Thing 1: Lifelong Learning
The best teachers are those that embrace learning as much as they expect their students to embrace learning. When I am not challenging myself, learning, and growing, I see my teaching suffer. The class becomes stagnant. Some of the most effective teaching moments have occurred when I was working on my graduate degree. I incorporated all of the new and exciting material into my classes, including some of my own poetry and short stories. My students really responded to what I shared with them. I was excited about learning and so were they. Lifelong learning is essential for teachers and anyone who wants to grow intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, etc. One of the most challenging habits is accepting responsibility for my own learning. The daily demands of work and family really make it difficult to find the time to focus on lifelong learning. The key to alleviating this problem is to prioritize my time and avoid procrastination. The easiest challenge is to have confidence in myself as a competent, effective learner and the most important habit is to create my own learning toolbox. Teachers are provided with a plethora of resources. We just need to take the time to sort through them all and incorporate them in our teaching.
