Teaching Tip #172

Teacherscribe’s Teaching Tip #172

I was listening to last week’s Entreleadership podcast: Leaning into Leadership.  It’s an interview with one of Dave Ramsey’s VP’s - Daniel Tardy.

During the podcast, Tardy made a comment that stuck with me.  He said, as a business leader at Ramsey Solutions, he always asks himself this question to stay motivated:  “What is here because I am here?”

He uses that question to examine all the value that he brings to his company.

As he spoke those words, I began to think about my job as a teacher.  So I asked myself, “What is here because I am here?”

I thought about my students, who could take an easier class out at NCTC or opt for Lit and Lang.  I thought about the relatively standardized curriculum that we teach and how it will be a challenge to still inject my personal touch to it.  Because if I can’t, then I can’t really answer Tardy’s profound question, “What is here because I am here?”  

After all, no kid shows up to a class because they love the curriculum so damn much.

So “What is her because YOU are here?”