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Improving teacher motivation has been on the forefront of many administrators' agendas for some time now-whether that's because of the alarming teacher turnover rate or because teachers tend to forget about their own needs. Whatever the case may be, longevity in the field of education is dependent upon us teachers, and if we want to avoid burnout, we must stay motivated.

Here are a few teacher motivation strategies that have worked for me.

1. Set Daily Intentions

There was a moment in my career when my motivation was severely lacking. I felt tired and drained because I was teaching during the day and pursuing my master's degree at night-I was definitely getting burned-out. I brought up these concerns with a colleague, and she suggested that I start setting intentions for the day each morning before I even got out of my bed. I had to clearly determine what I wanted to achieve that day, such as intending to stay calm when things got loud or taking time to get to know my students better, and then set out to achieve that goal. Each morning I would think of what I wanted to achieve and then at night, before I went to sleep, I would check back with myself to make sure I achieved my goal. After about a week or so of setting intentions, I found that this trick did in fact help motivate me.

2. Update Your Workspace

For years, people have talked about how the way offices and personal workspaces are decorated has a direct effect on employees' productivity and motivation. But I didn't realize how much of a difference it could make until I updated my own space. I was once losing motivation and having trouble concentrating when spending time at my desk. I decided to surround myself with things that made me happy. From pictures of my family and pets to my favorite flowers and inspirational decor, I took control of my workspace and created an environment that truly motivated me.
Further reading: 10 Ways to Avoid Teacher Burnout
3. Embrace Motivational Quotes

One of my favorite motivation strategies is to read, post, and display inspirational quotes about teaching-such as "Teachers who love teaching teach children to love learning" or "Today you lead the school, tomorrow your students will lead the world." These quotes inspire me to keep going because they remind me why I chose this career path in the first place, and they encourage me to be the best educator I can be.

4. Try Something New

Oftentimes, teachers feel unmotivated when they've been doing the same routine for a long time. I've found that changing things up a bit is a great motivator. For example, I used to start the day with my students doing seat work. As I got into yoga in my personal life, I decided to start the school day with a morning yoga session. The students would come into the classroom, and we'd have a quick morning meeting followed by a yoga sequence. Sometimes all you need to do to stay motivated is change up your routine or add something new and exciting to your day.
Further reading: How Do You Grow Your Teaching Career (Video)
Teaching is a profession where you must stay motivated, so take matters into your own hands. Once you do, you'll realize that self-motivation is the best motivation of all! How do you stay motivated in the classroom? Share your tips in the comments below.

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Feeling Burned Out? 4 Teacher Motivation Tips to Keep You Going

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Improving teacher motivation has been on the forefront of many administrators' agendas for some time now-whether that's because of the alarming teacher turnover rate or because teachers tend to forget about their own needs. Whatever the case may be, longevity in the field of education is dependent upon us teachers, and if we want to avoid burnout, we must stay motivated.

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https://www.audubon.org/get-outside/activities/audubon-for-kids

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Audubon for Kids | Nature Activities, DIY, Lessons for Home

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In many ways every child is born a scientist—exploring their world, leading small experiments, asking questions, searching for answers. That innate curiosity and drive to inquiry is what Rachel Carson, the groundbreaking conservationist and author, called a sense of wonder. “A child’s world is fresh…

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https://ignite.amazon.com/#/

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Sell your original teaching resources like printables, lesson plans, and classroom activities as digital downloads on Amazon. It's free to join and easy to use. Request an invitation today.

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https://www.commonlit.org

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Act now! For Giving Tuesday, your gift to the National Geographic Society will be matched dollar-for-dollar. Make your tax-deductible contribution today and make TRIPLE the impact for Explorers working to preserve threatened species around the world.

Donate today!

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Education Resources | National Geographic Society

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Inspire learners to explore National Geographic through interactive lesson plans, maps, storytelling and a wide variety of resources to illuminate their world.

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Youth Engagement

Nature Lab is The Nature Conservancy's youth curriculum platform.

Connect With Nature Middle school children birdwatch and learn about the species of birds during the First State National Park's Bioblitz outside Wilmington, Delaware. On May 20 and 21, 2016, the Nature Conservancy and the National Parks Service partnered with National Geographic to execute the First State National Park's first Bioblitz. Over the course of the two-day event, over 800 observations were recording and more than 300 species were identified. More than 30 volunteers, 200 middle and high school students, and 100 community members participated in nature walks, species inventories and educational science experiments. © Devan King/TNC

Nature is the fantastic factory that makes the building blocks of all our lives-food, drinking water, the stuff we own and the air we breathe. That's why The Nature Conservancy and its 1000+ scientists have created Nature Lab: to help students learn the science behind how nature works for us and how we can help keep it running strong.

