Six “Never Do’s” Educators Should Never Do
The idea of “never doing” some things as being crucial to our path to success and satisfaction may seem counterintuitive. Certainly, we typically think of “doing more” and “doing better” as paths to flourishing as a professional. Yet, achieving success has as much to do with what we choose not to do as what we choose to do.
In fact, refusing to engage in many actions can be the key to not only having a greater impact on the success of our students, but it can also leave us healthier, happier, and with more energy than we might imagine to be possible. Need more convincing? Try these six “never do’s” and reap the rewards.
Never work harder than your students. Learning results from engagement, effort, reflection, questioning, and connecting. These are not actions we can perform for students, but we can plan activities that position students to take an active role in their learning. Our job is to design the work that students will do and that will engage them in ways that learning results. When we do, not only will students learn more, but they will also remember it longer. The truth is that the person in the classroom who is learning the most is the person who is working the hardest. That person should not be us.
Never hold on to strategies that no longer work. We sometimes have “go to” strategies and techniques that early in our career or even a year ago seemed to work, but for some reason they are not effective with our current group of students. Obviously, there can be many reasons why what used to work no longer does. The nature of our students may have changed, or their needs may have changed. It also might be that our expectations have changed. We may have different expectations for the impact or a shift in our approach. Consequently, what used to fit no longer does. We might find that we can adjust the strategy to regain the impact we used to see, or it may be time to let go and look for a better way to achieve the outcome we need and expect.
Never expect perfection from yourself or your students. Schools are places for learning, and mistakes, revisions, and improvement are hallmarks of the learning process. When performance is error-free, it is time to seek out the next challenge. When students struggle and require multiple attempts, we are watching learning in action. Perfection is a sign that it is time to move to the next level of learning. Likewise, when we revise our thinking and adjust our instruction in the presence of students, we are demonstrating our learning. When our instruction becomes error free, it is time to take some risks and try some new strategies and approaches that will challenge us, even if it means what our work will be less than perfect.
Never sacrifice your health and well-being as though doing so is are a badge of honor. Mental and physical health are crucial to our ability to give students what they need and to sustain our professional role. We gain little if we allow our work to overwhelm our lives. Becoming ill, constantly exhausted, and worn down does little to improve the quality of our work or provide high-level support for our students. The truth is that balancing work and personal time, maintaining reasonable boundaries, and prioritizing recovery are hallmarks of high performers.
Never stop learning. Much of teaching involves routines. They are important to creating efficiency and predictability, but they can become traps that lead to complacency. They can get in the way of our continuing to learn, improving our practice, and tapping our creativity. Of course, learning does not always have to involve taking courses and earning degrees, although they can be useful. Committing to making small adjustments, trying one new thing, taking responsible risks, and remaining curious can make a huge difference in our success and satisfaction, if practiced consistently over time.
Never confuse your title with your worth. In our world, some occupations have more social status than others. Today, education and teaching are not given high compensation and unrestrained respect. Yet it is extremely important work with the potential for great impact on our students and our society. The work we do, how we do it, and the impact we can have on young people’s lives is not just worthy work; it can be life changing. Regardless of the specific role we have, our worth is determined by the investment we make, the differences our work has on the lives of our students, and the greater good education and learning create for society. The value and respect society assigns to education and teaching as a role are far less important than the worth our work creates for all involved.
There are many tasks and responsibilities with which we must engage to be successful with our students and in our profession. However, we also need to give our attention to the actions we need to avoid if we want to achieve and sustain our success and enjoy the satisfaction our work can offer.
