Change Your Mindset

So...many of my fellow teachers are at Get Your Teach On right now...and I am suffering from major F.O.M.O. (fear of missing out) If you haven't heard of Get Your Teach On, it is a PHENOMENAL teaching conference lead by some of the most talented and motivating teachers on the planet! One year ago I had the privilege of being invited to attend the conference in Phoenix, Arizona by my principal...and it could not have been a better year to attend.

Last school year was hard. Like really hard. I had a parent who almost quite literally broke me. Don't get me wrong...over the years I have had my fair share of "difficult" parents and being a teacher means that this is all part of the job description. Last year was different, though. I was literally brought to my breaking point...where I had to call an administrator to cover my class so that I could have a bit of an emotional breakdown where I just cried for a good 20 minutes in the office.

Why? Honestly, I'm not completely sure. Without getting into too much detail, this parent criticized every single thing in my classroom. It didn't matter if I had all of the data to support information, a plan in place, and even adjusted things to meet her requests...she still criticized. The "best" part was when she would tell me, "It isn't anything personal..." NEWSFLASH...Parents...don't ever tell an educator, "It isn't personal." Why? Because it is personal! Trust me...99.9% of us put our heart and soul into our jobs. So for you to tell us, "It isn't personal," is the biggest slap in the face. We spend many nights laying in bed, trying to think of new strategies to meet the needs of all of our students, wondering if we have done enough, thinking about how we can do better, reading up on the latest teaching strategies, planning, grading, and even worrying about those who are going through a tough time at home. So trust me, we take our jobs VERY personally!

Kristin, this is getting kind of depressing...what is your point here?

Sorry...I had to set the stage. ;)

My "O"mazing fellow Bearcats and me at GYTO Phoenix

Fast forward to January of last year...and I found myself walking the purple carpet at Get Your Teach On! The energy and fun of this conference cannot be described...and if you aren't an educator...you might not get it. :) I was so pumped to be able to learn from a teacher who I had followed for years (Amy Lemons) and to just soak in all of the good vibes...and quite honestly...escape the negative vibes I was feeling from this one parent.

Still can't believe I got to meet Amy Lemons and Hope King

Right away, during one of the first sessions, this was shared...and it was exactly what I needed to switch my mindset.

Picture taken by me, of a quote shared at GYTO Phoenix

You see...I had spent so much time worrying about what ONE parent was saying. At the same time I had held back on doing some fun things in my classroom for "fear" of what other teachers would think. Would they think I was doing "too much?" Would they talk about me in a snarky way? Maybe. Maybe they would. Maybe they did. As hard as it was...is...I try not to worry about the negativity. Trust me...if you know me really well...the fact that I am the epitome of "harmonizer" then you know this has been a BIG challenge for me. But it has been so worth it. I have tried really hard each day to not worry about what others might think or say about me...and just be ME!

The rest of the conference was nothing short of amazing! I left feeling ready to take on the world. Ready to bring a whole new level of energy into my classroom. I was ready to try new things...and go for it.

For the remainder of the year, I chose to focus my energy on those who were positive, supportive, and uplifting. Trust me...I still gave 110% to that parent's child...and that child grew tremendously over the course of the year...even if the parent didn't want to recognize it. ;) Every time the parent would criticize something, I would of course reflect on it a bit, and then reread one of the notes other parents had written during the year. 

I can honestly say that it was a year that had a huge impact on my teaching and me as a person. I grew stronger because of it. Which brings me to a book I was given this year. This year our admin team gave us each a copy of the book, The Coffee Bean, along with a jar of coffee beans, and some yummy chocolate covered coffee beans to snack on. Not going to lie...I wasn't super excited about it. However, I opened it up...and read the entire thing in one sitting! Don't worry...it isn't very long...so don't go thinking that I am some sort of literary phenom. ;) 

Image from Google

The entire time I read it, I couldn't help but think about last year. One of the big concepts in the book is to ask yourself, 

Image from Google

Without giving away too much...because I think you should go and read this book...think about how each of those reacts to boiling water. I realized that before my change in mindset, I was definitely an egg. Now, I would like to think of myself as a coffee bean...or certainly working towards becoming one.

She is jumping all over the place. What is the point of this?

I'm getting there! If you are still reading...first, "thank you," second...do you need to change your mind set? I am not going to lie...part of me wrote this for very selfish reasons. I don't want to forget or lose that feeling of empowerment I left Get Your Teach On with! When I am scrolling through my blog later...looking back at my posts...I want to remember this.

But. I also want YOU to feel inspired by this. I know I am not all of the magic that Get Your Teach On is. And if you aren't a teacher, then you are even more confused. ;) I want you to read this and think...

Photo taken by me, of a quote from GYTO Phoenix

Stop doubting yourself...and as Nike would say, "Just do it!" Stop worrying about what others might think of you or say about you...just be YOU!