Wildfires: Impact of Climate Change

The impacts of climate change can be seen in ecosystems in many ways. Some effects can be minor, and some can be more detrimental to the overall health of the ecosystem. Since ecosystems can manage changes well for a certain amount of time, changes can often be seen through long term research. Explore how wildfires leave a measurable impact on an ecosystem.

Ocean Heroes: Coastal Frontline Communities and Climate Justice

The health of the oceans is suffering, and this has affected some of us more than others. Coastal communities, and those who are less-advantaged because they have less access to resources and face increased societal oppression, are more at risk from rising sea levels and storms. But there's some amazing groups working around the world to make change.

Nature Lab at Home!

Grades 3-8 | Use our week-long thematic family guides to lead at-home enrichment activities! With videos and learning activities, including a weekly hands-on project to get outside safely, kids can explore nature right in their community. Download individual weekly guides below.

Planeta Bala

Discover Nature Lab content in Spanish, including virtual field trips, teaching guides, and a new series created with Nickelodeon, Planeta Bala. || Descubre más recursos diseñados para jóvenes en español, incluyendo guías para maestros, vídeos educativos, y una nueva serie, Planeta Bala.

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Nature Lab is our hub for youth curriculum that gives teachers, students and families customizable, interactive lesson plans to explore and understand nature.

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Scholastic Teaching Tools | Resources for Teachers

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Explore Scholastic Teaching Tools for teaching resources, printables, book lists, and more. Enhance your classroom experience with expert advice!

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MathBlaster.com is a cool, online math virtual world filled with wacky aliens, cool gadgets, and fun math games for boys and girls. Learn math as you complete missions in outer space in this safe and secure virtual world for kids!

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Discover thousands of math skills covering pre-K to 12th grade, from counting to calculus, with infinite questions that adapt to each student's level.

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DreamBox Learning - Online Math & Reading Solutions for Students K-12

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DreamBox personalized math and reading solutions are proven to rapidly accelerate learning for K-12 students

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EPISODE 12: MEET A PLANT DOCTOR + PUMPKINS

Hello young scientists. I'm Dr. Universe and if you are anything like me, you've got lots of big questions about our world. Today's special guest is Lydia Tymon who is really curious about plants and why they get sick-yes, you heard that right, plants can get sick, too. We'll also investigate some questions about pumpkins along the way.

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The Latest Questions and Answers

How did the sun form?
Dear Krystal,

Our sun may be one of the billions of stars in the galaxy, but it's the only star right here in our solar system. It keeps us warm and gives us light, which is important for all kinds of living things on our planet.

To find out more about how stars like our sun form, I talked to my friend Jose Vazquez, an astronomer at Washington State University.

He reminded me that when we talk about the size of stars, we often talk about their mass. You can think of mass as the amount of "stuff" or matter that makes up an ... " More ...
Read Story

What are the strings inside a pumpkin?
Dear Maggie,

If you open up a pumpkin, you would see all kinds of different things inside. Some people call all this gooey stuff the pumpkin's "brains" or its "guts."

There's the meaty orange flesh, sticky pulp, lots of seeds, and, of course, all those little strings. The strings actually have a really big job.

My friend Lydia Tymon is a plant pathologist. That means she is like a doctor for plants-and she was happy to hear about your question.

The pumpkin's strings, or fibrous strands, help the seeds get something important while the pumpkin is growing on the vine: nutrients.

You might think ... " More ...
Read Story

How do human hearts beat?
Dear Jacob,

You have a heart that beats every single day-even when you aren't thinking about it. It likely beats about 60 to 100 times per minute. That adds up to more than a billion beats in a lifetime.

To find out how exactly how it all works, I talked to my friend Garry Smith, a researcher at Washington State University.
Read Story

What happens in our brain and body when we hear a funny joke?
Dear Candace,

When we hear a funny joke, there are lots of different things that happen in the brain and body. My friend Paul Bolls, the director of the Media Mind Lab at Washington State University, told me all about it.
Read Story

How do lungs work?
Dear Ellie,

Take a deep breath. As air travels through your nose and mouth into your lungs, it brings oxygen into the body. To find out exactly how it all works, I talked to my friend Kim Chiok, a researcher at Washington State University.

In the lab at WSU, she designs experiments to help us learn about diseases that impact the lungs and other parts of the body that help us breathe.

When you breathe in, little hairs in your nose help filter out particles like dust, so they don't enter the body. The air warms up as it flows into a tube-like structure ... " More ...
Read Story

Why do astronauts need astronaut suits?

