The Mr. Clarke Minute

How should you compare yourself to other teachers in a healthy, positive, and productive way? 

You know the feeling. It is Thursday, 12:09pm, and you begin your lunchtime supervision after offering extra help for the first portion. As you stroll, you hear one of the students raving over some activity/lesson another teacher went through and your demeanour begins to shift.

You may think, “what am I even doing? Am I boring? Am I not doing enough? How did this person find the time to plan this? Did they pay for their resources themselves? Am I a bad teacher because I do not have the same level of commitment as others?”

If you have not felt this way, you might be the weird one.

Comparing yourself to other teachers can be beneficial if viewed through a growth mindset lens or some other form of non-granola pathway for self-improvement and productivity. It can be overwhelming to move into a school with experienced, well-rounded educators and feel inadequate in your performance even if you are truly giving it everything you have.

Comparing for the sake of damaging yourself if you feel like you have nothing to offer, even if this is true, is still strictly counter-productive. It may sometimes be the case that yes, you are not performing at your best because you are exhausted for any number of reasons. It is in these moments that comparing yourself to those around you should be used for inspiration rather than self-degradation.

Otherwise, self-comparison will only hinder your performance with your students. If you carry yourself as if you have nothing to offer because you think it possible others may be offering more, this is likely your own negative self-perception muddying your reality as most other teachers are feeling the exact same way.

If you are interested in hearing more on the discussion of self-comparison, insecurities, and how to manage imposter syndrome, listen into my conversation with D’Vaughn Powell or the episode coming soon with Jay Yoder.

The Pod this Week

Shannon Dube - Shannon is currently the President for ATA Local 48 as well as the Numeracy Coordinator for the Fort McMurray Public School Division. On part one of our conversation, Shannon and I discuss the weirdness of incentivizing teachers out of the classroom, planning Professional Development for more than eight hundred teachers and the challenges that come with trying to please everyone, if the post-covid learning loss even exists, how the government is tying funding to learning loss, how school cultures develop in isolation, and, much more.

Upcoming Guests

Jay Yoder - Jay Yoder is a Teacher, Comedian, and Podcast Host. He is currently a Co-Host on the Teachers Off Duty Podcast and is one of the headliners on the Bored Teachers Comedy Tour. On part one of our conversation, Jay and I discuss his transition into comedy, being scared to start teaching and the pit stains that came with it, how he would bring an extra shirt to work each day, the importance of having other passions, feeling like he was raised in “witness protection” by having lesbian mothers and thinking he needed to hide it, adjusting his vision of fatherhood after having a daughter with autism, and, much more.

Listen to the show here —> linktr.ee/mrclarkeafterdark