What is Teacher Motivation?
Teacher motivation deals with a teacher’s intrinsic desire to teach in the classroom and to remain in the field of education. Teacher motivation includes intrinsically overcoming the obstacles with positivity knowing that they are making a difference.
You always hear that teachers are in it for the outcome and not the income. Well, a lot of that is true. However, I think that the income should match, but that’s another post for another day!
Teachers that want to do better are motivated to expand their content knowledge, increase their pedagogical knowledge, and do their very best in the classroom! Motivation for a teacher can be quite challenging, especially at certain times of the year.
There are many challenges that teachers face on a daily basis including diversity in the classroom, piles of papers to grade, lesson planning, and I could go on and on!
Ok…now it’s time to look for the motivation for a teacher tips and tricks!
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Importance of Motivation for Educators
Effective teachers are critical in the classroom, for personal and academic reasons. Students are more successful when they have effective teachers. Effective teachers are aware of how to engage their students as well as teach the content correctly. They also possess a high pedagogical content knowledge that allows for them to teach the content into understandable forms for their students.
In order for a teacher to be effective in the classroom, they must have that natural drive to keep learning and growing for their students. If teacher are learning and growing, their students are too!
As mentioned, there are a lot of things on a teacher’s plate. They are having to grade papers, plan lessons, deal with differentiation, call parents, learn material, have excellent classroom management, and the list can go on and on and on! There is a reason that there is a term called “teacher tired”. Can I get an AMEN?!
To get past this “teacher tired” so that you can be all that you can be for your students, it does require a bit of motivation!
You Need A Little More than Just “Motivational Teacher Quotes“
I’m not going to lie, some quotes do hit the spot, but sometimes you just need a little more! Sometimes, you see a quote somewhere that will put a little spring into your step, but on some days, it’s just not cutting it.
So, below, I’ve listed some ways to stay motivated as a teacher. Sometimes, you just need a little excitement in your day, or just a reminder of why you do what you do.
How to Stay Motivated as a Teacher
1. Open Your Shades
Just imagine, you’re sitting in your room, and you’re feeling down in the dumps. The Sun is shining outside, so you open the blinds, and BAM sunlight enters your room. You feel the warmth, and it gives you all of the good vibes.
The latest trend seems to be the dimly lit classroom, but sunlight can increase the brain’s release of serotonin. This can boost your mood and help you feel calm and focused. Let the sunshine in!
2. Happy Light
Don’t have any shades or it’s cloudy and raining? Try a happy light! It will give you all the good vibes as well. A happy light can mimic sunlight to help improve your mood.
3. Try Something New
Sometimes, all it takes is to try something new to get your motivation back. Maybe you’ve been meaning to start playing some music for your students while they work. Maybe you’ve been wanting to use Makey Makeys’ to teach electric circuits. Maybe you’ve been wanting to try a PBL project with your students.
Now is the time to try something new. Stop making excuses and do it! You always feel successful after you put in the work to try something new. It gives you such a feeling of accomplishment.
Your students will appreciate the change of pace too. Your motivation will help their motivation!
4. Do a Science Experiment with Your Students
Ok, so I’m a bit biased. I’ve taught science, math, STEM, etc. I love to do science experiments! Don’t teach science? I bet you can still tie in your curriculum with it! If you are a science teacher, I highly suggest doing experiments and projects as much as you can. Hands-on learning is effective learning.
So, what can you do? There are so many ideas online and you can probably find resources right in your school. Some of my favorites are water cycle in a bag, extracting DNA from strawberries, exploring cells under a microscope, and there are so many cool things! Be sure to include this in your perfect lesson!
This goes along with trying something new. Try a science experiment that you’ve never done before.
5. Decorate Your Classroom or the Outside of Your Room
Sometimes, just a change of scenery does the heart good and can provide some motivation for you and your students. Even if you don’t think you have the time, just make the time. Don’t like the stay after school to work? Let me tell you, I completely understand, but if you just grab a snack, find some jamming music, and maybe even bring a friend, you can make this time afterschool a good time that will be worth it!
I’ve seen so many classroom décor ideas that your students can participate in. You can also put up a word wall. You can add new science safety posters, decorate your door, add a poster of your favorite scientists or historical figures, create anchor charts for your students, and so much more.
Just use Pinterest to spark some ideas! I also love decor by Shayna Vohs and bulletin boards by Rise over Run.
6. Do Something Kind for Someone Else
Being kind to someone will always bring warmth to your heart and some pep in your step. Try giving a colleague a 5-minute break during your planning period, bring your students a treat for no reason, or buy your friend a morning coffee. I promise it will make your day better!
You can even bring your students in on it! They can write a note to another teacher, commit to giving someone a compliment throughout the day, or draw a picture for their principal. The options are endless!
7. Write Yourself a Teacher Motivation Speech
Write yourself what? Yes! A motivation speech. You, more than anyone knows exactly what you need. You know the situation where people really don’t want to hear what others have to say, they want to hear what they think, but just from someone else. This kind of, sort of falls into that category. This allows you to hear what you want to hear from “someone else”. Give yourself some motivation and hang it on your wall at school.
Think this is corny and don’t have the time for it? Ask AI to do it for you!
8. Teacher Motivation Quotes
Yeah, I know I said you need a little more than just some teacher motivation quotes, but they sure don’t hurt anything!