How do you learn something really, really hard?
There are so many different things we can learn in our world, but that doesn't mean learning is always so easy. Maybe you want to learn a process, like how to complete Rubik's cube, code an app, design a solution to a problem or answer science questions.
Read Story

How do touch screens work?
Dear Nicholas,

When I got your question, I decided to do a little experiment. First, I tapped my paw on a tablet and sent a message to a friend. Next, I put on a pair of wool mittens and started typing, but the screen did not respond. Finally, I used a banana to see if I could use it to swipe the screen. It actually worked.

I wondered what exactly was going on here and decided to take our questions to my friend Praveen Sekhar. He's an associate professor in the Washington State University School of Engineering and Computer Science.

Sekhar told me our ... " More ...
Read Story

Why does frost make shapes like flowers and ferns?
Dear Grace,

You're right: frost can sometimes form patterns that look like the ferns or flowers we find in nature.

Those frosty shapes we see on the surface of windows start out as water in the air, said my friend Kai Carter. Carter is a meteorologist with Washington State University's AgWeatherNet team.

Kai Carter, Field Meteorologist

If you've ever had a glass of ice water, you may have noticed droplets formed on the outside of the glass. The droplets actually came from water in the air. This water condensed from the air onto the surface of your cup, which means it turned from a gas to a liquid.
Read Story

Why does water in ponds not get soaked up by the dirt at the bottom?
That's a great observation. If we investigated the bottom of a pond, we might find a few different things.
Read Story

How many black holes are in the universe?

Why do trees have sap?

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Ask Dr. Universe | Washington State University

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EPISODE 12: MEET A PLANT DOCTOR + PUMPKINS Hello young scientists. I'm Dr. Universe and if you are anything like me, you've got lots of big questions about our world. Today's special guest is Lydia Tymon who is really curious about plants and why they get sick-yes, you heard that right, plants can get sick, too.

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Crafts, Projects, Science Experiments, and Recipes for Moms with Young Children - Funology

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Funology -- the science of having fun -- is the premiere online destination for parents and teachers. We offer tons of fun, creative activities, games, jokes, trivia, and you might even learn something! It's all here and it's all free!

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The history of civilization is a long one. This sites take you way back into history to see human civilization as it first looked.

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The Zinn Education Project is my compass in a sea of corporate textbooks, packaged common core curriculum and standardized testing. My entire curriculum is based on lessons that can be found on the Zinn Education Project.

High School Social Studies Teacher, Portland, Ore.

Your support is needed to help more students learn people's history. 100% of Zinn Education Project funding comes from individuals like you. Donate today.

By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca

From voter ID laws to voter-roll purges, gerrymandering to poll closures to the deadly in-person voting conditions during a pandemic, the right to vote is under attack and the stakes are high. It is critical that students learn about the fight for voting rights, past and present.

Oct. 4, 1961: Burglund High School Walkout...

More than McCarthyism: The Attack on Activism Students ...

I can UNDERSTAND pessimism, but I don't BELIEVE in it. It's not simply a matter of faith, but of historical EVIDENCE. Not overwhelming evidence, just enough to give HOPE, because for hope we don't need certainty, only POSSIBILITY.

-Howard Zinn

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Zinn Education Project: Teaching People's History

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The Zinn Education Project promotes and supports the teaching of people's history in middle and high school classrooms across the country. Based on the lens of history highlighted in Howard Zinn's best-selling book A People's History of the United States, the website offers free, downloadable lessons and articles organized by theme, time period, and reading level.

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Between the Lions Early Reading | PBS LearningMedia

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Here are segments selected from Between the Lions, the series that helps kids "Get Wild About Reading!" This special collection provides a set of early Reading/Language Arts resources, organized by early elementary and preschool literacy skills.

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Excite, encourage and engage kids to read! Check out Biblionasium, where young readers connect & share book lists and good reads with friends, teachers & parents. Look up the reading level difficulty of thousands of books and find the right fit books. A powerful teacher tool and valued parent resource.

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Inspire a lifetime of reading and discovery with our award-winning digital library.

Inspire a lifetime of reading and discovery with our award-winning digital library.

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Families, Start Reading Educators, get it free

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Explore 40,000+ online story books, audiobooks, fairy tales and more. Get access to the Epic Unlimited today.

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Preschool Games, Nick Jr. Show Full Episodes, Video Clips on Nick Jr.

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Play preschool learning games and watch episodes and videos that feature Nick Jr. shows like Paw Patrol, Blaze and the Monster Machines, Dora, Bubble Guppies, and more.

