8 Questions that Will Make You a Better Teacher

Do you want to be a better teacher? We believe that in order to be our best- as a person and as an educator, we always need to be growing. Personal growth can come through reading, taking classes, or participating in a PLC, but it can also come through simply asking yourself questions.

These questions have no right or wrong answers. They are meant to be reflective, for your eyes and for your heart. Success does not happen by accident, or by merely doing the things you have to do, but by purposefully seeking to grow.

Take a few minutes and ask yourself these questions. The answers will be the spark you need to ignite growth, which will energize you and set you up for future success.

Here are 8 questions that will make you a better teacher:

What am I proud of accomplishing? How can I use my successes and inspiration and as a blueprint for accomplishing new things?

Where have I failed? How can I use my failures to learn and to grow in the future?

Who has helped me in my teaching career? How can I say thank you and be grateful for the help I have received? How can I give back to someone else? When we work together to pull each other up, we all achieve more.

Who can mentor me in the next phase of my life? We all need people who can uplift us, teach us new things and help us to be better. Look around you. Are there master teachers you can learn from? Can you read about best practices? Can you take a class, join a mastermind group or become a part of on-line groups that will support you?

Who do I spend the most time with? Personal development expert Jim Rohn said that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. Are the people you spend time with filling you up or dragging you down? Negative talk in the teacher’s lounge can kill your spirit. Find the people in your life who energize you and support your goals.

What have I been wanting to do that I have not yet done? The answer to this question offers you a clear path for growth. Is there a program or strategy you have been wanting to try? Do you want to learn a new skill? What could you do that would make you a better teacher or a better person? Make a plan and get started. You don’t have to wait until you can do it perfectly, just get started.

What is the most important thing about today? The things that are urgent often get in the way of the things that are important. Teachers have busy days and busy lives. Long to-do lists can become overwhelming. Ask yourself each day, what is the most important thing about today? Then make sure you do that thing. This will help you to prioritize and make sure you are accomplishing the most important things.

Am I becoming the person I want to be? It is easy to become frustrated and yell at a student. It is easy to become overwhelmed with grading papers, quit and binge watch your favorite TV shows. We are not perfect. We will slide into bad habits or bad practices and we will most certainly mess up when we try new things. The import thing is not that we have messed up, but that we keep trying to move ourselves forward.

Give yourself credit for the good things, however small, that you do to help yourself move forward. Ask yourself, who do I want to be? Then take baby steps in that direction. Great things are not often accomplished by one big, perfect action, but by many small steps that gradually move you forward.

We know you want to be a better teacher, if not, you wouldn’t have read this far. We hope that you will make your personal growth a goal and set an intention towards growing each and every year. Not only will positive action towards personal growth make you better, it is the key that will keep you energized and enthused about your life and your work.

Happy learning,