Here are just a few!
- “Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best.” (Bob Talbert)
- “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher Inspires.” (William A. Ward)
- “My teacher gave me the best gift of all…Believing in me!” (Unknown)
- “Teaching is hard because it matters.” (Unknown)
9. Teacher Motivation Videos
YES! I love a good teacher motivation video. Just click on a good TED Ed, and this can motivate you to move mountains. Here are some of my favorites.
10. Jam Out!
This is by far one of my favorite things to do to motivate me if I ever need a moment to pep up! I’ve done this before a regular school day, when I’m feeling down, before a job interview, and just because. Just blast your favorite song! If you have a class full of students, they may love to jam a little too!
11. Buy a New Outfit
I mean, I’m not going to lie. If you feel confident in a rockin’ outfit, it can change your whole outlook. So, I’m telling you, if you are a little bummed out today…maybe your students just didn’t give it their all today. Maybe you worked so hard on a lesson and the copy machine broke just before you were about to print it. Maybe you are thinking about quitting because it’s just all a hot mess right now. Go get you some retail therapy! Buy that cute outfit!
12. Call a Parent and Tell Them Something Positive
I’ve been guilty of letting one student that is having a bad day mess up my whole day. If you literally stop a minute and look at your class as a whole, you will see that the majority of students in your class had a good day. They put forth the effort and were engaged in learning. Be sure to let the parents know that they are doing a good job. You will make a student and a parent’s day with this kind gesture!
Don’t have time to call? Send a quick email!
13. Clean Your Work Area
There is just something about “clean” that just does the body good, just like the new décor I mentioned above. I may be weird, but I love the smell of a clean house, the look of an organized cabinet, and the joy of a vacuumed floor! Just like I love my house being clean, I also love my second home, my classroom, to be clean.
As you are well aware, teachers don’t have all the time in the world to clean and organize their rooms (or their houses), but just taking an extra 5 minutes to clear off your desk, throw away some papers, or organize a cabinet can make all of the difference.
14. Share Tips Out on Social Media
This kind of goes with helping others. Are you doing something neat in your classroom and think that other teachers’ will benefit? Share it! You can make someone’s day by sharing your expertise.
Teachers are always looking for ideas from other teachers. That’s one of the reasons why you are reading this right now!
15. Get Up and Move
Any time I feel “bummy”, I try to get up and move. Which honestly, what teacher isn’t moving around anyway, right? Maybe you need a little more movement to get your blood and endorphins flowing.
Try playing a random gave of Simon Says with your students. Run in place, do jumping jacks, stretch, and more! This is an easy way to take a “brain break”, get the oxygen flowing through your body to your brain, and just a great way to feel better.
16. Set Your Goals for the Day
Do you ever just get to work and just stare at your classroom? It can be so overwhelming sometimes because there is just SO much to do! Well, you know what? Sometimes, you just can’t do it all, and it’s ok. Give yourself some grace, and just get what you can get done. Start your day by setting your goals. You can even do this at the beginning of your day at home. Set your goals for the entire day, personal and work related.
Like I said, you may not be able to get everything finished, but if you just set 2-3 big goals for the day and get those completed, it can feel so accomplishing.
17. Pray
I’ve actually started this back up again at school, and it’s made all of the difference! In my former school, a few of us teachers would gather in the room and pray for the day and our students. It made my experience at that school phenomenal, and each day brighter.
Not only do we feel protected and at peace throughout the day, but it also builds community as well.
18. What Motivated You to be a Teacher? Remember Your Why. (IYKYK)
Don’t skip over this. I know it’s overused, but this is probably one of the biggest things that kept me going as a teacher.
These days, there are so many opportunities for good teachers to step out of the classroom and do something else after a few years of teaching. Honestly, I think that the government actually likes that because it cost less to pay new teachers (that’s a whole other blog for another day!). However, the students are the ones that suffer. I mean, don’t you remember your good teachers and bad teachers? What if all of the good teachers actually stayed in the classroom? Wow, could you imagine the impact on the world?
So, in saying that, remember your why. Why are you in the classroom? What made you want to be a teacher? Let that be motivation. Your students need you.
If you are happy in your job, you may need a reminder of why you are there.
This doesn’t overlook ALL of the changes that need to be made in our education system, but just day-to-day remember why you are doing what you are doing!
19. Listen to a Podcast
Have a decent commute to work? This is a great time to jam out to your favorite songs or listen to a podcast. If you are feeling unmotivated for the day, the right podcast can completely change your mood and give you ideas for your classroom.
Here are some of my favorite podcast that I listen to:
There are so many good ones! Share your favorites in the comments below. I’m always looking for new podcasts to listen to!
20. Say No to Something
YOU MUST DO THIS! As a teacher, we are people pleasers and overachievers. Let me tell you, you just have to say NO sometimes. You will run yourself ragged if you don’t. You DON’T have to grade everything. You DON’T have to be on that committee. You DON’T have to stay afterschool every single day. Be sure to do what brings you joy at your school so you don’t get burnt out. Take care of yourself.
However, do say YES to any extracurricular things that will bring you joy!
21. Talk a Walk Outside
Be sure to go outside and get some Vitamin D daily. Take a walk around the school on your planning period. Take your students outside for a lesson. Just find some way to get outside on beautiful days!
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