Being a teacher is one of the most challenging professional callings there are. On top of the challenges teachers routinely face, there can be a great deal of disappointment felt on a daily basis, as well. To better understand (and embrace!) those disappointments, let’s look through the lens of David Richo’s The Five Things we Cannot Change.
This can be both a significant positive or a huge loss, depending on the “thing”. In the classroom, this can look like a student finally “getting” whatever it is you’re teaching or having to move classrooms or grades despite what you want. One thing is for sure; we can always count on change.
This reminds me of the time during a vital observation when a student I was instructing went into a full-blown emotional episode. All the hours I spent planning this perfect lesson went down the drain. But guess what — my administrator was able to see a natural occurrence that sometimes happened in my class, and I was able to show how I pivot accordingly.
Have you ever gone above and beyond creating that super engaging lesson or activity only to have your students show little interest or even complain about it? Or how about all the extra responsibilities put on your plate because your admin knows you’ll get it done? Can I get an Amen?
I can be such a big baby. When things aren’t going well, I have a hard time with it. Any kind of slight disappointment can shake me off my center, let alone a painful situation. One thing I’ve learned, though, is that experiencing pain improves our grit. Then these painful episodes are less likely to sting.
People, for the most part, have their best interests in mind. A few years ago one of the teachers in my school had her teaching assistant quit just days before the first day of school. She had to completely re-train someone at the last minute, and she was, understandably, mad and hurt at the considerable inconvenience this caused her.
The good news — when we accept the five things we cannot change, we are closer to being happier. Why? Because it’s an acknowledgment of reality, and therefore reduces feeling disappointed that things should have gone differently.
The world is not always pleasant, and that’s okay; we’ve all been sad, angry, and hurtful to others. In fact, I think when bad things happen, it can be an opening for being grateful for everything that is going well! So, what can you be grateful for today and every day moving forward?
