive impact on your well-being and life satisfaction.
About the Author
Michelle’s education includes a Certificate in Industrial Organizational Psychology and an M.S. in Human Resources. During her years as the Service Quality & Training Director of Greenleaf Hospitality Group, she planned curriculum and delivered face-to-face instruction for entry-level personnel, supervisors and managers. As an education consultant, she has facilitated focus groups, strategic planning sessions, professional development workshops, and executive coaching for school superintendents and principals. She has also contributed to the development of assessments to hire teachers and principals. In her leisure time, she has accumulated significant instructional experience from her decades as a coach. Recently, Michelle co-authored a book for education called Create Aha! Moments: Tips for Teachers. This beautifully written book shares how to help students learn more and remember longer.
