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What Are You Paying Attention To?

Do you realize we only hear what we pay attention to? I know you're probably saying, "Duh, no kidding." But don't take that simple truth for granted. See, the real question is "What are you paying attention to?" Allow me to explain...

If you ask the average person in education (or any Jane or John Doe on the street), "What do you think about the state of education today?," more than likely you'll "hear" something that's equal to a PR person's worst nightmare. You'll hear things like:
"Teachers are terribly underpaid."
"Students are so disrespectful."
"Parents are not involved enough."
"No one cares about teachers."
"Legislators and school districts are out of touch with reality."
"Students don't care and don't want to learn."
"All they (schools and politicians) care about are test scores."

Now, I'm not here to debate whether or not some, or all, of those issues are true (or even why they exist), but rather to question if you are paying attention to what you're hearing.

See, whatever we pay attention to, we digest. And, like food, whatever you digest influences how you feel. If you don't believe me, try poison (of course I'm being facetious). But some of the things we allow into our ears, just like poison, can adversely affect our health and how we feel about our job as teachers. And how you feel about something usually determines how you act toward it; and how you act toward it ultimately determines the results you produce from it (in your life as well as on your job).

So, my question again is "What are you paying attention to?" It doesn't take much effort to "hear" and focus on all the ills, issues, and problems we face in education; most outsiders can't even understand how we manage to survive a week of it.

However, I tell my friends when they question my sanity (which is quite often) concerning teaching and my ability to maintain a positive attitude:
"I have a simple choice each time I start a new school year: I either can focus on whining about teaching or I can focus on winning as a teacher. And I've learned from 14 years teaching experience that whining (or worrying) has never produced a positive benefit for me. So that's why I choose to pay attention and focus on winning."

So what about you? What are you paying attention to? Remember, always keep your eyes on the prize and keep your ears on the cheers (instead of the jeers of the critics). Teach with passion!

Article by Joe Martin
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