Positive Energy

Teaching day in and day out can be a struggle.  I don't care if you have been in the classroom for 30 years or 30 days, we all find times when we find ourselves discouraged and wondering why in the world we got into this profession in the first place.  I love those posters that show professions and and say what people think the profession does, then shows what it really does.  I remember thinking coming in, I was gonna change the world, only to find ten years later I am not sure if I am much further accomplished than when I started.  About two years ago, my wife who works for a very dynamic and successful hospital system in Florida, had the opportunity to become acquainted with a man named Jon Gordon.  Jon writes stories of how to be successful and do it with positive and powerful energy.  I began reading his books.  The First that I read was The energy Bus.  It is a story of a guy who's life is in shambles.  His car breaks down and he is forced to ride the bus driven by a high energy positive lady named Joy.  Over the next few weeks Joy helps him to understand his lack of success is not anyone's fault but his own.  He changes his outlook and finds that his positive energy leads his team at work, his family at home and himself to great success.  It is a great read I suggest it.  After reading this book myself, I found that yes the circumstances in education sometimes may discourage us, and we may feel as is we are fighting a losing battle, but only we can change it.  Our attitude toward everyday is what is going to help us to change the world.  Being positive around our students who think that school is worthless, or around our negative co-workers who have written off certain students as failures, or the parents that are constantly down on the school system, can have an impact.  A smile, an encouraging word, a positive plug for something a co-worker is doing can lead to some serious positive changes in your school culture.  And who knows these actions could spark change in others and lead to and entire reconstruction of what your school was.  Now I am by no means saying that I have this attitude everyday......... I still get the occasional wanna walk out breaking things negative days.  But that is when I have to step back and read some encouraging words, dust off, and go back at it again.  Because I remember why I did this to begin with........ the kids.