Teaching is hard work, and every educator sometimes needs a little burst of positivity, a jolt of passion, a reminder of their purpose. That’s why I started writing Positivity – Passion – Purpose, a bi-weekly newsletter that is completely free. All you have to do is sign up, and it comes directly to your inbox every other Wednesday.

Each edition includes a short reflection that I hope gives you a boost. I also include some recommendations (“Dave’s Faves!”), resources to explore, and general silliness to help encourage and inspire educators.

You can always read and subscribe for free at drdave.substack.com!

A bit about the title…I hope it is self-evident, but just in case…my newsletter is intended to fulfill three broad goals:

1. Positivity. There is so much negativity in the world today. It’s exhausting, isn’t it? Don’t you sometimes feel that tug deep in your gut, a feeling of “this is not the way things are supposed to be!” I’m not here to say there are no problems in the world. And I’m not here to try and silver-lining the hard stuff in the world. And I’m certainly not planning to rah-rah-everything’s-great-don’t-ya-know? into the realm of toxic positivity where we can’t ever name the hard, broken stuff in the world. But my hope is that you might find this a respite from all the hard, broken stuff, a chance to look for beauty, delight, humor, and joy. I’ve learned that “positivity” is one of my top strengths (if you’re familiar with the StrengthsFinder, this might resonate with you) and it’s often the one I lead with. So if you’re looking for a boost, my hope is that this newsletter might be that for you.
2. Passion. I am a teacher at heart. Teachers are by their very nature people of passion. We care. We give. We learn. We grow. We help. We lead. We nurture. We serve. But it ain’t easy, is it? Serving as a professional educator is taxing, demanding work, and it hasn’t gotten any easier in the many years I’ve been in this profession. We put in long hours—often far more than our contracts actually stipulate. Why would we do this? I think it comes back to our passion: our passion for the kids, our passion for the content, our passion for great teaching, our passion for our own development and growth. If you need a reminder about what drew you into the profession, or a jolt to help you reset and reframe the hard stuff, my hope is that this newsletter might be an opportunity to do that.
3. Purpose. Teachers ask a lot of questions. I think it’s baked right in to the job, honestly: we want kids to think, so we ask them questions as a way to elicit their thoughts. But kids also have plenty of questions of their own as well; they are naturally curious creatures, who want to know things. And the most important question, as every preschool teacher can tell you, is “WHY??” Kids naturally want to know “why?” I suspect most adults want to know “why?” as well. Wondering about the purpose of things—because that’s what “why?” is driving us towards—is innately human, isn’t it? We want to see that there is a “why” behind the “how” and the “what” and the “who” and “when” and “where.” So if you need a nudge to remember your “why” for serving as a professional educator, well, I hope that this newsletter might be an opportunity for that too.

One more thought, as I wrap up: while each edition is primarily addressed toward the needs and interests of educators—teachers, school leaders, paraprofessionals, professors, and the like— everyone else is definitely welcome to join us on the journey. My hope is that if you are not a professional educator, you’ll still benefit, and maybe even get a little wider insight into the joys and challenges of teaching. (And maybe get a peek behind the curtain about the things your own teachers were trying to do with you.)

Ready to subscribe? Click here to join the fun: Positivity – Passion – Purpose.