This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to our winners! We’re giving away copies of The Balanced Teacher Path to five lucky readers! In The Balanced Teacher Path, award-winning teacher Justin Ashley offers advice on achieving work-life balance and employing self-care techniques to avoid burnout. A perfect summer read!
To Enter: Leave a comment below describing how you keep your passion for teaching alive. This giveaway is now closed.
For additional entries, leave a separate comment below for each of the following tasks that you complete:
Each comment counts as a separate entry—that’s four chances to win! Entries must be received by midnight, June 23, 2017.
Each winner will be contacted via email on or around June 26, 2017, and will need to respond within 72 hours to claim his or her prize or another winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way affiliated with, administered, or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. Winners must be U.S. residents, 18 years of age or older.
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Students and the desire to learn myself – keep me going every day:)
Followed on Pinterest!
Participate in Courage & Renewal teacher retreats.
By coming back to the intention of the magnificent power I have to impact students’ lives.
Getting feedback from kids, doing my own continual professional development, and trying new things ever year!
It is a great day to be learning!
I keep my passion alive by always learning, so I can be the best teacher for all my students. I write as many grants as possible for professional development classes. I spend my summers learning and reading as much as I can! The more I learn and keep up to date, the better I am for my students, which is the most important aspect for me. How can I get my kids excited about learning if I am not excited about learning myself?
I keep my passion for teaching alive by keeping up on ways to engage my classroom and being connected to the teacher community
I keep my passion alive by continuing to learn and grow as a teacher. This past year, I was able to go back to school and obtain a master’s in literacy and a reading certification. I strongly believe we must keep learning as the years pass.
I follow you on Pinterest!
I follow you on Twitter (@singalullaby)!
I enjoy attending conferences. It is energizing to connect with other passionate teachers. The exchange of ideas and strategies fill me up and I can’t wait to get back and add them to my practice.
Daily Meditation
My student keep my love for teaching alive! It is ironic that just when I am starting to feel a little burnt out, I receive a message from a past student or a current student draws Mrs picture that perks me right up. I have a couple of notebooks that I have filled with those items. Looking through them gives me the resolve to keep going.
I try to keep my passion fresh by changing what I do through listening to students and other teachers to see how I can tweak my own teaching and learning…in several decades I don’t think I have ever repeated one whole year.
I enjoy taking webinars related to teaching.
I keep my passion for teaching alive by reading and participating in workshops/webinars where I can discover new ideas/activiies to use in my classroom.
I keep my excitement for teaching alive by taking great trainings and reading exciting books like this. I find some great new ideas that I can share with my great kids all who are so willing to try and explore new things.
I keep my passion as an educator alive by remembering what it’s like to be a child and young person and factoring it that it’s incredibly MORE difficult in this day and age!! I also remind myself frequently that I am here to be an advocate for the kids and that helps me to avoid being sucked into workplace or district-level politics. I went into the profession for children and that’s why I remain here!!
The students, the younger teachers, the veteran teachers all help to keep my passion for teaching alive.
Following on Facebook. Love you materials!
I believe in the kids and their potential- that’s the star I continually shoot for.
Passion in what you do everyday comes from deep within. The rewards to be reaped vary from a child’s eyes looking at you with a slow, gradual smile on their face, to watching a child blossom in 1 year – like a caterpillar to a butterfly. My teaching passion is taken from the motto that everything can be a learning opportunity which I can give and I can take for myself.
I am following you on Pinterest.
I am following you on Facebook.
I keep my passion for teaching alive by doing many things. I try to keep that work/personal life balance so I don’t get burned out, make friends with my coworkers so I can have someone to vent to and lift me up when I am unsure, and build relationships with my students because they are the reason for what I do.
Understanding that the world desperately needs critical thinkers, heartful communicators and respectful, deliberative collaborators keeps me coming back!
I keep my passion for teaching alive by remembering why I became a teacher. I went into teaching to be the teacher I always wanted, but never had! I think I was exposed to many teachers who could have used this book!
I keep learning. The more I read, hear, see in action, the more energized I become!
The children and our teachers helping them be successful!
I keep my passion for teaching alive by attending meaningful professional development. I always come back excited and with great new ideas to try!
The kids keep me on my toes!
My stress level could definitely benefit from a book like this!
