What characteristics of the imposter syndrome can you relate to most? How can you stop measuring yourself against someone else’s idea of success? How can we stop measuring our students against someone else’s idea of success? Why is it important for us as educators to “listen for brilliance” as Lou Solomon describes in her talk, The Surprising Solution to the Imposter Syndrome?
What characteristics of the imposter syndrome can you relate to most? How can you stop measuring yourself against someone else’s idea of success? How can we stop measuring our students against someone else’s idea of success? Why is it important for us as educators to “listen for brilliance” as Lou Solomon describes in her talk, The Surprising Solution to the Imposter Syndrome?
ReplyDeleteSelf-doubt is my most relatable trait for the Imposter Syndrome. If I reflect on all I have accomplished, it helps. The whole time I was working toward my masters degree, I felt like an imposter. I had a fear of failure and doubted my ability greatly. Now when something makes me feel like an imposter, I think back to that journey. I tell myself that I can do hard things. I remember the feedback give by my prof that helped me believe in myself. I regularly tell my Spanish students that they are all on their own path to proficiency and they are right where they should be. I encourage them to keep going and celebrate with them along the way. I continue to "listen to brilliance" and uplift my students because they probably feel like they still can't do anything with the language, when in reality they don't realize how much they are doing and showing when they answer a question that I have asked in Spanish.
I can relate to all 4 characteristics of imposter syndrome. I struggle a lot with anxiety and overthinking things. I worry that I'm not doing all of the things that I need to be doing to be a successful teacher when I hear things that other coworkers are implementing/doing. I worry that I'm not drilling enough standards and getting through everything needed for smarter balance testing, etc. I know that as an educator we can't be perfect and accomplish everything we hope to. I need to remind myself that I'm doing the best that I can with the time and energy that I have and every day I'm trying to make those minutes count. I need to remind myself that it's not all about brilliance and perfection, it's about shaping and forming these students lives. It's about setting them up for success and teaching things that matter in that moment instead of worrying about whether or not we get through all of our content standards by the end of the year.
ReplyDeleteI relate to ALL the characteristics of the imposter syndrome she listed. I think less of measuring up to someone else's idea of success and overthinking my OWN version of success. When comes the time when I step back and look over what has been acheived, nod my head, and say 'Hey, that's pretty good'? When is the time to cut myself the slack to call a project good (or good enough), to stop dreading the parent phonecalls, to allow myself the breathing room to calm? Barring the inner voice telling me it's good enough, I seek the approval of others, and even when they are complimentary, I cannot seem to accept. I think this is a matter of growth and confidence that only comes with continual practice. I am better at pointing out the improvement, celebrating milestones, and encouraging the progress for my own children and students than for myself, but what kind of role model am I for them if I don't practice what I am preaching?
ReplyDeleteI can relate to fear of failure and anxiety the most. I can overthink things and worry. I think it is easy to play the comparing game in today's world. I have worked hard the past few years to not compare myself to others, and it something I continue to work on. Being "you" is what makes each person great. I like the line "listen to brilliance"! Our students and colleagues all have talents and gifts and we should help people know how amazing their talents and gifts truly are and how that can help our world.
ReplyDeleteThe characteristics of the imposter syndrome that I relate to is perfectionism and comparing myself to others. I want everything to go perfectly in my classroom. As I get more years of teaching under my belt, I realize that sometimes you may have to reteach a lesson because they are not understanding. And that is ok--you are not a bad teacher. When I started this job teaching kindergarten at a new school, I would watch the teachers that have been here 20years or more and notice how much they knew about the families and the classroom management. I finally had to realize that I too will get there, I just need to be consistent with my classroom management for the school year. I just need to realize that no teacher is going to be perfect. We all have different strengths and weaknesses.
