The commercial campaign really made me think. Am I doing everything I can for my students? Am I meeting their needs? Are other educators? How can we achieve this as a country? I'm not sure about the answers to all of these questions, but the first thing we need to change in our educational system is our attitudes.

Our Current Situation

As an educator, new instructional strategies and classroom initiatives are introduced pretty much on a monthly basis. Some of these curriculum initiatives are recycled from fads in years past, with jargon being the only new thing, really. Others are, in fact, new and innovative, and are even presented with research to prove their worth. When these new and innovative instructional practices are presented to the professional staff, fear sets in among many. It is not a fear of inadequacy, nor a fear of incompetency. It is a fear of the unknown. Elementary teachers, generally, are creatures of habit. In order to achieve greatness in the world of education, however, educators must break free from their fears and develop new knowledge and skills to respond to the new demands that are being set forth as a result of economic, social and educational changes in America.

The Comfort Zone

Everyone has a comfort zone, or a set of behaviors that a person will engage without becoming anxious. Your comfort zone is the usual way that you do things; it is familiar territory. It is where you feel safe. It is a place where you know you cannot fail. While this zone sounds like place to strive for, it is actually the crutch of the underachiever.

In order to grow and learn personally and professionally, in is imperative for one to step out of his comfort zone and take risks. Highly successful people routinely step outside of their comfort zones to accomplish their goals. They experiment with new behaviors and interact with the unknown. In doing so, learning takes place.

Ironically, we expect our students to step outside their comfort zones and take risks, but many of us are afraid to do the same. We preach life-long learning, yet we do not practice it. Most students will follow the example of their teachers at this young, tender age. In order for our students to step outside their comfort zones and learn, we need to step outside of ours. We need to grow and learn together with our students, modeling life-long learning. Doing so will create a community of learning, building and fostering positive rapport amongst students and teachers.

Embrace the Fear, Enjoy the Challenge

Teaching is a difficult, challenging profession. It is, however, only as challenging as we make it. In order step outside or our comfort zones and foster a community of learning that pushes and challenges our students and ourselves, we need to embrace the fear of branching out. We need to accept that education reflects society, and as long as society changes, education will follow. Leaving your comfort zone should be viewed as an opportunity to grow and learn; it is not something to fear.

Once one is capable of embracing their fears of leaving his comfort zone, he will learn to enjoy the day to day challenges that come along with it. It can become habit forming and addictive in a classroom setting. When your students see you leaving your own comfort zone, they will too, and learning will ensue. They will achieve and accomplish more than you thought they were capable of, and as a result, so will you. Teaching becomes much more enjoyable in this state of mind. You don't just have a job; you now have a sense of purpose.

Educators, if one student in your class wants to achieve the impossible or the unknown, teach the entire class that way. You owe it not only to that student, but to the other students and yourself as well.