Teaching is hard.

Like, really, really hard.

Depending on where and what you teach, you may be moving classrooms every year or every term.  Teaching new subjects.  Adopting a new curriculum.  Learning new standards.  Teaching at a different school, or a different grade level.

There are emails: Parent emails, student emails, staff emails.  There are meetings.  Meetings and more meetings.  Meets that should have been an email.

For the first ten years of teaching I relied on my colleagues (one of the best resources a teacher can have is the person who teaches next door to them), and Pinterest.  Online teacher communities inspire me, teach me, and make me a better teacher. I have learned how to make my worksheets more engaging for my students, how to develop better rubrics and pacing guides. 

Trust me when I say this, it hasn’t been easy.  Heck, it still isn’t easy.  There have been many teacher failures on my part. My students have done simulations, given presentations, written fake newspapers, conducted a model U.N.s and made videos.  Some projects result in ear-to-ear smiles all around.  Students critically think, learn content and are engaged.  Other times there are tears, embarrassment, and thoughts of regret.

Despite the ups and downs, I love teaching.  I love history, geography, social science, research, writing and anything creative.  I love watching my students engage in the material.  However, I also love my teaching community.  The brothers and sisters who exist online helping their fellow teachers in a different school, city, state or even country.We are the change makers.  We are the original job creators.  

Hopefully Teacher Bistro provides some inspiration to you as a teacher.  Hopefully it helps you with a new way to engage with your students.  Hopefully, it makes teaching that a tad bit easier.