ReplyDeleteI relate to the anxiety and perfectionism, especially at work, I find that the more self conscious, or more insecure teachers are, the more they make themselves sound amazing. For a long time I felt like I was not a good teacher, let alone great, because I was surrounded by people who talked a great game about themselves, they talk about hours spent working on lesson plans, hours preparing, and I was not doing that. So I felt like I wasn't doing enough, therefore I was not a good enough teacher. As it turned out, my scores are as good as or better than those who talked such a great game. I have had to stop comparing myself to anybody, because improving myself should be the only competition.
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ReplyDeleteThe characteristics of imposter syndrome that I can related the most is perfectionism. Not only do I seek perfection at school, but also in my personal life as well. It is a challenge to not compare myself to someone else's idea of success, because we are often compared to other teachers in our grade level, building, or district. It’s very hard to step away from that, and it often feels mentally draining to always seek that high rating and perfection status. I want to stop measuring myself against someone else’s idea of success by focusing more on the things I am doing well on, than focusing on the things I need to improve on. I want to surround myself with others who are positive thinkers, and steer clear of negative mindsets.
ReplyDeleteI believe all educators should listen to our brilliance because everyone does have unique abilities and many strengths. Every teacher should have a similar main goal (to help our students), and we should collaborate and take opportunities to teach others’ our strengths to reach those goals.
I relate to feeling like I am not doing enough as a teacher. It is so easy to do when being surrounded by social media. There are many teachers on social media platforms who show their best side and it is easy to compare yourself to them and feel like you are not as good as them or doing enough for your students. I often have to keep myself grounded and remember that we are all doing what is best for kids and that is not going to look the same across the board. Everyone can listen to brilliance because we all hold amazing attributes and qualities that contribute to the education world.
ReplyDeleteI most relate to perfectionism. I have struggled with it since I was young. Being a mom has helped me to recognize it. I also don't have as much time, so realize I can't "do" everything to even my unrealistic expectations. My daughter is in first grade - and it has been refining for me to not hold her to my standards.... to let her be six and not scrutinize why she got a problem wrong. I've also been trying hard to not "label" myself as a perfectionist. I want to break that label in my own life and try to help my daughters to not fall prey to it.
ReplyDeleteI'm listening for brilliance - empower brilliance! If we don't we won't tap into the best ideas in the world. For me, since I'm not in the classroom, I think it's ensuring I leave space in team meetings for everyone to get to share... or to give time for processing and to follow up at a later time... some team members are quieter or aren't quick to speak - but they have great ideas and I don't want to miss them!
I believe this is a work of life - for the majority of us who struggle with imposter syndrome, it is a constant process of retraining our thinking. I have always been a perfectionist, and I expect things to be done a certain way, but I also struggle with incredible insecurity. Despite my hardwork, I never feel good enough or confident enough. "I hope nobody figures this out, that I don't actually know what I am doing." I have had nightmares in which I am all of a sudden planted into the most uncomfortable situations that I am 100% unprepared for (reffing an NFL game, for example). I think this stems from anxiety caused by imposter syndrome.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher, it is important to train children to work past the imposter syndrome. We want our children to be confident and tap into their inner strengths and brilliance. I think this is one of the most challenging parts of being a teacher. We know our kids are smart and talented, but we are also told (by standards, text books, administration, standardized testing, etc.) that there is one right way to do things. I believe we can do better for our students, so that they can feel confident, less anxious, and allow themselves to go out of their comfort zones to tap into their own varying levels of brilliance.
What characteristics of the imposter syndrome can you relate to most? How can you stop measuring yourself against someone else’s idea of success? How can we stop measuring our students against someone else’s idea of success? Why is it important for us as educators to “listen for brilliance” as Lou Solomon describes in her talk, The Surprising Solution to the Imposter Syndrome?
