Not Losing Focus

I mentioned in my post yesterday that I have been in a rut and honestly, I think I lost some of my focus and motivation. I just finished reading "Causes and Cures in the Classroom" by Margaret Searle.

The book ends with the following; "The dream most of us went into teaching with was to make a significant difference for our students. The way to do that has nothing to do with quick fixes or canned programs. It has to do with teachers who genuinely care and are always looking for better ways to help students help themselves." 

This really spoke to me both about education and about life. Too often we get caught up with what is the latest trend or am I using the most cutting edge tools and technology available. While that is important and we need to be current we can't lose focus on what really counts and why we are educators.
At the end of the day the bottom line as Margaret and others have said is that we need to show students that we care about and as my friend Angela Maiers says we need to show them that they MATTER

I would say that  "Not Losing Focus" is one of those things that is easier said than done and perhaps as I outlined in yesterday's post "Moving Forward" we need to create a checklist.
These ideas are noting new and many of them, I have gleaned from all of you.

• Making SMART goals
• Showing our students and others that We care and that "You Matter"
• Applaud the Effort 
• Don't label, but rather guide and support
• Do something positive every day 
• Take time for yourself 

The list can go on. Please add your own thoughts 

Akevy