“When you know yourself well--when you understand your emotions, social identities, core values, and personality--you gain clarity on your purpose in life and in work. Being anchored in purpose makes you able to deal with setbacks and challenges.”
-Elena Aguilar, Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators
As we finish the school year and move into summer, take time to ground yourself in who you are--your values, your purpose in teaching. Try some of these reflective activities:
- Take a core value assessment to help identify your top values. Reflect on how those values impact you as a teacher. Here is an example of a core values assessment: https://www.cmu.edu/career/documents/my-career-path-activities/values-exercise.pdf
- Write for three minutes about your purpose in education. Why did you become a teacher? What motivates you to stay? What do you love about teaching?