ReplyDeleteI can certainly relate to not feeling good enough or as skilled as I want to be. I think it's really hard to feel confident as a teacher in today's world. Between administrative critique and negative feedback from parents, to comparing yourself with other teachers, it can be easy to start to believe that you aren't enough. What helps me the most to not measure myself according to someone else's definition of success is my Christian faith and remembering what success is in God's eyes. It's much more about having a heart to serve others than to be perfect or "the best." It's important to listen for brilliance because everyone is worthy and has something to offer. It just looks different for everyone. We often are forced to put students in boxes and their gifts that are not as easily identified by standardized tests and assessments in school are missed. When we open up our ears and eyes to the whole student, we will find their brilliance.
As I reflect upon the characteristics of imposter syndrome, I am finding that I suffer from all of them at different moments and in different situations. I am finding I have common threads as to what characteristic I feel in certain situations but all characteristics present themselves at some point. I have worked hard to overcome anxiety and have some wonderful tools in my toolbox but when I have situations within my personal life and with my own children and grandchildren I find anxiety rearing it's head. Perfectionism is a struggle for me. I beat myself up over all mistakes and have very high standards for myself and when I don't measure up to myself, I am very disappointed. Self doubt has presented itself frequently as I have recently changed jobs. Thankfully I have wonderful coworkers that are very supportive. Fear of failure presents itself when I have new ideas I want to implement in both my professional and personal life. I need to continue to be mindful of my passions, loves, and what makes me happy to stop measuring myself against other's success. I need to keep balance and be happy for others and celebrate my little successes. With my new job I serve children and families birth to age 3. In this role I coach families to integrate interventions into daily lives and advocate for their children. To help them not compare their child's development to any other child. We celebrate the individual characteristics of their child and celebrate their child's successes no matter how small. We look at the wide range of development and focus on what is best for their child as an individual and what is best for the daily routines of their family. We need to "listen for brilliance" because every single person has a strength in something and has something to offer. I have learned so much from each and every family I serve. It is amazing developing relationships in which the families feel comfortable sharing with me!
ReplyDeleteComparison and perfectionism are the ones that I can relate to the most. I think I often focus too much on what I need to improve on instead of the things that I am thriving at or doing right. I struggled with this a lot as a new teacher and also as a teenager. Thankfully, as I’ve matured, this aspect of my life has improved. I think being a teacher and working with all types of learners and knowing that I would never expect perfectionism from them has helped. It’s important for educators to listen to “listen for brilliance” to remind us that each student has their own strengths and weaknesses, just like we do. It’s also important to think of everyone as “doing their best” and to celebrate the growth we see now matter how big or small.
ReplyDeleteOften when I relate to the imposter syndrome most is when I compare myself to someone who does not exist - another elementary teacher librarian in my district. Being the only person in my position often has me asking questions like "what are others expecting of me and am I doing that?" and "I wonder what other people think my job really is and if I'm doing it wrong". Instead of always wondering if I am doing the right things and enough things in my position I should take time to celebrate the impact that I have on my students and what I do with them that is important and useful.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of someone else's success often comes from social media due to no comparisons within my district which can be a slippery slope of feeling incompetent, often. That also means that I am in a unique position to simply stop any comparisons. I can simply celebrate what my students are getting out of my library, and instead just be open to ways to improve.
When we listen for brilliance, we end up finding SO much that we are actually successful at without changing anything. If we are aware of and celebrate our successes, change can be uplifting and motivating, instead of stressful.
What characteristics of the imposter syndrome can you relate to most? How can you stop measuring yourself against someone else’s idea of success? How can we stop measuring our students against someone else’s idea of success? Why is it important for us as educators to “listen for brilliance” as Lou Solomon describes in her talk, The Surprising Solution to the Imposter Syndrome? I love how she states that your therapist needs a good sense of humor. That is me, I deal with life using humor. Perfectionism is the one I could relate to the most. I am incredibly hard on myself and so critical. I have had a very difficult time in my life to find good things about myself. It is so much easier to be harsh, then to see what is good about me. I work on this every day. I love how she says to become a "self researcher." I always saying, "know thyself."
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