Have you ever lost your confidence in your teaching abilities? Whether it’s students who aren’t grasping concepts, a helicopter parent or low class test scores, it can be challenging to bounce back from that loss of confidence.

Well, that exact thing happened to me, and all I knew was that I needed to get my groove back.

I received an invitation to present at ISTA’s Good Teaching Conference. OK, I was happy to present, but let’s be real, I wanted to meet Gerry Brooks! I decided to share how I did an Escape Classroom, which had been an engaging and challenging experience for my students. I hoped to help teachers avoid common mistakes and provide answers to any questions they might have about doing an Escape Classroom. I didn’t expect many to choose to attend my session, but I thought putting my ideas into a presentation might help me rebuild that confidence.

My first session had 10-15 people attend, and I was thrilled! I expected about the same for my second session after lunch. Boy, was I wrong. It. Was. Packed. We had to keep pulling chairs from other classrooms until it was standing room only. 

After the session was over, a sweet lady came up to me and said that I made her excited about teaching again. I was dumbfounded. Me? Shortly after that, a recruiter from a community college approached me and asked if I would be interested in teaching an education course for them, because they were looking for “teachers like me.” 

As I walked out of the building, I started blubbering like a baby. How could one presentation have done so much for me personally? All I can say is that the special people that attended the Good Teaching Conference in March did more for me than I could have done for them. I was reminded that you never know what sharing a kind word can do for another person. For that, I am thankful. And, yes, I got my groove back!

The ISTA Professional Resource Center welcomes submissions for presenters for conferences throughout the year. Contact Angela Miller at amiller@ista-in.org with questions.