Teaching...Take This Job and LOVE It

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The 6 Dynamic Strategies of Highly Successful Teachers

Chapter 1

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Rules of Conduct for Teachers
(Board Of Education School Bulletin, 1915)

1. You will not marry during the terms of your contract.
2. You are not to keep company with men.
3. You must be home between the hours of 8:00p.m. and 6:00a.m. unless attending a school function.
4. You may not loiter in downtown ice cream stores.
5. You may not travel beyond city limits unless you have permission of the chairman of the board.
6. You may not ride in a carriage or automobile with any man, unless he is your father or brother.
7. You may not smoke cigarettes.
8. You may not dress in bright clothes.
9. You may under no circumstances dye your hair.
10. You must wear two petticoats.
11. Your dresses must not be any shorter than two inches above your ankles.
12. To keep the schoolroom neat and clean, you must sweep the floor at least once a week with hot, soapy water; clean the backboards at least once a day; and start the fire by 7:00a.m. so the room will be warm by 8:00a.m.

During my elementary school years I lived in South Carolina. I remember how hot the pavement felt when I ran barefooted across the street during those scorching summers. I screamed when my feet touched the sizzling asphalt, then smiled with relief as the pain dis-appeared. Like running across hot pavement, change sometimes causes temporary discomfort and pain in our lives. And if we give in to the burn of that pain, we’ll soon freeze into a state of fear and apathy. Successful teachers aren’t satisfied to stand in the middle of me-diocrity. Average just isn’t acceptable to great teachers.

To get more out of your life, you must be willing to take risks, deal with the temporary pain of change when it comes, and break out of your comfort zone with every ounce of energy you possess. Face it: if you wait until every situation is right, you’ll wait forever.

Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.
General George S. Patton

Change and challenge are bound together like the strands of a cord. If you want to experience the exhilaration of victory in your classroom, you must break through the boundaries of your comfort zone by changing your emotional frame of mind. Three emotions can prevent you from fully enjoying your teaching career, as well as the rest of your life. These feelings combine to form what we’ll call the "FUD Factor"-Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. We all wrestle with them. So let’s be honest with each other. I’m not particularly fond of riding roller coasters. Let me rephrase that; I get sweaty palms wait-ing in line to ride Dumbo at Disney World.

Fear, uncertainty, and doubt inhibit your success by reducing your level of self-confidence. So what kind of fear do you face in your classroom:

• Fear of embarrassment when a student asks a question you can’t answer?
• Fear of losing control of the classroom?
• Fear of teaching a difficult subject?
• Fear of technology as a teaching tool?
• Fear of your principal-especially when she/he visits unan-nounced?

During my elementary school years I lived in South Carolina. I remember how hot the pavement felt when I ran barefooted across the street during those scorching summers. I screamed when my feet touched the sizzling asphalt, then smiled with relief as the pain dis-appeared. Like running across hot pavement, change sometimes causes temporary discomfort and pain in our lives. And if we give in to the burn of that pain, we’ll soon freeze into a state of fear and apa

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