Teacher apathy: Declaring war on the greatest evil on Earth.

Pretty dramatic, yeah?

Well it’s about damn time someone called it out.

No it’s not hatred, war or hollywood. It’s far more subtle and pandemic.

“Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.” – Sun Tzu

It dulls the eyes.
It eats  joy for breakfast.
It causes good people to do nothing good.
It saps courage.
It breeds selfishness.
Ultimately, it’s goal is to kill your soul.

It’s name is apathy.

No-one wants to live like this, but it’s so easy to fall into and so hard to get out. How does it latch onto us? Fatigue? Busyness? Lack of purpose? We start to feel weary, bored, stuck, sick. A hopelessness sets in and then we flat line, for weeks, months, YEARS.

I’m all for declaring war (especially when the enemy is the Greatest Evil on Earth), and I’m a bit of a “go in guns blazing” kind of person – however, apathy is one of those tricky buggers that we have to be a little smarter with. I used to think I could fight apathy in myself with sheer determination and focus. That if I pushed harder, things would be better. But there’s one problem with this, who the heck wants to pick a fight when they’re feeling apathetic?

Unfortunately, it does take some kind of desire for more from life. If you don’t have that desire, I’m sorry, but I don’t think there are enough self-help books in the world to help you manufacture it. You either want more for yourself or you don’t.

If you have a little bit of desire, a little bit of hunger for more, I think a great place to start is to imagine what life could be like without apathy. I mean, imagine it, having a sparkle in your eye, a bright outlook, a willingness and the energy to do something truly great. What would that feel like? Cultivating a strong sense of purpose and determination in ourselves sounds like hard work, but what if it wasn’t hard? What if it was easy for you? What if you did more than just the minimum requirement, what if the work you did made you feel good about yourself?

You may not realise it, but you’re already taking a little bit of ground by just entertaining the thought that things could be better. When I think outside of what I’m feeling, I start to realise that apathy was not actually a part of me. It sits on me, making a meal of my despondency, but it is not actually in me. I don’t have to stay flat. I don’t have to stay down. And that’s when I realise I have what it takes to haul ass and kick ass. What I’m saying is, when you let your thinking rise above a feeling, you learn that you are in control –  and that my dear dear people is where the power is. (Boomtown baby!)

In a war there are many tactics used to take ground. Every battle is different and you win some, you lose some. When fighting the Greatest Evil on Earth, it’s important to remember that it will take time and practise to win and keep ground. Don’t beat yourself up if you fall down. Keep dreaming even if your dreams are mere shadows of what they used to be or could be. Keep rested and healthy – sounds simple, but apathy strikes when our defences are down. Keep taking steps forward, because the next one could be a breakthrough.

 

Posted by Mathew Green on January 06, 2015  /   Posted in Uncategorized
Whether you’re a casual teacher, permanently employed, working as a support teacher or on a temporary contract with your school, you are directly involved in educating, training and shaping some of the greatest minds that this world is yet to see.
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