Education Blog
The Road to Burnout is Paved With Good Intentions
I’ve been doing a lot of work lately with an amazing partnership in Chicago between the Charmm’d Foundation and the Character Education Partnership out of Washington D.C. I was in Chicago to do some trainings for them a few weeks ago. I’ll share more about this exciting work as it rolls out.
In preparation for my time with the teachers there, I wrote the following piece that I think you’ll enjoy. So. Enjoy!
The Road to Burnout is Paved With Good Intentions
It lurks out there somewhere. Hiding in the shadows. It waits for you. Sometimes, when it’s quite, you can hear it whispering to you. Like a phantom, we can catch glimpses of it out of the corners of our eyes. And maybe, just maybe, if you run fast enough or hide well enough, it won’t come to find you.
Burnout. It’s out there. Somewhere. And like a bad flu, it’s coming to get you.
Or is it?
Actually, no. It’s not coming at you.
Read More >>2010: In Recovery from 2009
When I was a little boy, we had a cat named “Kitty.” My brother and I claimed to really love Kitty. At one point my parents suggested we give Kitty away. We protested vociferously. So they kept Kitty for a bit longer. Then, taking a risk, they did give Kitty away.
It took over a month until my brother asked, “Um… where’s Kitty?” My parents had gotten away with it. I guess our love didn’t run that deep.
So lately I’ve had a couple of folks ask, “Um… when are you going to post to your blog?” Well, perhaps I was waiting for someone to notice! It’s good to be missed and even better to be back.
Like you, I’m just glad to have a new year stretching before me. The sheer chaos (and excitement) of the past few months have been tremendous. I haven’t posted here since the end of October.
Read More >>
40% of American Teachers are Disheartened
By now many of you may have scene the report that came out this week from Public Agenda and Ed Week titled Teaching for a Living: How Teachers See the Profession Today.
It’s an absolutely gripping report and one that every teacher, principal, and policy maker should read. If we were smart, it would serve as the cornerstone to any policy debate we have about school reform. Sadly, that seems like wishful thinking.
In the report emerges a portrait of three clusters of educators: disheartened, contented, and idealists. The graphic below shows the primary traits of each group:
Looking through some of the general conclusions about these three groups, it’s striking how much the overall EXPERIENCE of being an educator is at the center of the report.
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A Conversation about All Things Teaching
A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege of participating in a great event called "Policy and a Pint." Sponsored by Minnesota Public Radio and the Citizen's League, these events are open to the public, informal, and provide opportunities for lively conversations about current topics.
Amber Damm (Minnesota's Teacher of the Year) and I engaged in an interesting conversation as we fielded questions ranging from teacher salaries to Teach for America.
It was a great evening and I encourage you to find a bite of time to listen to this and feel free to chime in via the comments if you have further questions or feedback.
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5:30 a.m. Running Group: A Metaphor
Okay. Maybe I’ve been wrong.
My friend Adam and I have run together off and on for a few months each Monday morning. I’ve skipped out on most. Our wives run together every other day at 5:30 a.m. and have done so for years. They never miss a run. Adam runs with a group of guys on the other days. And each week for the past year, he’s invited me to go and each time I say no.
Until this morning.
Generally, I fall on some common themes for why I won’t go running with Adam’s group:
1. I like to run alone.
2. 5:30 is too early for anyone to do anything.
3. I don’t like talking when I run.
4. I run better and enjoy it more when I have solitude.
But here’s the reality:
1. “I like to run alone” had turned into “I like to push snooze and skip runs.”
2. Anytime is too early to work out and I just came off the most out of shape summer I can remember.
3. Being with others is about the only thing that will actually get me to change course.
4.
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As a former teacher, I’ve seen first-hand the issues that educators face every day. I hope that by writing this blog, I can share some insights (as well as a sense of humor) on teacher job satisfaction and school climate, and spark conversation about how to improve our schools.
—Nathan Eklund, M.Ed
Senior Education Consultant
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