I keep my passion alive by reassessing my classes every year. I made a checklist and the end of the year I allow my students to evaluate me to let me know what I did well, what I need to improve or what I never need to do again. After reading all of these, I been to plan for next time. All the comments, complaints and feedback I receive from my students is what keeps my passion alive. I can genuinely say, I LOVE TEACHING!
Never lose sight of why you went into teaching.
Spending time with other educators to get new ideas to bring back to my program and my own children
To keep my passion alive I seek new ideas and best practices, planning each summer so I can be well prepared for fall. I also enjoy webinars and art workshops. Best of all I re-read all of the lovely notes and look at the drawings that my art students have given to me. My students fuel my passion. And of course I visit the beach to renew my peace.
One thing I do to keep my passion alive is to always seek out new and exciting research and best practices on educational trends! That’s why I love your site, resources, and blog!! I also make sure not to work in the summer so I am fully revived and refreshed when the school year begins!
Making connections with students and seeing the difference you make in their lives! Knowing that you have shown them something new or giving them an experience they have never had before!
It is the students who keep me motivated and wanting to come back year after year!
I keep my passion alive with my love for my students. I’m remind myself of why I dove into this profession and that was to make a positive impact on a child’s life. Every day is a new day and we start fresh. I try to live by the adage that I teach my students, “We cannot control what others say or do, but we can control how we respond!”
Liked on Facebook
To keep my passion alive, I try to stay informed, educated, and inspired, always looking for new and fresh ideas for my preschool program. I also try to be truly, intentionally present in the classroom, focusing and paying attention so that I can provide what the children need at the moment, creating a trusting relationship and an environment that fosters the best learning for the young lives I am entrusted with.
I try to attend as many professional development trainings as possible, 1. to keep up on the current trends, 2. to network with other passionate early childhood advocates!
I keep my passion for teaching alive by talking with other teachers and reading research based information. I also take the time to observe as well as teach. This helps me really “see” children.
This school year, I decided to start practicing mindfulness and meditation to help myself stay positive and energized with my group of students. It’s been a life-saver and I honestly feel like I can continue to be passionate about teaching now that I’m consciously working on being present and in the moment.
Tweeted about Balanced Teacher Path
Just followed on Pinterest
Passion for teaching comes from the kids and wonderful coworkers, from surrounding yourself with those who are positive and excited about teaching and learning. Passion comes from finding what is meaningful to you and letting others see how it radiates from your passion. When those around you are excited, it just spreads like wildfires.
By taking the best summer profession development where I travel and meet teachers from all over the world and/or United State! By practicing mindfulness in my classroom everyday with my students.
I keep my passion alive by pushing the limits to make any/all activities as purposeful as possible. My purpose as an educator is to find ways to connect experiences to learning opportunities.
What keeps my passion alive? Understanding the myriad needs of the students, as we educators fulfill so many different roles for the students, oftentimes, even mother and father. When you see the need, the passion grows, as we have been called and equipped to help meet those needs. We need the students to pass learning on, they need us for survival!
I try to remember that I never stop learning and growing. Everyday is a new day and new beginnings, even for the disruptive kids.
I keep my passion going by connecting with educators around the globe. I think I’d fee isolated and get burned out if I didn’t. I would love to win this book!
I try to BYKB (bring my kid brain) every day and really ask myself “Is this going to be fun? Would I want to do this if I were a kid in this class?” while planning lessons. I also love attending EdCamps and practicing mindfulness in the classroom to stay inspired and positive!
Talking with new teachers and watching the succeed.
I surround myself with all people, places and things positive.
I work with teachers at the university level – and I try to connect with them individually, listen to them and their concerns, try to meet their needs and be flexible. Always growing – always growing.
This will be my first year of teaching, and I just got my first job! I’m hoping to keep a healthy balance, by having date nights with my husband and doing things with him.
When students tell me that they really understand a concept and want to know more – that keeps my passion for teaching alive.
To keep my passion for teaching alive, I continue to update my professional tools and strategies by way of webinars and professional readings. Yesterday, I just signed up for a 3 day hands-
on workshop at the estuaries nearby. I hope to be able to connect these days spent with my science teaching, as well as the Next Generation Science Standards. The concept of growth mindset definitely helps one in reaching our students daily, forming positive relationships and encouraging them to do their best. I am very much interested in the STEAM program and making interdisciplinary connections. Giving students more choices, along with project based learning, as well as finding new technologies to reach students is key. For example, while teaching fraction units, I introduced my students to the virtual reality game of Fog Stone Isle.
