School and Community Fall 2022

The Measure of Success

Perspective

BY CHUCK MARTIN, MSTA PRESIDENT S uccess is defined in so many ways. It can be reaching a goal you have set for yourself or completing a big project that you planned and followed through. uccess, for a mechanic, is diagnosing and fixing a problem with a vehicle. A business might view success as producing a product and making a profit on it. Everyone has their own vision of what is successful. For us, as educators, success is measured by how we treat and influence people. One of the most difficult tasks as an educator is to define the bar of success in your own walk as a teacher, as well as for the students in your classroom. Let me remind you why this is so difficult. We are in the people business, NOT in the product business! We are called to encourage, inspire, motivate and educate the students in our classrooms. We need to be careful not to lose sight of what a special opportunity this is to impact future generations. We not only influence our students and their families, but also the colleagues with whom we work. Teachers must recognize their own strengths and do their best to support their colleagues. This will make the team stronger. Several times throughout my career, I have witnessed educational teams say, “We have such a great team!” or “We work so well together!” This is accomplished when teammates let their talents shine so the team can be successful and they can share the success as well as the burden. The success of educators should not be defined by MAP score data, state championships, or even the number of books read. Nor should the amount of curriculum we cover be the measure of our success. The true measure of success is found in the attitudes and effort of those whom we influence on a daily basis. Success in the educational world is demonstrated by teachers as we show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in our daily interactions. Your students do not care how much you know about your curriculum until they know how much you care about them. Every day, we need to bring our best and find the energy to positively influence those around us. It is vital that we surround ourselves with great support systems to be there for us on those hard days when we

struggle to be our best. Your support system could include family, colleagues at work, church friends, or even MSTA members from across the state. These are the people that complement our strengths, encourage us on those rough days, and challenge us to be our best. This summer at our MSTA leadership conference, Dr. David Geurin inspired us and motivated us with five points which are very fitting for educators to reflect upon to be successful: Enjoy the journey. Every day we need to find the motivation and energy to bring our best. Where your focus goes, your energy flows. Sometimes we look for miracles that change the world; we need to see the small miracles that happen in our classrooms every day. Be happy when others succeed. We are all blessed with individual talents. We should lead the fan club for those in our circles when they succeed, running to the front of the line to congratulate them. Admit mistakes and repair relationships. Don’t let pride be the factor for you or others whom you influence to fail. We all make mistakes. Step back, own them, and continue to grow. Lead with humility. The words “I’m sorry. Will you forgive me?” are very powerful. Meet needs and clear barriers. In the people business, we must serve people at their point of need. If serving is beneath you, then true leadership is beyond you. The greatest leader ever demonstrated servant leadership. We should follow HIS lead. Be a learner and share your learning with others. Work smarter not harder. If you are having a difficult time with something, chances are someone around you has gone through it as well. Remember that we are a team in this journey. Together Everyone Achieves More. I am so blessed to serve as your MSTA president this year. I want to remind you about your walk-up songs from my last article. Take a moment if you have not already and find your walk-up songs. Listen to them daily. Encourage, inspire, motivate and educate our future. Thank you for all you do for your students and communities. We are in this together. We are MSTA!

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