THE CAFE ESPRESSO: A Robust Take on a Hot Topic
Why This Work? A Quick Reflection for Faculty
By Renee Gutiérrez
Why did you decide to pursue teaching? When did it occur to you that you wanted to be part of academia?
Research suggests that awareness of our motivation matters to our resilience on the job—it makes a difference in how we can handle stress or change. Starting with our motivation is a longstanding means to remind ourselves of why this work is meaningful to us. (For example, Stephen Covey and Sue Robison both recommend that you start with your why.)
Like our students, we should stop occasionally for a metacognitive pause. But it might have been a while since you took the time to reflect on what got you here. Take 10 minutes to reconnect with why you began a career in teaching, or the values you bring to the classroom as an educator. Here are two options:
- An Experience-Based Why. What made you want to continue into graduate school or shift from doing/making into academic work and teaching? Think back to how and why you got started. What was it that you loved about academic life or work? Take ten minutes to write down what you remember. Then, send your anonymous response to this Google poll.Just recalling your motivations can help you remember the joy in the academic journey.
- A Values-Based Why.It’s easy in the hubbub of our work to get buried in the detail, and to become unaware or untethered from our own values. But much of what we do and how we teach is rooted in what we consider to be our best selves. This challenge asks you to give yourself 10 minutes to consider a value that you hold (select one from this listfrom Dr. Brené Brown) and then to think through how it manifests itself in your teaching and your classroom. Then, send your anonymous response to this Google poll. Just recalling the values that charge your work can give you perspective as you navigate a changing academic environment.
Take 10 minutes to reconnect with your path or your values: you won’t regret it. If you'd like to talk about your responses, set up an appointment with CAFE at cafe@longwood.edu.
For more programming on Well-Being, look for emails next month about Faculty Well-Being Week, March 30-April 3rd. We look forward to seeing you there.
Further Reading and Bibliography
Robison, Susan. The Peak Performing Professor: A Practical Guide to Productivity and Happiness. First edition, Jossey-Bass, 2013. Digital copy.
If you feel yourself beginning to lose effectiveness, Robison’s workbook is an excellent place to start to work your way back to remembering the motivation you once had. Headhunters like Peter Sherer suggest that you still have them. We suggest that reflecting on them can help you to get your motivation realigned.
Jessica Dewey, et al. “How Do We Address Faculty Burnout? Start by Exploring Faculty Motivation.” Innovative Higher Education, vol. 49, no. 3, 2024, pp. 521–39, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-023-09685-2.
These authors have a small sample size (n=144), but interesting results that point to the key values of professors: intellectual pursuits, a love of teaching, and a flexible schedule.
Brown, Brené. “Dare to Lead List of Values.” Brené Brown, 2020, brenebrown.com/resources/dare-to-lead-list-of-values/.
Brown is a researcher who has published on how living your values can make a more effective leader. She has podcasts and books: Dare to Lead, and Strong Ground. You can follow the links from this specific source to the wider topics.
Covey, Stephen R. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic. First Fireside edition, Fireside Book, 1989. Print.
Longwood will offer the 7-Habits training to all instructors on May 20-21, 2026. It’s free. Look for an announcement later this semester.