I have always said that teaching is the hardest job.  After forty years, I still think so.

I've learned a lot and want to share insights and ideas and thoughts that may be able to help teachers everywhere.

Teaching is a very human experience.  It's messy.  It doesn't fit into a straight line of "you do this and this will happen."  Teaching can be very frustrating.  It can be very gratifying.  No matter what, it is the hardest job.

Here are the reasons (my top 11) and here is how MegaSkills enable educators to do this tough job more effectively and more easily.

 

Confidence
I have to plan classwork in advance but be ready to change these plans at virtually any moment

Motivation
I need to know to re-energize and motivate myself so that I can help motivate those I teach.

Effort  
I have to convey enthusiasm and be encouraging to students even when I am tired and discouraged.

Responsibility
I need to seek ways to learn more about the subjects I teach and keep improving my teaching abilities.

Initiative  
I have to be alert and seize teaching moments that may not come again.

Perseverance 
I need to continue to be helpful to students, teachers, parents… even when  I actually feel “helpless.”

Problem Solving 
I have to know how to keep order in the midst of potential chaos: I have to be self-disciplined and teach self discipline.

Common Sense 
I have to know how to encourage students who learn in different ways and who need something different from what   I provide for the whole class.

Teamwork 
I have to connect with families and to mobilize them to help their children learn.

Caring
I need to open my heart, as well as my mind, to all my students.

Focus 
I have to pay attention to a student at a time but need eyes in the back of my head to observe what all students are doing.