What would it look like if teaching was actually fun?
Again, I've been listening to James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits,
and he asks this brilliant question when you're trying to build new habits.
What would it look like if it was fun?
Here's the thing, when things get difficult, you are way more likely to
stick with something if you find it fun.
And right now, as we are enjoying the holidays and none of us
really want to think about going back to school, I wanna ask you.
What if this new year could be different?
Because here's what I know, the biggest hurdle to actually sticking with change
is whether or not it means something to you and whether you are enjoying it.
So today we're talking about small habits that can transform your teaching practice
and more importantly, make it fun again, not just for the children you teach.
For you too.
When I think about starting my new teaching position with kindergartners,
I get a flutter in my stomach.
It's a mixture of excitement because I'll be teaching homeschool children,
and I'm so excited that I can actually teach deeply and focus on building
strong foundations and set them up with curiosity and a love of learning.
But I'm also nervous.
I find myself thinking about the kinds of experiences I want
to provide for these children.
I've been shaping the space in my mind, planning and dreaming.
And the best way to set yourself up for a really good start is to reflect on what
went well last year and what was terrible.
And I know that many of us hate going back to school.
Maybe you don't have the support you need or deserve from your administration, or
perhaps you're starting homeschooling and you don't have your family support, or
maybe your students are just so disengaged and so disinterested in learning
that it's soul destroying for you.
Working in a job that's not fun and doesn't give you joy is exactly that.
Soul destroying.
You have two choices really.
Leave and find a new job, or find a way to make your job
better, more fun, more enjoyable.
Now, here's where James Clear's wisdom comes in.
He talks about the difference between a goal and a system.
A goal is about the outcome you want to achieve.
The system is the collection of small daily habits that you follow.
Your current habits will always deliver the results you're getting.
The only thing you can control are your habits.
Winners and losers all have the same goals.
The difference between people achieving their goals and those who don't is
that they have good systems in place.
So don't make your goal.
I'm going to get fit this year, rather make it, I wanna work out consistently
for 10 minutes, and make it fun.
Do something you are actually going to enjoy.
If it's in your teaching, you're going to do just one small thing every day.
Maybe if it's to get children more curious and asking more questions, then
put a system in place where questioning becomes a daily habit in your space
and it makes questioning easier.
The most important habit forming tip that James Clear shares is this.
Prime your environment to make the first step easy.
This could be having those curiosity sparking questions posted around the room
so that you're reminded to ask questions.
Not always.
Just give answers.
When you are setting up your space, ask yourself, what
does my environment encourage?
The single most important thing you can do is scale everything down and make it easy.
Small steps, just one thing to help yourself remain consistent.
We only discover what needs to change by taking time out to reflect.
Really think about your methodology, your teaching, or your parenting system,
and then put in a new system in place.
Something doable small that you can repeat day after day, that will
eventually build upon itself and become a habit that serves you well.
So one small thing you do each day will eventually become a habit
that sticks and that will have a big impact on the big picture.
Be it your health or your teaching practice or even the way you parent.
There are always outside factors that you can't control.
The children's backgrounds, their attitudes, the way your
administration operates, all of that.
But you do have control over your habits, the things you do every day.
Those habits eventually shape your life.
They determine the trajectory of your life, your job,
your health, whatever it is.
It's like the Einstein quote.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and
expecting a different result.
So stop the train, because unless you've actually become aware
of your own habits and actions, you can't make positive changes.
Then everything just continues how it's always been going up until now.
So this new year, why not start by changing your thinking, and
it all starts with reflection.
Having an inner dialogue with yourself.
To help you with this, I have created a goal setting planner,
especially for educators.
It guides you to reflect on your past practice and think about the
small steps you can take to reach the goals you're setting for the
new year or the new term ahead.
I'll leave a link for you to download the planner in the show notes.
So to recap if you want to actually achieve the goals you set for yourself.
Remember, one, it's about the small habits you put in place.
Two, make it fun.
Do something you're actually going to enjoy.
And three, put in a system where your desired behavior becomes
the daily habit in your space.
Start today by downloading the goal setting planner, and then start thinking
about small habits you can put in place to reach your goals, to make teaching
more fun, not just for the children that you teach, but for you too.
Make it easy.
Simple steps to change things so that things can be better for you, and as a
knock on effect for your students, because whether you want to admit it or not,
your attitude and how you show up does affect the way children respond to you.
So let's make this year different.
Let's make it better.
Let's make it more fun.
Thanks for listening today.
Could I ask you a small favor?
If you liked anything I said here, or something resonated with you, could
you please take a moment and share this episode with a friend or colleague?
That small act on your part will make a world of difference to how
the podcast grows and is found.
That's it for today.
Until next time.
Stay blooming curious and take care of yourself.