Related Links
- Readers' Survey 2008 Home
- Best Blog for Educators
- Best Educational Podcast
- Best Virtual Field Trip
- Best Site from Which You Can Download Free Lessons and Materials
- Best Site for Grant Information
- Best Technology Product for Less Than $100
- Best Technology Tool for Students
- Best Education Software
- Amount You Spend Out of Pocket Each Year on Classroom Supplies
- Best Way to Get What You Need for the Classroom
- Best Public Advocate or Role Model for Educators
- Best New Book About Education
- Top Concern of Parents
- Top Concern of Teachers
- What's Missing from Education Degree or Certification Programs
- Who, from the Past or Present, You'd Like to Teach Your Class for a Day
- Subject That Typically Isn't Taught in Schools That Should Be
- Best Way for Schools to Keep New Teachers from Burning Out
- Best Way to Find Inspiration
- Best Way to Create an Educational Community
- The 2008 Readers' Survey was conducted at Edutopia.org March 26-April 30, 2008. Participants responded to questions in their own words, and their answers were tabulated to yield the top three to five vote getters in each category. The top responses for each question appear with voting buttons to encourage our visitors to participate further.
Advertisement
Readers' Survey 2008: Best Way to Find Inspiration
Credit: Veer
Many readers have a special file or drawer they can go to when times get tough. In it, they've collected thank-you notes from students, parents, and administrators they've inspired. "Looking at this file makes the bad stuff seem small compared with the successes that I have had," one reader wrote about the morale boost such a collection provides.
Other teachers suggested having lunch with a former student or teacher as well as talking to the kids. "You always inspire more than you know!" proclaimed one reader. Being a mentor can also help educators find inspiration.
Many readers look to the students they teach for that spark, thinking back to an "'Aha!' moment" or "the face of a child when she finally got something after working hard at it."
What do you think? Weigh in on the results.
