While this year has been a challenging one for all of us, it has been especially difficult for teachers because it has posed unprecedented challenges that have completely altered the normal course of their work.
In order to recognize the effort that they are putting in during COVID-19, here is a list of the 5 most important life lessons I learned from my teachers.
1. You get out what you put in.
It’s no surprise that the work you put in will directly impact the result you get out. If you study for 5 days for your final, you’re probably going to do much better than if you were to study for 2 hours. Naturally, my teachers went to great lengths to get this point across and some even did regular check-ins to ensure that we were completing our work in a timely manner.
2. It never hurts to ask for help.
Most of my teachers have made themselves easily accessible for students in the event that they need assistance.
They made it clear that they had no issue finding time to help their pupils. If you find yourself struggling with an assignment or concept, there is no shame in contacting your teacher to seek out supplemental assistance.
If that assistance isn’t enough, there’s no issue with seeking out a tutor or more personalized attention. This lesson goes beyond the classroom, too. Asking for a little help in any facet of life can go a long way.
3. You have to believe in yourself.
Some of my favorite teachers really emphasized this message. and while this idea is pretty simple to grasp in concept, it is often a lot harder to execute. In order to succeed in anything, it’s important that you believe in yourself.
You can do this by putting your faith in the fact that you can overcome the challenges placed before. Even if you receive all the aid in the world, it will be hard to prevail without having strong trust in yourself.
4. You’re probably not going to love all your classes.
Some of my best teachers would stress the idea that not all students have the same passions and skill sets. Before you get too hard on yourself for not feeling accomplished in all of your classes, ask yourself: which courses do you love? These are the classes that are worth dedicating your energy to.
While you should still give effort to your other courses, it is probably best to dedicate the majority of your study time to the classes that interest you the most. These will be the classes that prove to be most important to you later on.
5. You need a planner. Seriously.
In fifth grade, one of my teachers provided my whole class with planners and I have not stopped using one since. While this lesson is perhaps the least emotionally-layered of the bunch, it is possibly the most important one.
It is imperative that you give yourself a way to lay out your schedule so that you can keep track of your assignments and to ensure that you have enough time to do everything you need to do.
This will also allow you to identify breaks in your schedule for me-time and personal interests, which is vital in keeping up your motivation and happiness.
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You may have your own set of lessons learned from your favorite teachers and perhaps some of them overlap with each other. I challenge you to reach out and acknowledge one of the teachers in your life. Thank them for all they do to keep us motivated and moving forward because they deserve it!
Reflect & Refresh 