Working With What You Have

Now before we start, I'll  make it perfectly clear. I am not against taking courses and attending seminars to help upgrade your skills. To say such a thing would be irresponsible and foolish, two things that I don't consider myself to be. At least not on most occassions. However, there is a huge caviet to all this upgrading and improving. Many times you are complicating what can be a very simple job, teaching. The act of teaching and working with kids should come as naturally as breathing. That is, if you are someone who was destined to teach and guide kids. Your caring, compassion and ability to work on your feet are qualities that are nourished the more you spend time in the class. No courses can offer these. In your enthusiasm to improve your abilities, refine your teaching methods and become more effective at your job, please don't lose sight of one very important fact.  You have everything you need to become a wonderful teacher already. The problem is, it sometimes becomes buried under the mass of expectations, rules and fears that we all have. And then we mistakenly think that the more we study and attend workshops, the better we will be with children. This is simply not true. Courses may help you deliver your lessons more efficiently, they may help you cover more ground. Certainly they will enable you to work effectively with technology. There is no debating this. But for the basics of teaching; the way you relate to your kids; your way of letting them know you are there for them; your ability to make them smile and be glad they are at school; these things come from a deeper place. That place is already there, inside. By all means, upgrade, improve, renovate and remodel if you must, but always keep in mind that you have what it takes and perhaps it's best to work with that first.