Monthly Archives: August 2018

The Call of Teaching: A Crisis in Need

31 Friday Aug 2018

Posted by in Attitude, Character, Crisis, Desire, Humility

≈ Leave a comment

First and foremost, we need good teachers.  Yes, believe it or not, there is a crisis in education.  One, there are not enough teachers in our schools, and there are not enough people wanting to be in education.  Two, and yes this will sound harsh, there are not enough teachers in schools who view education as a crisis in need.

pic12

To view something like a crisis, one must feel it in their heart and deep down in their soul. At some point, we all stand at a crossroad and have to decide how we feel about an issue.  When this happens, we must step out and understand that teachers who have their heart in the right place towards education can only help the crisis.

Teaching should be like anything else you love; it should capture your heart. When someone captures your heart, you carry yourself a little differently.  I would dare say; you certainly would not want to let the person down you love and would do anything to stay in good standing with them.  The same should go with why and how we teach.

This crisis we see should tear our hearts, and the gravitational pull should be like the sun; everything revolves around the students, wanting them to see and understand that education is their ticket to the future. The “want” to teach becomes a heavy burden that can only be answered from inside the heart. Many teachers teach, but how many really “want” to teach?

I am proud to be an educator, are you?  How many teachers do you know that when asking what they do, downplay teaching? Too many people walk away from teaching instead of walking towards teaching.

The call to teach is confronted with the overwhelming sense of a desire, a gift, the right character, and a “want” to see the crisis that is at hand… and a little humility goes a long way that grips your soul to the point that it encounters the need to teach.  Each of these we have discussed over the past three weeks and today.

Be the teacher you want to be.  Be the teacher you want your children to have.  Be the teacher you are called to be.  Education will be better for it.  The call to teach is powerful; embrace it.

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!

©2018 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at TheBookChamber

Subscribe via email to my blog at the top of the page

The Call of Teaching: Character

24 Friday Aug 2018

Posted by in Actions, Attitude, Character, Expectations, Integrity, Leader, Leadership

≈ 3 Comments

Ok… Here we go with part three of the call of teaching… CHARACTER

The call of teaching must also include character. Now, there are many quotes and thoughts on character out there; so many that they can all end up meaning the same thing. However, when we look at character as it relates to the call of teaching, it takes on a new definition.

ql-character-matters

As educators, our work must be characterized by the pursuit of modeling the message of character. Here is a question that all teachers should ask, “Would you want to be taught as you teach?” If yes, then ok. If not, then your teaching has serious character problems. We have all heard the adage, “practice what you preach (teach).”

Having character as a teacher should be non-negotiable. Part of having the right character is having maturity. What a teacher is, is much more valuable than what a teacher does. A teacher’s character, which includes maturity along with integrity, is a leading indicator if they possess the call to teach.

I believe teachers fall into two groups; those that see teaching as a calling and those that see it as a job. Those who answer the call of teaching must teach as they live; a life that is worth emulating by others. The character must demonstrate the message you send. This does not mean that we always teach perfectly, but it does say that the character we have is from the heart. More importantly, the character you have and the character you bring to the classroom is seen by others.

As you examine your teaching, start with your character. One thing is true… you can never separate who you say you are with what you say you believe in.

Next week we will talk about: Crisis from within for good…

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!

©2018 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at TheBookChamber

Subscribe via email to my blog at the top of the page

The Call of Teaching: A Gift

17 Friday Aug 2018

Posted by in Actions, Attitude, Gift, Giving, Heart, Humility, Leader, Leadership, Teachers

≈ Leave a comment

“The gift to teach is special and requires giving of yourself to help others help themselves.” – Teresa Duke

Simple point… The person who wants to do the work and teach recognizes teaching as a gift. It is not an “or” statement. The gift is the ability to want to do both.

61EmL7TCsML._SX425_

 

Everything we do as teachers connect to the world positively or negatively in education. Great teachers have a gift equipped with some supernatural ability to open up a student’s mind by imparting knowledge to help better society.

