The secret of successful and happy teachers is not rocket science. As a matter of fact, it is a pretty simple formula. But first, let’s find out where you are in this endeavor. Our rock-star teachers can agree with all of the statements below and they did not have to dedicate excessive amounts of time or financial resources to get there. As a matter of fact, it is practically effortless for them.
Statements of Successful and Happy Teachers:
- “I LOVE what I do”
- “I IMPROVE on my craft every chance I get by exposing myself to enriching opportunities””
- “I CONNECT myself and my students often and regularly with other people through the subject I teach”
- “I BUILD on what I teach inside the classroom by incorporating relevant outside stimulus”
- “I ENGAGE students through real life and language that they can relate to”
- “I INSPIRE students to embrace and eventually pursue more on the topic I teach
- “I CREATE experiences for my students and myself OUTSIDE of the classroom that will last a lifetime”
The first statement is true for most teachers who predominately LOVE what they do. Congratulations! You are already half way there to being successful and happy! Because teachers love what they do, most will, by default, likely agree with at least 4 or 5 of these 7 statements however, when you do the math, that means you have only reached 70% of your full potential for success and happiness in your career. Do you notice a pattern in the statements above? “Real life”, “enriching opportunities”, “connecting people”, “relevant outside stimulus”, “experiences that will last a lifetime”. These are all byproducts of influences outside of your classroom. All of our successful and happy teachers agree that bringing the outside into the classroom or taking the classroom outside is what makes the subject more exciting, captivating and enjoyable for both themselves and students they teach.
As a teacher, you are likely curious about the world around you, you take joy in the pleasures of discovery, and of meeting new people from other backgrounds and of tasting new, and sometimes exotic, foods. One of the things that people love to do outside of work that would fulfill the recurring items mentioned in the statements above is to TRAVEL. TRAVEL has proven to lower stress, enhance creativity, and boost happiness and satisfaction among the people that engage in it at least once a year. Leaving your classroom setting behind and traveling with your students outside of your city, state and country creates opportunities to engage, connect, and create stimulus that enhance the learning experience. Teachers are inspired by their new environments and students become fully engaged and present through the excitement of the adventure at hand. In addition, if you are a language teacher you are in a particularly advantageous situation since both you and your students are in a position to use and master a language skill through travel which, in turn, will provide even more opportunities to connect, learn and expand. The benefits are limitless!
Trips as short as one or two weeks can have a lasting impact on teachers and students alike. For teachers, traveling will remind you of the wonderful attributes of your field of study and refresh and renew your passion for it through the many wonders you will experience through language and culture and through seeing your field through the eyes of your peers in another country. For students, it will create a curiosity where they didn’t know they had one. It will teach them life skills that will serve them well for all of their future endeavors. This curiosity and these new found skills will yield positive results in all aspects of their lives and and will have a lasting effects beyond your classroom. Traveling abroad with a group from your school builds bridges, forges relationships and leaves lasting impressions.
So what is the simple formula?
As a teacher, we can say that true success comes from our direct contribution to someone else’s growth. That being said, the relationship between personal growth and travel is undeniable. Happiness is generally said to derive from having close relationships, a career or hobby that one loves and helping others. The correlation between teaching and happiness is also undeniable. If we combine these two elements we have our formula for success and happiness in teaching:
Helping Others Learn + Traveling = Successful and Happy Teacher
Come join us in 2020! Bring your classroom to Spain, France, Italy, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba or any other destination that inspires you and your students!
To learn more about how you can do this at no cost to you with full benefits and stipendat http://www.travelandeducation.org
Email us at info@travelandeducation.org
or call us at 215-396-0235
Travel & Education 