A Teacher Makeover:
Embracing the Past to Launch the Future

When you think of a makeover, what usually comes to your mind?

Is it a physical makeover, where you change something about your appearance such as your hair or wardrobe?

Is it a home makeover, where you knock down walls, add editions to the house, or redesign the interior, that makes your house look and feel brand new?

Professionally, as a teacher and educator, perhaps you are thinking of a classroom makeover, where your redesign your space and change the look and feel of your teaching environment to better support your instruction and improve your students learning.

All of those images of makeovers are accurate and we see examples of them in our day to day life.

But what do I mean when I talk about a teacher makeover?

A teacher makeover, in my opinion, is when a teacher makes renovations or changes in their personal and professional lives to improve their overall effectiveness, leading to better results and outcomes in their present and future.

Often as teachers, we try to separate our professional lives from our personal lives and that can present internal conflicts and challenges.

My personal educational philosophy is that we teach out of who we are…

If we bring a healthy and positive teacher into the classroom, then that usually trickles down into better relationships with students and more engaging instruction.

The converse is true when we bring an unhealthy and frustrated teacher into the classroom.  What can result is shallow student and professional relationships, poor instruction, and inner bitterness.

Embracing The Past

When I look back over my life there were many moments and events that helped define it, but none more memorable than the summer of 2015 when I suddenly lost my wife overnight.

Our daughter had just turned 4 years old about a week and a half before that and I had just accepted a position less than 3 weeks earlier as an instructional mentor to new special education teachers.

I had decided to leave 18 years in the classroom as a veteran special education teacher to support new teachers at the beginning of their careers.  I saw the toll that stress and burnout had on my fellow colleagues and myself and I wanted to be apart of the solution and not become bitter and a part of the problem.

I also wanted a change.

It was a difficult decision because I loved the kids and enjoyed creating lessons that really helped them learn and grow.  However, I also wanted to be a better husband and daddy and make a greater impact in the world of education.

That meant I had more time and emotional energy to give at home to my family and to the new breed of teachers entering the workforce.

And then, my wife died expectantly and thus began the journey of adjusting to a new normal in my life.

16 months prior to the passing of my wife, my only sister passed away from colon cancer, and in December 2015, my father passed away suddenly as well.

There was so much confusion, hurt, anger, unanswered questions and unrest in my life trying to figure out what to do and how to best support and raise my daughter as a single parent.

Over the next few years, I had to do a lot of healing and deal with grief and loss.  My faith in God and support from the community that included my church, extended family, friends, and colleagues at work, helped me stay open and not hide alone in my feelings.

One-on-one counseling helped me to stay emotionally present and uncovered hidden hurts and fears that were blocking and stunting my growth.

Through it all I became a better version of me, my dreams for the future were revived, and I began to take baby steps forward.

I was still unsure about where I was going, but I was sure that if I kept one foot in front of the other, inch-by-inch, I would get there.

While all of this was going on in my personal life, I was learning and growing in my job as a special educator instructional mentor, which I hadn’t officially started until the fall of 2015.

Working with new teachers was a different challenge, but one that bought me a renewed and revived professional life that I enjoy immensely to this day.

I was able to take all I had learned in my 18 years in the classroom as a K-12 teacher and pour it into helping early career educators find their voice and lay a solid foundation in their classrooms.

I also learned the value of collaboration with teachers, administrators, related service providers, parents, and community members in a new and deeper way that I wasn’t able to experience as a classroom teacher.

And all of this has made me who I am today…

I’m still healing.

I haven’t figured it all out yet and probably never will.

But through embracing my past with the good, bad, ugly, and really ugly, I am a stronger and more resilient person.

So, what about you,  fellow teacher?

• How have events, decisions, and situations from the past impacted your personal life and professional life as a teacher?
• How has the past influenced your present circumstances?
• Are you experiencing a teacher make-over?
• Do you need to experience a teacher make-over?

Launching into the Future

Writing has always been something I loved to do.  It was a talent I had and it brought me life.  I started this blog years ago, but due to life as you have seen, I was inconsistent with it and almost let it die.

However, this year I am in my own process of a teacher makeover and much of it will unfold through this website and blog.

In the upcoming weeks and months, here’s what you can expect:

• A fresh site makeover with a new look and feel that more represents my mission to support busy teachers.
• New, content delivered on a consistent basis focusing on real issues teachers face in the classroom, strategies to overcome them, productivity and time management ideas, and self-care/ work-life balance tips.

My vision is to create a community of like-minded teachers and educators that desire more inspiration and passion through their teaching and in their schools.

What is your vision of the future as a teacher and educator?

How do you want this year to look different from the previous year in the classroom and in your personal life?

I invite you to join me as we experience our teacher make-overs not in isolation, but together as a community. In that vein, I’ve recently created a Facebook community as well, pop over and join us!