This is the first post in my 5th Grade Journal series. Each week in 2016 I share a journal entry written for one of my 5th grade classes, along with any new thoughts and perspectives I may have developed since.
September 2, 1997
I once had a teacher that was good in several ways. First, she had a scence of humor. Every thing that she would teach us, she would make a joke about it. Second, she was a good teacher. She taut me a lot of things I never used to know.
Here I’m highlighting two aspects of being a great teacher: Having a sense of humor, and effectively teaching students new things.
I’ll pull things back a step further and say that two conditions are extremely helpful, if not crucial, for anyone to perform well at what they do:
- Executing the core tasks required of the job
- Enjoying the work
This idea can be simplified even further. For the last several years I’ve used a short, two sentence mantra to remind me what matters in any work i do:
Do great things. Have fun.
Living this phrase leads to great, fulfilling work. When that happens, we make an impact people notice. When others notice, we are recognized for it.
Like the teacher I wrote about back in 5th grade.
