Self-Care
Instructor enthisiasm is very important. However, the instructor must also practice self-care in order to provide and maintain a positive learning enviroment. There are times that instructors need encouragement and they need to feel valued.
Does anyone have suggestions regarding instructors' self-care and how instructors can encourage themselves when needed? I can sure use that advise right now.
I believe that one place we can receive the encouragement we need is from the students. There were many instances in which students approached me to thank me for spending extra time to help them understand concepts or creating additional voluntary days where they could come into the lab to get extra hands-on practice and build their confidence. I believe that if we need to want our students to be successful in their field of study, we need to implement a variety of ways to meet each student's needs, and I believe the result of taking extra time for each student, wherever necessary will be that students see that we care for their complete success and many times will somehow verbalize this to us. Sometimes its a simple "thank you". Sometimes they are willing to open up about personal issues, and for me personally, I find great personal value in the idea that someone would trust me with their education as well as with their emotions, and personal struggles. That's what encourages me to keep moving forward.
You've raised a serious need, Lydia. It's wonderful when students openly appreciate our efforts and when we can see positive results in our students' progress. But we do need some strategies for keeping ourselves going when those external validations of our own worth aren't in evidence.
One idea is to ask students two questions:
1. What am I doing that is particularly helpful to you? (This assumes there is indeed something positive going on, and it may turn up ways you contribute to the student's well-being that you were completely unaware of.)
2. What could I do to make your experience in this class better? (This, too, asks for something positive and may produce some good suggestions. It also helps students realize that some things are not in the instructor's control.)
Another aspect of teacher self care is remembering--and actively working to make it so--that teaching is only part of our lives. I think we need to provide regular nourishing (emotional and spiritual as well as physical) experiences for ourselves outside of the classroom.
