Lessons in Teaching: The (Almost) Seven Year Itch

This happens.

I’ve learned this lesson before (I even wrote about it in my book), and I had to learn it again a few weeks ago.

Here’s the situation: I now split my time between working at home teaching online classes, and teaching on campus in the morning three days a week. I wasn’t getting the same satisfaction from teaching face-to-face that I was used to, and I started wondering if that was it. It was all over.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the seven year itch.

It’s typically used to describe that point in a marriage when things kind of come to a stand still and you’re not sure where to go from there; things are a bit boring. Well, I’ve noticed from conversations with friends that it tends to happen in careers. Especially careers that you’re passionate about (seems a little unfair that humans tend to lose passion for their passions, but all is not lost).

If you’ve ever read the book The Dip by Seth Godin, you understand that going through a ‘dip’ or a lull doesn’t necessarily mean you throw in the towel and move on to something new, it just means that you need to change things up a bit.

I realized that this semester while I’ve been in the classroom, my focus had been on grading as many online assignments between classes as I possibly could (I typically turn tasks like this into a game for myself, so nothing ever feels like drudgery; I consider it a gift). That was all good and fine, and I felt like I was being really productive kind of balancing both things while being extremely efficient.

But I started feeling like I wasn’t getting what I needed from the classroom (very selfish, I know, but I believe you should always be doing something you love).

I made the conscious decision to not bring my laptop to campus for a week, and give my full attention to my students. I engaged in small talk, let myself be present, laughed with them, and enjoyed them as the wonderful people they are.

What a world of difference.

I absolutely love teaching. Sometimes you have to make a change, or break a bad habit (even if you thought is was a good one) to get back to where you need to be. The important thing is to recognize what’s happening, make small adjustments, and try new things until it feels great again.

Happy teaching, everyone!