Are You a Magenta Teacher? Hint: Compassion is a Big Deal

Empower Yourself with a Magenta Philosophy

The term "magenta teacher" was coined by James Alan Sturtevant, author of Teaching In Magenta. Sturtevant defines a magenta teacher as someone who is passionate about teaching, who is committed to helping students learn, and who creates a positive and supportive learning environment.

 Magenta: a purplish-red color, located precisely midway between blue and red. Should educators be authority figures, friends, or someone precisely in between?

These innovative teachers are not afraid to be themselves and share their own unique perspectives with their students. They are also not afraid to take risks and try new things in the classroom. While they’re not perfect, magenta teachers are always looking for ways to improve their teaching and make learning more engaging for their students. In their eyes, every student can learn and grow.

According to Sturtevant, these superheroes are the future of education, and they’re making a difference in the lives of students all over the world by embracing five main qualities: Compassion, Optimism, Balance, Adaptability, and Contentment.

In this post, let’s explore the path of Compassion and how you might add more of this life-changer to your classroom as well as your personal world.

Compassion is Power.

Some associate power with the victors, the ultra-competitive, the publicity seekers–the people we celebrate in contemporary society. Such individuals are often considered virile and heroic, yet these strivers are frequently motivated by anxiety, not strength.

Compassionate teachers are the opposite. They reach out. They manage their emotions. They risk ridicule. They don’t seek self-promotion.

Become that kind of powerful educator.

Here are five ways you can connect with your students through compassion to become a magenta teacher:

1. Reach Back

You swagger into class, amped for the day’s lesson. You launch into your sales pitch, but you become discouraged when you notice that a student is not listening to the enthusiastic introduction. Instead, she’s completely fixated on her phone. The post she’s reading is just as interesting to her as the Taiping Rebellion is to you.

Stay encouraged and amped up. You were young once, too. Granted, you may have been a highly motivated youngster, but you no doubt had plenty of distracted friends. Today, just be cool and remember your youth. You have the opportunity to influence this student, and your efforts will be more fruitful if they come from a place of acceptance rather than anger.

2. Nix Nostalgia

Being nostalgic is perfectly understandable. You probably remember a time when you were younger and more vibrant, and the future was bright. Nostalgia, however, is not objective. Many of us look back fondly on the memories of our youth, but society also subscribed to many horrific norms during those days.

Today, instead of wishing your students were more like you and your contemporaries when you were young, remember that the past ways of life are not always as good as you remember them. Also acknowledge that they’re not coming back. Nostalgic wishful thinking separates you from modern youth. Your students are citizens of the present. Accept this and stay relevant.

3. Drop the Baton

Despite the point above concerning nostalgia, it’s also vitally important to empathize with kids. A great way to do this is to tell a story about when you were young. Occasionally, you can recount heroic exploits where you hit the walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth or when you came close to curing cancer in tenth grade biology.

Or, more effectively, tell a story about when you faced a hardship. It could be when you asked a girl to homecoming and got rejected or when you dropped the relay baton at the state track meet (Jim Sturtevant actually did this). Let kids know that they aren’t alone in their struggles and that you’re a sympathetic ear if they need one.

4. Execute a Subtle Course Correction

When you work with 150 people for 180 days straight, there’s going to be tension. Sometimes,

your most reliable and enthusiastic students stop producing and become standoffish. Sometimes your problematic kids become even more obstinate.

Today, while you’re stationed by your door greeting kids as they enter class, execute a subtle course correction with a student who strayed. Pull them aside and ask them to join you in leaning against the door and greeting peers and then just talk to the youngster. Ask them if everything is okay. Apologize if you’ve gotten frustrated with them in front of their peers. Most importantly, tell them you care about them and that you’re there for them. It’s amazing how often this simple tactic works.

5. Control Your Weltanschauung

Weltanschauung means worldview. Author Jim Sturtevant explains, “It’s one of the few German words I know. When I conduct PD sessions for teachers, I prompt the audience to stand if they were in the National Honor Society. Next, I ask those who played a varsity sport and those who graduated from high school with at least a 3.00 GPA to join the Honor Society folks in standing. At this point, I congratulate the few who remain in their seats: ‘You have a distinct advantage to bond with a lot of kids,’ I tell them.”

Remember, many students at your school will never achieve any of the things Jim asked about. Their weltanschauung is different from yours. They may not look at school in the same positive light as the higher-achieving students do. Today, embrace those kids who aren’t going to have many group photos in the yearbook.

Final Word

Incorporating compassion into the classroom not only fosters a more supportive and inclusive environment but also inspires students to carry empathy into their own lives. By modeling kindness and understanding, teachers play a vital role in shaping a generation that values connection and respect. Ultimately, compassion is not just a teaching strategy—it’s a cornerstone for building a better world, one classroom at a time.

Read More

Click here to learn about all five qualities of a magenta teacher and how you can transform into one by reading Teaching in Magenta by Jim Sturtevant.

Resources

• Cut paper image by Vie Studio from Pexels.
• Dalai Lama quote image from BrainyQuote.
• Please note that part of this text was shared previously on our site but has been updated.
• Post image of magenta flower by KUNAL from Pexels.
• Teaching in Magenta by James Alan Sturtevant