Education and optimism. Unfortunately, these are two words that we rarely find used together today. Optimism, in its true sense, is a mindset rooted in hope and confidence in success and positive outcomes. I am always amazed at how human nature causes us to take the pessimistic route, which is a mindset that expects the worst, or at best, no change in an outcome.

 There are two words that I hear often that stifle the ability to weigh options that might lead to change. These two words, if not used correctly, can keep you stuck in the mindset that prevents you from seeing the results that you want. Those two words are … “what if.”

The Power of Optimism in Education

 Have you ever met a person who was unrealistically optimistic? Yeah, me too. This is not the type of optimism that we are going to talk about today. We are talking about the type of optimism that causes you to act as if you were confident in the goals you have for your classroom. The key word here is ACT!

Common Barriers to Optimism for Educators

 Lack of optimism causes us to never look beyond the barrier. Here is a powerful question; what if it does work? This question spurs what I like to call opportunity thinking. Many barriers exist when we ask the wrong “what if” question. Here are three barriers that I see the most from educators:

1. Fear of Failure - Believing that novel approaches or ideas might not work can make educators hesitant to take risks or embrace change. What if this next idea is the one that moves the needle in your favor?
2. Past Disappointments - Previous efforts that failed may create doubt and discourage future attempts to be optimistic. Do the words “we’ve tried that before” sound familiar?
3. Fixed Mindset - It is the mindset that student abilities or situations cannot change may make optimism seem unrealistic or futile. Did you believe that students are the only ones that struggle in this area?

Start Here to Begin to Embrace Optimism

As we seek to create optimistic educators, there is one area of development that we must begin to focus on. That is the development of awareness. All transformation starts here. Without it, you will never recognize the thought patterns that are designed to keep you and your students stuck. More on this later…

*** Here are 5 Practical ways to develop your awareness.***

1.  Reflect Through Journaling - Regularly write about challenges, emotions, and thought patterns to identify recurring themes that hinder optimism.
2. Find Your Tribe - Participate in educator groups that encourage open conversations about challenges and successes.
3. Monitor Self-Talk - Pay attention to inner dialogue and note instances of self-doubt, fixed thinking, or negativity.
4. Engage in Professional Development- Attend workshops or seminars focused on emotional resilience, growth mindset, or overcoming negativity.
5. Give Energy to Your Reasons, Not Your Excuses - For every excuse you make for why an idea would not work, identify one reason why it would.

 So, what am I Saying?

Please understand that I know, very well, the challenges that exist in education. But I also know that this work is too important to allow pessimistic thinking to guide our teaching. If you are going to obtain the results that we desperately need, it starts with asking the right questions. Let your imagination work in the way it was intended by asking questions like, “what if this does work.”