Back to School Motivation for Teachers

The summer is winding down and soon you’ll be setting up your classroom, waiting for the whirlwind of students to arrive for the start of a new school year. The start of many changes. It’s exciting, yet dreadful all at the same time, and how quickly you can adapt will depend upon your personality style.

Remember, change is good

D and I personality styles are very active personality styles and are able to adapt to change rather quickly, and are more apt to be excited about the opportunity to lead a new classroom or meet and greet all the new faculty and students. S and C styles are more passive personality styles and adapt to change at a slower pace. Too much change, quickly, can become overwhelming and the last thing you want is to feel stressed out from the start. Regardless of your personality style, you still might need a mental pep-talk to prepare for the end of summer vacation. First, acknowledge that this change is good. Some change is devastating and this should not be that kind of change. If it is, you might want to consider checking yourself on whether you are in the right career for you.

Reflect on the positive

Next, take a moment to write down and reflect on the positives of your career:

• Why did you choose to become an educator?
• What do you enjoy most about your career?
• Which past student successes have brought you joy?
• What do you hope to inspire in your future students?
• What are your classroom goals this year?

Starting the school year off mentally prepared and with a grateful heart will help bring positive energy to your classroom.

Visualize the big picture

You are the classroom leader. Focus on achieving your designated goals and acknowledge your successes, skills and attributes you bring to the classroom. If you don’t yet know your personality style, take a DISC leadership assessment and learn how to apply your style’s personality strengths to your teacher persona in the classroom. You are, after all, the authority figure of the classroom and the one your students ultimately look up to…even if they don’t always show it.

Learn something new for inspiration

Becoming a more behaviorally intelligent educator through certification in behavioral analysis will help inspire new ways to approach your classroom and teaching methods. With DISC certification, you will learn the universal language of communication and how to apply DISC theory to adapt your teaching style to your students’ learning styles. Mirroring your students will not only give them a better learning experience, but it will result in a more competent classroom as a whole.

Work smarter, not harder

As a seasoned educator, you know a one-size-fits-all standardized learning system doesn’t work for every child. Implement the StudentKeys learning system into your classroom to hone in on fundamental soft-skills. Introducing soft skills such as interpersonal communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and time management, to name a few, into your classroom will ultimately create a better teaching and learning environment, better engage and motivate students, and reduce the stress experienced in classrooms that are otherwise teaching by a standardized status quo.