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November 11 - Veteran's Day

Originally called Armistice Day, today commemorates the signing of the agreement that ended World War I at 11:00 A.M., on November 11, 1918. This federal holiday was changed to be called Veterans Day in 1954. Each year, special ceremonies are held at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Consider spending some time online learning more about our nation's veterans.

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Originally called Armistice Day, today commemorates the signing of the agreement that ended World War I at 11:00 A.M., on November 11, 1918. This federal holiday was changed to be called Veterans Day in 1954. Each year, special ceremonies are held at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

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Browse Online Games. Award winning educational materials designed to help kids succeed. Start for free now!

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By Ronald Williamson and Barbara R. Blackburn
Like it or not, change is part of our lives. No place exemplifies that more than in schools and classrooms where teachers and school leaders strive to meet the needs of every student, to support every family, and to incorporate new and innovative instructional practices.

The pace of change can often feel overwhelming. Those perceptions often create a reluctance to embrace change. Many principals we talk with identify motivation as a key, and they are looking for ways to motivate and engage their teachers.

There are real, observable differences when a teacher is highly motivated. What is the difference between a motivated and unmotivated teacher? Here are some of the characteristics.

The real issue is not identifying a teacher's motivation - it's understanding and addressing it.

Igniting Passion for the Work

There are two main types of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation includes all the outside ways teachers are influenced, such as rewards, directives, teacher evaluations, and student test scores. Intrinsic motivation comes from within the teacher.

Extrinsic rewards often yield temporary results, but for long-term impact, leaders must help teachers activate their intrinsic motivation to serve students effectively and earn the respect and cooperation of their peers.

Intrinsic motivation, psychologists tell us, occurs when we act without any obvious external rewards. We find enjoyment in the work or see what we are doing as an opportunity to explore, learn, and further our potential.

Teachers who are intrinsically motivated appreciate teaching for its own sake. They feel some restlessness to learn and attain the feelings of accomplishment that come with skillful teaching.

Intrinsic motivation is powerful. Intrinsically motivated teachers tend to prefer challenging work, are more likely to become confident about their abilities, and believe they can truly make a difference in terms of student learning.

What Contributes to Intrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic motivation has two foundational elements: People are more motivated when they value what they are doing and when they believe they have a chance for success. Let's look at both of these aspects.

Teachers see value in lots of ways, but the three most impactful are relevance, the type of learning activity, and relationships.

Teachers typically see value through the relevance of what you ask them to do. Relevance, and value, emerge when teachers see a practical application to their learning.

When asked to implement a new initiative or try a new strategy in their classroom, teachers often want to know-what's in it for me and my students? What's the payoff? That's why they ask you, "Why do we need to do this?"

When Barbara works with teachers, she knows they come into her workshops with one key question: "How can I immediately use this information?" Adult learners juggle many demands, and they prioritize activities and their attention based on how something meets their immediate needs. Teachers are more engaged in learning when they see a useful connection to themselves.

Next, there is value in the type of learning activity you are doing. Teachers are generally more motivated by doing something during professional development, rather than experiencing yet another "sit and get" built around lectures and PowerPoint slides.

They are also more motivated when they have ownership in the activity. Rather than simply planning a new initiative yourself, or deciding unilaterally what specific skills to focus on, involve teachers in the decision-making process.

Finally, teachers find value in their relationships, both with leaders and their peers. The old adage "they don't care what you know until they know how much you care" is true. Teachers, like students, need to feel liked, cared about, and respected by their leaders.

Most teachers need the same from their peers. If they feel isolated from other teachers and from you, they will be disengaged and less likely to see value in what they are doing. If you've ever been part of successful teamwork that achieved an important goal, you know about the empowering feelings that come from meaningful relationships.

Teachers are also motivated when they believe they will be successful implementing a new learning. Two things contribute to that motivation.

First, the degree of alignment between the difficulty of an activity and a teacher's skill level is a major factor in self-motivation. Imagine that you enjoy playing tennis, and you have the chance to compete in a match. Then you discover you'll be playing against Venus Williams. How do you feel? In that situation, there's plenty of opportunity for challenge, but it's probably too much challenge!

This is where well-designed professional development is crucial. When you motivate teachers to implement a new initiative or improve their teaching, remember to also provide the appropriate support to improve their skill level. Scaffolding isn't just for students.

Prior experience is also an important factor. A teacher is more likely to believe they can be successful implementing a new grouping strategy if they've already had success using small groups in their classroom. On the other hand, if a teacher struggles with behavioral issues during group work, they are less likely to try the new strategy.

Another Way to Build Teacher Motivation

Another motivational concept to consider is that of shared success. An individual's intrinsic motivation is fostered in an overall environment of encouragement. Work to create a culture of shared motivation by asking everyone - teachers, students, assistant principals, custodians, and cafeteria workers to notice the "good" that is happening and to comment on it.

