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."
ReplyDeleteI could relate to all of the characteristics of the imposter syndrome at various points in my life. I would say currently I mostly relate to self doubt and fear of failure. I fall into comparing myself to other teachers, which usually ends in me feeling inadequate. I worry that I'm not doing enough to prepare my students for their next year, state testing, etc... This Ted Talk definitely spoke to me. I hope to work on my inner radical hero voice to call out my imposter thinking.
ReplyDeleteWhat 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 relate to all the characteristics of the imposter syndrome, but the one I relate to the most would be comparison and anxiety. When I first started teaching it was hard for me to not compare myself to other teachers in my school or even on social media. I would see how they could manage their classroom and how they did their lessons, and I would begin to compare myself and see everything I couldn't/ wasn't doing. I tried to take a step back and rather compare myself to them I tried to learn from them. I have also always been an overthinker and had anxiety. I am constantly thinking about if my students are prepared for the next year, are they proficient enough to move on, etc. I found this video eye opening and it was helpful knowing I am not the only one with these thoughts. I will continue to work on staying positive and not letting those negative thoughts get to me.
The most relatable characteristic for the imposter syndrome for me is self-doubt. I have a hard time not comparing myself to others and how others are doing. This is my fifth-year teaching, so I’m still a new teacher. I think it’s hard for me to not compare myself to other teachers because there are so many great teachers. I am getting better at not comparing myself to others as I am getting older. I am starting to understand that I need to “listen to brilliance”. Every person, no matter their age, is going to have different strengths that make us who we are. A very good teacher friend of mine, who has been teaching for 35 years, would still come to my classroom and ask me questions. This also helped me understand that things are always changing, and we are always learning. I need to have confidence that I know what I’m doing.
ReplyDeleteWhat characteristics of the imposter syndrome can you relate to most? The characteristics of imposter syndrome that I relate to the most are fear of failure and self doubt. I am often told that I am an excellent teacher, and that I am patient. I am told "I don't know how you do it" and although I hear these compliments often, I am very hard on myself. I am always thinking that I should have been more patient, or I was too hard on that student, or I did not handle that situation correctly. Perfectionism is one of my biggest flaws as a person and as a teacher, so it is very hard to feel competent and successful in a position when I am often thinking of what I should have done differently.
ReplyDeleteHow can you stop measuring yourself against someone else’s idea of success? I think as a teacher, it is important to measure your success based on your student performance. Not necessarily. academics, but whether they are happy. Do they feel safe in your care? Are they making progress? It's important to show up everyday giving 100%, knowing that not every student will master the content, but you can only do so much, and at the end of the day, that's what matters the most.
How can we stop measuring our students against someone else’s idea of success? It is important to realize that the same way teachers are not all the same in their teaching styles, neither are students. Especially in special education, I have the unique perspective and opportunity to have individualized learning for each student, making it easier to gauge their success based solely off of their own confidence and improvements versus off of standards or "the average" student's work. Intrinsic confidence and belief that they are making progress is what matters to students.
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? Teaching is a job that is always changing. There are educators all around the nation making discoveries that help students with phonics and math strategies, and if every teacher gave into their doubts and worries about imposter syndrome, we would all unfortunately be at a great loss of progress. Encouraging others to share their brilliance with the world is how education will make progress and students will get what they deserve.
What characteristics of the imposter syndrome can you relate to most?
ReplyDeleteI related to a lot of this Ted talk. Specifically, worrying that everyone around me is better at their job than I am. If 2nd graders struggle with telling time, I assume it's because I did a poor job teaching it in first grade. Our 2nd grade teacher years ago would often talk about all the things her students couldn't do or were struggling with and I felt a tremendous amount of guilt because it was obviously my fault and I was a terrible teacher.
How can you stop measuring yourself against someone else’s idea of success?
I haven't figured this out yet. I strongly value the opinion of others and worry what others think of me. I need to remember that somebody's opinion of me is none of my business. It's hard though.
How can we stop measuring our students against someone else’s idea of success?
This is hard because we have these specific 'goals' for each year. For examples, my first graders are supposed to be reading at a level J by the end of the year. They all need to show growth on their MAPS tests. They all need to be able to XYZ before second grade. Instead of worrying about showing achievement, we need to be more focused on growth.
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 always tell my coworkers that they are my best PD. I've learned more from watching them teach, learning how they utilize Dojo, how they interact with their students, etc, and I try to thank them for that. PLEASE share your brilliance with me, so that I can become better too.