Start with the students

The term student centered learning is often thrown  around indicating how teachers should design the educational experiences they offer. I think that all educators would do well to pause once in a while and remember that what they do as teachers is always really about students.  In whatever environment you find yourself teaching, there is always so much more than just students to be concerned with.  This past week I found myself dealing with issues  associated with the place where I teach but that are completed removed from students.  The times when I was happiest this week were when I was with my students, in class, focused on them.  It is too easy to get distracted by the mechanics of the system of education and forget why we do what we do.    Ultimately, my teaching career isn’t about how much I love my content, or my philosophical beliefs, or my paycheck, but instead its really just about my students.  I will continue to try and focus on my students first, and allow the secondary details to fall where they may.