Be a Thermostat, Not a Thermometer

I'm Brian Martin, I'm a second grade teacher who find so much joy and fulfillment in what I do. Being in the classroom for almost 20 years, I know all about the time, effort and energy that you are continuously pouring into those you serve. That's why each week, I'm going to bring you an inspiring message to give you a little joy, and help fill your cup back up. Thank you for being here. And welcome to the teaching champions podcast. What's going on everybody, I hope this finds you striving and thriving and doing absolutely amazing. Today, I want to talk about a wise leadership metaphor that has been used for a long time, be the thermostat, not the thermometer, you see a thermometer, it reads the temperature it reacts, if it's cold, it's going to tell you it's cold. And if it's hot, it's going to tell you it's hot. It has one purpose and one purpose only. Now the thermostat that just doesn't read the temperature, it regulates the temperature, it sets the temperature in monitors environment. And if the temperature gets too hot or too cold, it decides what to do to correct the situation. Now we can be a thermometer, or a thermostat. You see everything that we do, every situation that we find ourselves in, we have a choice, we can let the outside world dictate how we feel and act, we can consciously choose how to feel, we can be the thermometer and read the temperature of the room. Well, we can be the thermostat and set the temperature of the thing about when we're teaching. And we have a great lesson planned, and everything is going nice and smooth. And all of a sudden, the technology starts acting up the internet crashes, a file doesn't open up, an app isn't working, or any other of a million different things go wrong. We can be a thermometer and let that lesson fall apart. We can waste the rest of that learning block. Or we can be a thermostat. And we can just and do whatever we can to make the lesson the most productive and meaningful to our students. There's going to be times when something happens in class. And it's a tough moment or tough conversation that takes place. We can be a thermometer and allow that moment to dictate our learning environment. Or we can be a thermostat and take time to regroup and reset and restore a learning environment so our students can thrive. And think about the school year, there's going to be times when problems arise. We can be a thermometer and just become fixated on a problem and let it consume us. Or we can be that thermostat, and identify solutions and action steps that we can take to solve the situation. Being a thermostat, not a thermometer is all about whether we create our world internally, we allow our world to be created from the outside. Also want to say that you will be a thermostat for others. What you do, how you act, the energy you bring, it's gonna influence all those around you. And you'll have more influence than you know your students, your colleagues, the people you interact with, you will affect them. And you can affect them positively or negatively. So let's use our words to bring joy to others, to build our champions up to cheer on our colleagues to inspire to motivate. Think about how you affect your students. When you let them know how proud of them you are, the difference you make for them. When you make their learning visible and point out all they've accomplished the growth they've shown when you point out what makes them special, their unique talents and gifts. And when you take time to point out the hard work they're putting in or the kindness that they've shown others that builds them up. And there's going to be times in the future when you find yourself in a negative conversation. And you can participate in it. Or you can use your words to turn those conversations around. You can use your words to pick others up. Instead of putting There's no doubt, you can use your words, to focus on finding solutions, instead of just focusing on the problems. So be that thermostat for others, set the temperature in your space. Use your influence to lift up to encourage to listen, to show you care. I promise you'll feel better when you do. Thank you for being here for taking time to listen, I truly appreciate you. And it's all about serving each other. And whether you're from rural America, to urban America, to Canada, to Spain, to Bahrain, we're on that same team. We're on that same mission. And we're always better together. And my challenge for you this week, is to take time each night and do a little self reflection. Every day, there's going to be challenges that we face. And think during these moments, were you a thermometer or a thermostat? Did you allow the world to dictate your day? Or did you create your day from the inside? Think about those moments, reflect on those moments and learn from those moments. We're always learning and growing. Keep me an amazing my friends. And as we go out into this week may step into your strength, step into your shine, and let's build these champions up. Have a great week, everybody.