If you’re an old R.E.M. fan like me, may recall their song from the early 80’s album “Murmur,” Talk About the Passion from which I gleaned my title. If not, it still works as a title to describe what I’m writing on today. I’ve never been passionate about “academia” per se. I’ve been excited about the human product we call “the student.” I’ve always gotten thrills seeing a graph going upward. When I get a kid and they are at one level, I am passionate about raising that level during the time I am their teacher. This is what I call “the passionate professional.” Alas, however, I slip and fall into the doldrums sometimes. This is a place I try and avoid. The question is , “How?”
I am passionate about teaching and the tasks involved in teaching, yet I get bored sometimes. That’s what weekends and the breaks are for: to recharge the batteries. Every once in a while the weekend isn’t enough. That’s when I have to “rethink” the way I am doing things. Chances are, if I am bored, my kids will soon follow because my lessons will not contain the energy they tune into. I think the secret is pretty obvious: merge the professional tasks with the personal passions. I love stuff like guitar, movies, music, swimming, sports … the list goes on. If I can somehow make connections between my personal passions and the professional work I sometimes find boring, then I will be more effective at engaging learners. An example:
I had drawn a soccer field on my board just before leaving one day. The next day the kids had a sub as I was at a district meeting. They told me the sub played something called, “multiplication soccer.” When a kid got one right, she/he would move toward the opposing goal. Genius. He was doing exactly what I am talking about: merging the passion and the profession.
How could you merge the two?