Devon O’Brien has been teaching for twenty years. She has a passion for developing student writers and supporting “out of the box” programming for GT learners. Devon was one of five eighth-grade teachers selected for the NEA/BetterLesson Master Teacher Program, and she received a 2016 Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education Award from the State of Maryland. She teaches middle school in Southern Maryland and spends her summers as a test prep and writing coach for high school students.
How a Bad School Year Led to Renewed Certification and Dedication
November 6, 2017
A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a video interview of an amazing athlete who had broken a world record. The athlete talked about the difference between motivation and dedication. Motivation, he argued, is fleeting. Dedication is what carries us across finish lines. Experienced teachers have this encoded in our DNA. We know that dedication is the bridge across the tough days and weeks. But what can we do beyond putting one foot in front of the other? Do we ever get to press the reset button? Over the past two decades of teaching, I have experienced only two really…
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