Families can get involved too. Just as teachers share what students are doing well, it's important for parents to recognize and share the positive experiences they and their children have with teachers.

School leaders need to model this success-sharing behavior. One school where we worked had a way to recognize success by letting everyone take part in honoring the good things going on.

The school's mascot was a tiger, and the principal created "Paws for Praise" certificates to recognize teachers and students. When the principal saw a teacher making a difference, the teacher received a certificate. Better still, she put a basket of the certificates in the teachers' mailbox area and encouraged them to write success notes to each other as well as to students.

Leaders Can Kindle the Flame

Motivation is an individual thing, and teachers, as well as other employees, will have different levels of motivation. However, there are things leaders can do to tap into the latent motivation that drew most educators into our profession.

By creating an environment that sparks and kindles intrinsic motivation and ensures that the professionals in our schools see the value of the work and chance for success, we can increase teachers' support for and willingness to change.

_______________
Leadership consultants Ron Williamson and Barbara Blackburn are co-authors of the new 2nd edition of Rigor in Your School: A Toolkit for Leaders (Routledge, 2018). Ron is a professor of educational leadership at Eastern Michigan University and a former executive director of the National Middle School Association (now AMLE). Barbara - a former teacher, school leader and university teacher educator - is the author of more than 15 books on professional learning for educators.

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School Change Begins with Teacher Motivation

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By Ronald Williamson and Barbara R. Blackburn Like it or not, change is part of our lives. No place exemplifies that more than in schools and classrooms where teachers and school leaders strive to meet the needs of every student, to support every family, and to incorporate new and innovative instructional practices.

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Has there ever been a time when we've needed to dance more than this past year? I don't mean ballet or tap or anything that requires actual skill, I mean the basic, physical expression of joy that dancing provides. I don't think there's a room left in my tiny NYC apartment that hasn't played host to a dance party (for one) since last March. With all the stress and anxiety that has become our new normal, there's never been a time when we've needed to heed the advice of Meredith Grey more - we need to "dance it out." This isn't just a necessary release for adults, kids need to (shake, shake, shake) shake too.

Ok, so what should you listen to for this epic, or five-minute, dance party? While I'm not suggesting anyone trade out their kids, I will acknowledge that many want to trade out their kids' taste in music with something a tad bit more, let's say, contemporary? Listen, the soundtracks to , and are all amazing, but there is a world of pop music readily available that can work for all concerned - kids and adults. Yup. I'm talking about high energy songs that are easy to sing along to with lyrics that won't make anyone shriek or blush - and are innately danceable.

Read on for our favorite kid-friendly pop songs: appropriate, but still enjoyable for you too.
A version of this article was originally published in October 2012.
1. "Levitating" - Dua Lipa ft. DaBaby

A disco clap is the most important instrument in a dance song and in " Levitating
" you'll hear one in the first three seconds! The whole album is fantastic and it's nominated for Best Album at the 2021 Grammys.

2. "Treat People With Kindness" - Harry Styles ft. Lucius

The message and the video that we NEED right now.

3. "Dance Monkey" - Tones And I

Tones and I is Australian Toni Watson who wrote this ditty about her days as a street busker. It's catchy and super fun to sing along to.

4. "Head and Heart" - Joel Korry ft. MNEK

Just press play.

Next: "Savage Love" - Jawsh 685 ft. Jason Derulo

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38 Kid-Safe Pop Songs That You'll Enjoy Too

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Has there ever been a time when we've needed to dance more than this past year? I don't mean ballet or tap or anything that requires actual skill, I mean the basic, physical expression of joy that dancing provides.

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7. Act like...

A fun way to engage kids is to give them different scenarios to act out. See how many they can do in 3 minutes. Then get them to give you scenarios so you can show off your acting skills, too!

Try asking them to act like:

They’re driving a car

They’re blowing bubbles

A bee is flying around them

They just met their favorite singer

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Simon Says Game - THE KIBOOMERS Preschool Songs - Brain Break

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Welcome to Crash Course Kids! This bi-weekly show from the producers of Crash Course is all about gradeschool science. We'll look at Earth, Habitats, Space, Chemical Reactions, Engineering, and much much more with host Sabrina Cruz. So, join us every Tuesday and Thursday for new uploads.

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7. Act like...

A fun way to engage kids is to give them different scenarios to act out. See how many they can do in 3 minutes. Then get them to give you scenarios so you can show off your acting skills, too!

Try asking them to act like:

They’re driving a car

They’re blowing bubbles

A bee is flying around them

They just met their favorite singer