Finding Fulfillment in the Little Things and Showing Up

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 in doing absolutely amazing. This week, I spent some time thinking about the little things. You see, sometimes I find that we put so much value, big things, the big events, the big moments, the big purchases, that we lose out on some of the greatest gifts. They're wrapped up in the every day, little moments. And if we were intentional about looking out for these small moments, embracing them, and appreciating them, it would help us out mentally, emotionally, it would help us out physically as well. And there's joy in those small moments. You see, when you walk up to school, and you see the smiles on your students faces, there's joy there. And there may be a smile under a mask, but you can still feel. And there's joy in those moments when you walk past a parent giving the child a hug. As they say goodbye at the school door. There's fulfillment in those moments when you pass a former student in the hallway. And they stop to have a quick conversation with you. There's joy in those moments, when you're waiting by the classroom door. And you greet your students as they come in. There's fulfillment and those moments where you see those champions pushing themselves through a problem, those moments where you guide them. And you see the excitement is they experienced that aha moment. That joy in their face, the excitement in their voice, the pride that they give off. There's meaning in those moments when you sit down and have a heart to heart. When you connect, when you share those laughs over something silly that happened. Or those times when you're there to wipe away a tear, to offer support. Little things are found in the notes you leave for your students, and the notes or drawings that they share with you and return. Little things are the emails or calls home to let a parent know that you think their child is amazing. In the you appreciate the chance to work with them. Little things are colleagues being willing to lend each other helping hand to be a sounding board, to be there to support and encourage to lift each other little things are when a colleague is out, and they receive a text or emails checking in on them. And the list could go on and on. The little things we focus on matter, the little things that we do for one another matter. Never underestimate the little things. And this week, I also spent some time reflecting on the power of showing up. And I talked about this in one of my very first podcast. And it's all about the impact that you make, just by showing up. And I wrote this around November of last year as myself and several other colleagues or embarking on a year of teaching fully remote the entirety of the year. And the thing is, that message still remains true today. And sometimes we need those reminders. I'm going to replay it for you. And I want you to listen to it. Listen to the words. Take them in and remember them. Now before I get started, I just want to say thank you so much for everything that you're doing right now. Listen, there's so much instability. There's so much uncertainty right now, not just within our own Homes, our own classrooms, but within our community as a whole, and what a school does, it provides stability and provides comfort, provide something that the community can rally around that they can bond together over. And it can really pull a community through a hard time. And everything that you're doing right now, all the love all that hard work, everything that you're doing, is playing such a pivotal role. And it's making a huge difference. Keep doing amazing things, keep being there for each other, and make sure you're keeping an eye on yourself. We got to take care of ourselves during this time. Now, I've been teaching for 17 years. And I teach second grade currently 100% remote. And it's a lot of work. How many of you can agree that this year right now we are work, putting in some massive amount hours, it's like that first year all over again. And not only are we putting in those hours, but those feelings that you get from that first year where you're constantly feeling rundown, you're constantly feeling as if you're trying to catch up, if you're overwhelmed. And I was having a conversation with a colleague, that she's absolutely amazing. I have so much respect for her and she is so good. Then she cares so much. And she was telling me that there's been moments this school year, where she has felt as if that she has failed her students. She has failed her students. Now this is someone that puts in massive amounts hours is unbelievable what she does. So hard work and pour so much love into her lessons. And she's been left with feeling as if she's been failing or students. And she's not alone. How many of you out there have had those feelings where you felt like you're not making the impact, like you're dropping the ball, we're not doing enough. But when those feelings happen, it is so important right now that we hit pause, that we take a step back that we breathe. And we remind ourselves of what we do do. Because there's certain things that we do on a daily basis that we don't realize has so much effect so much power. You see, just by showing up. Just by being present, just by being there. You mean so much to those young champions that come see you every single day. There's champions that will go to bed tonight. And they can't wait to wake up in the morning. So they can be in your presence. Because what you do when you show up, what you do each and every single day is you provide a place for them, that is filled with warmth, and joy and love. You provide a place for them, where they can feel safe and accepted. You fill them, you fill them with so much love and so much joy. You let them know about their strengths, and what they can do and who they can become. And there's some students when they're home, when they're not in your presence. They're not told that, in fact, for some of them is the exact opposite. They're told everything that they can't be, or they're told how bad they are. All those negative traits that someone views them as. But when they're with you, you fill them up. And there's power in that. And there's so much power when those scholars when those champions can show up in your classroom. And they know that they can show up that they can fail, that they can make mistakes, and they're still going to be loved. They can slip up and you're still going to be there, that you're not going to give up on them that you always have their back. There's so much power in that. And that's all happening just because you show up just because you're there just because you're present. We put so much value and so much pressure on ourselves to meet the academic needs. Sometimes we undervalue what we do. When we show up when we're there. And we let those champions know that they're seen and heard and believed in so much power in that my friends. This school year, there's going to be moments when we knock it out of the park with lessons but there's also going to be many moments when our lessons Since my fall short, they might not be what we're accustomed them to be in those feelings where we feel like we're letting students down, we're not doing enough that we're failing our students, they might creep in. And if they creep in, pause, step back. Remind yourself of what you do. Remind yourself that you showed up today. Remind yourself of how you spoke strength and greatness within one year champions, how you were there to listen to one of your champions, how you were there to hold a champion accountable. There's so much that you do when you show up. Keep being amazing, keep doing great things. Keep making your impact. Those words were true last year, and they remain true today. Never doubt that impact that you make, just by showing up. Thank you for being here for being part of the teaching champions community. If you could subscribe, or leave a review, that would be great. But most importantly, if you think someone could benefit from this message, if you could share, because this community is all about encouraging, supporting and lifting each other up. And always remember, whether you're from rural America, to urban America, to Canada, to Spain, to Bahrain, we're all on that same team. We're all on that same mission. And we're always better together. And my challenge for you this is to take a look at the people around you. There's inspiration happening all around things that people do, that we can truly learn from. So look at the little things that those around you do. What are the little things that you see that are pretty amazing. What words do these people use? What small acts do they do? How do they spread a little shine? Some of the greatest teachers that we can have our found all around us. So listen, Watch, Learn, be inspired, and pass it along. Keep me amazing, my friends. And as we go out into this week, may you step into your strength, may you step into your shine, and let's build our champions up. Have a great week, everybody