Angela Watson > Quotes

“It’s clear that the teaching profession in America was never designed to offer a lifetime of strong wages or a sustainable workload. Our schools have a 200+ year history of undervaluing the necessary skill sets of a good educator, offering low compensation, and making all-consuming demands on teachers’ personal lives due to the perception of the work as a “calling” which they should gladly sacrifice for.”
― Angela Watson, Fewer Things, Better: The Courage to Focus on What Matters Most

“The secret to patience is presence”
― Angela Watson, Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day...No Matter What

“Radical acceptance is a psychology term coined by Marsha Linehan and rooted in ancient Buddhist teachings. It doesn’t mean you approve of your problems or deem them as okay. Radical acceptance is about avoiding unnecessary suffering by accepting rather than resisting what is. You need all your strength to teach, and practicing radical acceptance will keep you from wasting energy on perpetual outrage.”
― Angela Watson, Fewer Things, Better: The Courage to Focus on What Matters Most

“A truly powerful vision will motivate you to expend more than just time. Anyone can show up physically in the classroom but not be mentally and emotionally present.”
― Angela Watson, Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day...No Matter What

“Getting real about what teaching involves in your school is crucial. Don’t keep repeating to yourself, This is unbelievable; I can’t believe I have to deal with this. It’s happening, so believe it. Subjecting yourself to these indignities is something you are choosing to do, as no one can stop you from quitting. You can apply for other jobs or take constructive steps to improve working conditions, but do so while practicing radical acceptance of your current reality.”
― Angela Watson, Fewer Things, Better: The Courage to Focus on What Matters Most

“Am I filling my day with banal tasks and unfulfilling obligations because that’s what everyone around me expects? Am I constantly trying to be more efficient with tasks that I shouldn’t be doing at all? How can I create time for the most important things instead of trying to do as many things as possible?”
― Angela Watson, Fewer Things, Better: The Courage to Focus on What Matters Most

“When you have a clear vision for your legacy as an educator — the mark you wish to have made on your students and the lasting impact on their development because of their time with you — it’s amazing how clearly things come into focus.”
― Angela Watson, Fewer Things, Better: The Courage to Focus on What Matters Most

“Injustice and oppression thrive in places where the norms are never questioned.”
― Angela Watson, Fewer Things, Better: The Courage to Focus on What Matters Most

“When you teach, you don’t always get a short term reward, but you do leave a legacy. You have a choice about what that legacy will be.”
― Angela Watson, Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day...No Matter What

“If you feel like yelling because no one is listening to you, burst into song instead. You can even turn it into a joke—”You guys know how terrible my singing is. If you don’t follow my directions the first time, I’m going to have to sing them. Loudly.”
― Angela Watson, Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day...No Matter What

“We are spending endless unpaid hours creating and curating activities and tests and worksheets and quizzes, then tracking it all and reminding students to turn it all in. And we never have time to ask ourselves: Is the impact on student learning proportionate to the class time expenditure? Is this activity or strategy worth giving up all this time? Is there something else kids could be doing that is more impactful?”
― Angela Watson, Fewer Things, Better: The Courage to Focus on What Matters Most

“it’s rare that anything productive will result from complaining about the same situation multiple times. The more you talk about your problems, the more you allow those problems to take up space in your head.”
― Angela Watson, Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day...No Matter What

“If all we care about is students’ mastery of tests in core academic subjects, then why empower teachers to develop their own unique teaching styles that help learners become socially adept and well-rounded?”
― Angela Watson, Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day...No Matter What

“believe we need to create a culture in education in which we are open to self-reflection and can challenge one another to be our best. We need to embrace conversations about what’s good for kids and why we’ve made the choices we have in our classrooms.”
― Angela Watson, Fewer Things, Better: The Courage to Focus on What Matters Most

“A healthy work environment makes a tremendous difference in how you much enjoy teaching, and you deserve to be in a place where you feel supported and energized each day.”
― Angela Watson, Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day...No Matter What

“If you’re contemplating the risk of leaving, why not contemplate the risk of improving the workplace before it gets to that point?”
― Angela Watson, Fewer Things, Better: The Courage to Focus on What Matters Most

“We do not have to stand by and watch the love of teaching and learning be crushed.”
― Angela Watson, Fewer Things, Better: The Courage to Focus on What Matters Most

“When you continually make a series of small positive choices, they eventually become strong, unshakeable habits that are an essential part of who you are.”
― Angela Watson, Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day...No Matter What

“It’s been said that if your students are sharing their work with the world, they want it to be good. If they’re just sharing it with you, they want it to be good enough.”
― Angela Watson, Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day...No Matter What

“Boundaries are not things you try to force other people to do. Since you can’t control anyone’s behavior but your own, you can’t create a boundary that will only be effective if other people change.”
― Angela Watson, Fewer Things, Better: The Courage to Focus on What Matters Most

“a culture of complaining is the most pervasive negative influence in schools.”
― Angela Watson, Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day...No Matter What

“It doesn’t matter if some of those thoughts are true—they’re not healthy. They make working more miserable than it has to be and cause you to hate your job.”
― Angela Watson, Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day...No Matter What

“Rather than focus on all the things that I left undone, I'm going to make a mental list of everything I accomplished:”
― Angela Watson, Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day...No Matter What

“God has equipped you with unique gifts and talents so that you can bless and serve others, and He provides the strength you need for using them.”
― Angela Watson, The Awakened Devotional Study Guide for Christian Educators

“Reading the ideas and reflections of great teachers always inspires me and keeps me motivated,”
― Angela Watson, Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day...No Matter What

“The root cause of burnout is not that we have too much to do. It’s the feeling that the things we do aren’t meaningful-or don’t reflect who we really are.” — Dr. Ayala Malach Pines”
― Angela Watson, Fewer Things, Better: The Courage to Focus on What Matters Most

“If you’re enjoying the work and going beyond what’s expected by choice, it’s not really work. It’s something you’re choosing to do because you like doing it and it’s meaningful.”
― Angela Watson, Fewer Things, Better: The Courage to Focus on What Matters Most

“the kids are the most important thing, and the work is secondary. You teach students, not standards.”
― Angela Watson, Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day...No Matter What

“You can choose a lifestyle that is fulfilling and full of joy, or miserable and depressing (sometimes without changing a single circumstance, and only altering your mindset and habits).”
― Angela Watson, Fewer Things, Better: The Courage to Focus on What Matters Most

“This is normal, but normal is not synonymous with healthy, and our mental well-being is too precious to accept the status quo.”
― Angela Watson, Fewer Things, Better: The Courage to Focus on What Matters Most