Saved From Burnout: The Great Teachers Seminar
In the summer of 2014, I attended the life-changing Great Teachers Seminar offered by the Faculty Association of the California Community Colleges.
To this day, I recall how I transitioned from near burnout to an instructor on fire. I found that I loved my field of speech communication, and that I loved teaching.
Like a lot of participants, I went expecting to hear the best-of-the-best teachers share their expertise. I planned to soak in the lectures and take a few days off in Santa Barbara.
I was shocked to learn there were no seasoned professionals who would be giving lecturers. No so-called “great teachers” to pass on their wisdom.
Something else rather refreshing happened. As the assembled group of between thirty and forty college instructors started getting to know each other, we changed ever so slowly.
The first few days, each instructor gave a short, prepared excerpt of their finest lecture. Along with the others, I realized how much talent there was in the room. I was impressed with my colleagues.
During breakout sessions, a topic was provided, and a veteran of the seminar helped moderate. Otherwise, the content was an exchange of peers sharing ideas. For example, one woman with a Ph.D. in Psychology talked about her students learning to be resilient.
Looking back at my notes, I recall the instructor telling us about her family history. She explained how people can have the same parents and grow up in the same situation, yet one gets a Ph.D. while a sibling repeats the drug addiction and poverty of the previous generation. She earned the Ph.D. while her siblings followed in her parent’s footsteps. This great teacher’s mission was to help her students become resilient.
At one point during the Seminar, I was given a chance to moderate a breakout session on the topic of burnout. The assembled group and I exchanged ideas and ways to rejuvenate. That session generated a list of ways to refresh oneself and help avoid burnout. The list included get a massage, listen to music, take a day off, swim, walk, go to the gym, take a nap, use aroma therapy, volunteer, talk to a friend, or get talk therapy.
By the last day of the seminar, I had a completely new toolbox of ideas and strategies. My self-confidence restored, together with the rest of the faculty members who attended the Great Teachers Seminar, I left knowing that I was indeed a great teacher.
Tell me what you think below and please join me every day as we pray for wisdom by taking part in the Wisdom Prayer Challenge.
