With the coming of influencers on social media, it has occurred to me that teachers were influencers long before influencers were a thing. Teachers influence students, parents, colleagues, and their own families. It’s very gratifying when we hear from former students, now adults, who “circle back” to us to let us know where our influence has taken them.
If you’re like me, you own the role of influencer, but where I can get hung up is that I cannot change anyone. Influence is “the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone.” (Oxford Language Dictionaries).
Tease that out a bit: the capacity to have an effect. You have the capacity. The actual effect is up to the recipient of your influence.
I can teach my heart out, model, practice with, praise, encourage, and even flat out preach (a little) to those who need help, but I cannot change One. Single. Person. Change is up to that individual. And we cannot possibly know all the other influencers your students are listening to. So don’t get hung up on the outcomes of this day. Or even this school year.
The tale of your teaching influence is far from over. Your capacity to affect change in the lives of the students you spend your days with can linger long after those kiddos are gone from our halls. Keep your head held high and your standards for student achievement even higher.
Your intentional influence matters! ~kp
