The Ripple Effect: Positive Teacher-Student Relationships and Lifelong Learning

…When I wake up in the morning and I don’t want to workout, I remember this. I remember how good it feels to have a large reservoir of energy to dive into for my students (last semester I had 215 counting my soccer class). I think about the example I am settling for them, the stories I…

Daily writing prompt

What relationships have a positive impact on you?

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My relationships with my girlfriend, children and parents have a positive impact on me…most of the time, but my students give me daily motivation to become the best version of myself.

The Challenge of Teaching

I always know, even during longer breaks such as the holidays, that I am going to be at my absolute best for my job. I know that the better physical health I am in, the stronger my mental fortitude, and the better prepared I am for the rigors of teaching, the greater my impact on my student’s lives will be.

This motivates me to really push the envelope with self-improvement. Having my own children did this in a major way, especially when they were younger. Nowadays they are getting older and don’t need all that much from dad except occasional guidance and financial support.

Teacher teaching a class looking inspireed

Teaching Forces One to Dig Deeper

When I wake up in the morning and I don’t want to workout, I remember this. I remember how good it feels to have a large reservoir of energy to dive into for my students (last semester I had 215 counting my soccer class). I think about the example I am settling for them, the stories I want to be able to tell them.

Positive Externalities of Teaching

One of the reasons I have become somewhat fanatical about blogging is that I want to improve my student’s writing and technology skills. I actually started designing websites on Google Sites with my students and eventually got to where I wanted to take it to the next level and here I am on WordPress. In economics we would call this a positive externality.

Student Teacher Friendships

The friendships I form with students each year are amazing. After twenty years of teaching, it is hard for me to go out in my city and not see one of my former or current students doing something positive in the community. Thanks to social media, I get to stay in touch and observe their lives from afar. Seeing the moments that they get their dream job, get married, have children and reach other milestones in life gives me great joy.

Teacher smiling at student achievements via social media

I find that the more I live this way, the better my entire life gets because I feel like everything I do matters. I worked in the restaurant business for seven years and I can’t say that I felt the same about that work. When work was over, everyone wanted to escape from it for a while because we felt like servants. Serving food over and over again, dealing with sometimes nasty customers, setting up and breaking down salad bars, was not the most rewarding of tasks. I am very grateful for the opportunity to do what I do.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading the Life Long Learning and Education Blog! I hope you have a fantastic end to 2023! Check out my other recent posts if you have a moment or two!