Guest post by Todd Nesloney and Adam Welcome, founders of Kids Deserve It.
The game of education is complex, challenging, filled with bureaucracy and red tape. It’s a tough fight, daily struggles with ups and downs that are sometimes hard to swallow. As educators, there’s a lot we can control within our environments, and there’s also a lot we can’t control.
But sometimes, instead of being a spectator of the game, we need to focus more energy on being a player in the game. You see, players can make moves, they can pass the ball, call in for a sub, get help from the trainer, and they have the independence to move around the field to make plays happen.
If you focus on being a player in the game, rather than a spectator, you’re going to be more positive with interactions, be happier, celebrate small wins, and in the long run be more sustainable in your career.
Let’s create a robotics or coding club for kids. Or write some Donors Choose grants to get more awesome materials for our classes. Or start a before school or after school art class, pottery making club, quilting, gaming, baseball/basketball/football, gardening or more!
Eat lunch with your students, that’s totally something you can control and will help you get in the game. Kids love when adults sit down with them at lunch – go ahead and make those connections! Or play at recess/PE. There’s something powerful about watching your teacher get down and play on that same level.
Most educators at some point in their career have had struggles with the game of education. Turn it around and be someone who does more than watch the game happen. Be that rockstar player who goes out there and lays it all on the field to do what’s best for kids and the school at large. That’s where we can make real change on a local level!