The gift to teach can be carried out in many different areas. It may be carried out in the classrooms, hallways, lunchrooms, ball fields, etc. It can even be carried out outside the educational setting. In whatever capacity, the gift you have as a teacher involves imparting that gift of knowledge to others.

Recognizing you have a gift to teach, sets you apart. I believe that great teachers sense a call to teach and those who do, have that gift. Having the gift to teach sends a powerful message to students and other educators as well. It causes something to stir in the hearts and minds of others; it intensifies the gift even that much more. Realizing that you have this extraordinary gift to teach, solidifies your value as an educator. This is why it is important to exercise your gift of teaching. It makes you have an inner drive to dig deep within yourself and exhaust all efforts to change a person’s life.

Giving and receiving a gift is a novel concept. If you have a gift, usually it is for someone else, and you want to give it to someone you know who will appreciate it. If this is the case and as an educator, why not give your gift of teaching to others. Odds are, there will be someone divinely appointed in your path, which it is intended for, and will more than likely appreciate it very much.

This is the gift of teaching. Do you have it?

Next week we will talk about Character…

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!

©2018 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at TheBookChamber

Subscribe via email to my blog at the top of the page

The Call of Teaching: Desire

10 Friday Aug 2018

Posted by in Attitude, Authentic, Desire, Heart, Ideals, Inspiration, Integrity, Leader, Leadership, Passion, Sacrifice, Servant, Teachers

≈ 2 Comments

“Vocation” comes from a Latin word: VOCARE. It means “to be called”. I don’t work. I live my calling. Everyone’s calling has messy parts and costs them something, but when you are called there is no option not to answer it and pay the price to do what you love. That’s living. –        Brian Kight

Well, here we are again… The start of a new school year. I hope each of you had a great summer and are ready to tackle the next 180 days of the next ten months as we embark on another journey of educating the future.

As the faces of students and teachers change, one thing stays constant, the ideal of what teaching should be.

As we start today’s blog, let’s ask this question, “Can the high calling of teaching be placed on a pedestal?” At some point, we are all called to teach. We do it every day, conscientiously or not.

But, a teacher (and I am talking about those that are great at what they do) makes a significant contribution to the lives of their students.

great-teachers

Who are these teachers? Instead of giving you one long list of reasons why in one blog post, today I would like to provide you with one of four thoughts for the first part of our school year. Each idea is significant and can stand alone. However, when you put the whole list together, you get a powerful example of what the call of teaching can look like.

They are the ones who…

Have an overwhelming desire to do the work of teaching.

The one thing a teacher does on a daily basis is they step out of their own families to another family for eight hours a day. By the time a teacher gets home, eats, does homework, go to ball games, the time with their own families is very limited.  I say that to say this…

Teaching is a step forward to serve (I find it more and more that many teachers want to be served). Their passion to teach is so strong that the pull of the outside world and it’s negativity is negated inside classroom walls with the belief that yes, a student can learn and be successful even when that student does not do their part. A real teacher feels so strongly about their involvement with education that it is not merely something they want to do, but something they must do. This is what a desire to teach encompasses.

Do you know these types of teachers? Yes? No? Guess what; they are both out there. Some are giving oxygen and life while others are taking oxygen and life from what teaching should be.

As the new school year begins, only you know where you are with your attitude of teaching and what it should be. Better yet, if you are in denial about the whole idea, then do not worry… There are plenty of teachers who “get it” and understand the way it should be. All you have to do is start asking the students, they know.

Also, never lose sight of this as well…  Really good teachers are leaders.

For those who want to know what the next three topics to “The Call of Teaching” are, here you go.
Week 2: Gift
Week 3: Character
Week 4: Crisis for Good (not sure about this title yet…)

Remember… THINK LEADERSHIP!

©2018 J Clay Norton

Follow me on Twitter at TheBookChamber

Subscribe via email to my blog at the top of the page