I don’t know about you but I have never worked so hard, cried so much and felt so challenged professionally as I have in 2020. I have also never felt more in awe of the teaching profession. And from my chats with parents and carers who homeschooled for the first time during lockdowns, I know I’m not the only one!
I watched as millions of teachers, across the globe, abruptly transitioned their classrooms from face-to-face to online learning within days. You have put on a brave face for your parents and students, You have found creative ways to engage your students and you have valued them whether in-person or virtually.
Despite its challenges, 2020 has impressed upon me the strength and resilience of the human spirit and the immeasurable value of the men and women who educate the future generations. I have never been prouder to count myself as one of this community.
MY 2020 WAS WILD
Last year was a significant one for me personally. With the arrival of our beautiful baby girl, my wife and I adjusted to having TWO kids under 3-years-old. We also had a family member go through a life-altering medical emergency – the repercussions of which we are still walking out. Navigating these new challenges has stretched me mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically! Honestly, without the support of my amazing wife, my steadfast friends, incredible mentors and my teacher community, I don’t know where I’d be on this side of 2021.
My experience and our collective experience of 2020 has caused me to think deeply about what REALLY matters. Though I’ve not written many articles (I promise to get better at this)I have thought about and talked about you (fellow teachers and loyal readers) a lot.
BIG QUESTIONS
How have you coped with the rapid changes and new challenges of our profession? How have you adapted and grown? In what ways have you struggled? How close have you got the end of yourself and have you found your way back just yet? Are you happy? Are your relationships in tack? Are you well? Is it well with your soul?
These are big questions! What better time to check in with yourself than the beginning of a new year. This is what I’m asking myself and trust me, there’s much more learning and work to be done!
WILL YOU COME ON THE JOURNEY WITH ME?
Many of you subscribed to this newsletter as new teachers or because we connected in person or on another platform. I started I’m a New Teacher because I was sick of seeing so many brilliant, talented new teachers burn out and leave the profession. That hasn’t changed. I’m all too aware, however, that the complexities of life and our profession only increase with time and experience.
To continue our conversation about teaching and living, I’m launching a NEW Podcast, The Art of Teaching with an interview with award-winning speaker, bestselling author and world-renowned thinker, Richard Gerver. The longer I work as an educator and the more people I talk to about our profession I cannot shake the conviction that we as teachers should be the most vibrant and passionate people on the planet. We are tasked with the enormous responsibility of inspiring generations of world changers! We need to be the best at what we do and I’ve learned that this does not mean just working harder. We’ve all tried that and it just does not work.
It starts with you, the teacher. So allow me to reframe my questions above…
What makes you happy?
How can you cultivate flourishing relationships?
What does your body need to thrive?
What nourishes your soul?
I hope you will come on the journey with me to explore these questions and more! I have already recorded a number of interviews with fascinating guests and I have many more to come as I explore this new way of connecting, sharing and learning together!
I know that your inbox is most likely full of all sorts of emails and I truly appreciate you taking the time to read this one. This mode of communication will become more and more important as I share with you what I’m learning and continue the conversation.
And finally, I’d love to hear from you. Write to me with your experiences, your stories and your thoughts on these big questions.
Cheering you on,
Mathew