I love to teach my preschoolers I am a teacher who always put children first. I am in the feel for more than 25 years and always learn something new from them.
Thank you for your generosity
TLC
Sussy
Making a positive difference in the lives of the children is what motivates me to do the job of teaching.
I follow Free Spirit Publishing on Facebook.
I follow Free Spirit Publishing on Pinterest.
I follow you on Pinterest
I continually try to learn new strategies!
I follow on Facebook
I have been so upset with a student that I have stepped out of the classroom and considered driving off and not stopping until I got to California. I am nervous most of the way to school in the mornings. I have nightmares about missing my own class. But I know teaching is what I am meant to do. I know this when a student who may be a hot mess stops by my room during my planning period just to say, “Hi!” (and get whatever snack food I have on hand). I know this when I get a letter from a student whom, despite myself, I have somehow reached and who shares hurts I will never know. I know this when a student asks me to review a poem she is submitting for a contest. Teaching is hard, hard, hard, but it is my passion.
Its the kids. Having the summer’s off gets me energized to go back to school come August and meet the new class.
To keep my passion of teaching alive, I love going to different conferences and meeting fellow teachers who have the same passion that I do! I love sharing my ideas from my classroom and listening and implementing new ideas that I hear from other teachers!
I keep changing the activities from trimester to Trimestrt
I keep my passion for teaching alive by seeing how well my students progress from school start to school end.
I have liked your Facebook page and now I am following you!
Keeping passion for teaching alive by taking advantage of any opportunities for professional development, continuously being open to learning to new things and ways, surrounding myself with other passionate like-minded people, and making sure I pay attention to student’s “ah-ha” moments!
I keep my passion alive for teaching through seeing students succeed. I work with middle school special education students in the regular classroom through inclusion.
Sometimes, taking a break is the best way to keep me motivated to go on. I unplugged this weekend, and returned to work ready to go. The kids deserve our best and we can’t give it to them if we’re exhausted. I cannot completely unplug every weekend, but now and again, it must be done.
I attend webinars and other pro d activities, and am open to taking on a variety of students who have special needs,
I continuously participate in webinars and tweet. Tweeting is free pd. I love it! And I grow constantly.
Keep learning! Continue to find problems that need to be solved. If you do those things, it is almost impossible to not stay passionate.
I keep my passion for teaching by taking time for myself and hanging out with other teachers from time to time.
Being a teacher is definitely a calling! My students are my kids, love them all.
My passion comes alive when a child succeeds at a task and gives me a hug for encouraging and not doing for them.
I remind myself every morning that I am here on earth to make a difference in the lives of children!
To keep my passion for teaching alive, I think of everything through my actual kid’s and my student’s eyes. From how I want them to continue to grow and learn everything they can from their different teachers and embrace the lifelong love for learning. I believe that we need to create an academic, emotional, and realistic life for each student and cater to their ever wondering minds. Letting their thoughts guide them into their learning and our teaching.
I love learning. If I was to live a thousand years that would not be long enough to learn a part of what life has to offer. Helping students develop this attitude is what keeps my passion for teaching alive. When the students tell me they love learning, my passion grows even more.
Seeing or hearing those light bulb moments and seeing students take responsibility for their education – those are what keep me going 😉
Shaping minds of little ones is my passion. I love teaching. Every day I think of how the kids are inspired to learn and succeed. I strive to be the best I can be for them and to be a model. Be a teacher that they will always remember.
I’m following Free Spirit Publishing on Pinterest.
I just attended high school graduation in our community. Having students I taught in preschool run up to hug me and be excited to see me there will never get old!! Making a difference in a child’s life is what I’m passionate about,
I love teaching. It is a second career for me and the one I’ve always wanted. However, I spend my summers working on next year and my breaks grading or figuring out how to motivate students and parents. I think I have forgotten how to relax other than sleep.
It’s all about the kids!!!
Following on Pinterest as J Oliger.
I plan projects that I am excited for students to do. Right now my students are working on planning a school garden.
In order to keep my passion alive for teaching, I follow fellow teachers in FB and Twitter. I try and engage in conversations around the whats and whys of what we do in the classroom. I also try and learn from my students – my summer reading list is mostly of books my students recommended for me. When I become stagnant, I’ll lose my drive.
It’s the kids! They keep my teaching passion alive!