This is a really fun blog post to write because as I sit here, thinking back on the blogs I’ve written over the year, I can’t help but smile at how far this work has come. This work – through A Teacher’s Best Friend, has fundamentally changed me. I can never go back to the version of me that didn’t know my purpose in this world – to help teachers become their most wholehearted selves – and in the process become my most wholehearted self.
So in case you missed these most-read blog posts of 2015, here they are again with some new comments added too:
Cultivating Work-Life Balance as a Teacher
To me it is no surprise that this is my most-read blog post of 2015. Work-life balance is the thing that my teacher clients are the worst at. As teachers, we give and give and give, but rarely take time for ourselves. So our lives become out of balance quickly.
Wrestling with this one brings up a pain point for some of us – we have lived for so long having absolutely no work-life balance, that we don’t even know who we are when we try to nurture ourselves. We are so out of touch with our own needs that we don’t know where to start with cultivating work-life balance.
If that’s you, you may want to read up on this one again – AND you may also want to check out my free e-course on self-care. There is a bonus module within the e-course on identifying your own needs. After seeing this issue repeatedly with my clients, I knew it needed to be a resource that all teachers could benefit from – so I’m offering it for free right now. Click here to register for the e-course and all the info will be emailed to you.
Cultivating a Grateful Heart as a Teacher
In this post, I talk about the three components of gratitude – thankfulness, humility, and mindfulness. All three components are necessary for true gratitude to rule your mindset and life.
I truly cannot understate the power of gratitude in our lives. Do you worry in moments of joy that the joy will come to a crashing hault? Cultivate gratitude. Do you stress over things you don’t have or things you need? Cultivate gratitude. Do you struggle with a coworker, partner, student, or even yourself? Practice gratitude for them daily!
Find elements every day to be grateful for. Stay in the moment and notice the joy you feel.
I challenge you to start a gratitude journal in 2016. The stores are full of dayplanners – find a small one that has room to write for each day and make it your gratitude journal. Each day write something you are grateful for. Extra challenge: don’t repeat anything twice.
Organizing Your Teacher Desk/Workspace
Staying organized is something I love to do. Sometimes I wonder if it’s just that I’m a really high-functioning procrastinator (I always organize when I need to get something really big done). But I also think that there is something deeper going on – I have a hard time concentrating when things around me are cluttered.
And I know I’m not alone since so many of you clicked to read this blog this year.
The way we leave our desk at the end of the day sets us up for the next day. So taking a few minutes at the end of the day is an investment into your future mindset. If you missed it, check it out now.
Taking Care of Yourself as a Teacher
Self-care is the BIGGEST issue for my teacher clients. They don’t cultivate work-life balance and the thing that suffers is their self-care (taking care of themselves).
In this blog post, I use the analogy of the oxygen mask – you must secure your own oxygen mask before those who depend on you (or else you will not be of any use to ANYONE). This is the truth – it’s unnatural for us to take care of ourselves when there is so much else to be done.
But in not taking care of ourselves, we are shooting ourselves in the foot – or lungs – because we are running on an empty tank. We have nothing left to give. And what’s left at the bottom after all of your energy is gone? Resentment. Negativity. Bitterness. (Ouch!)
So if you are running on resentment and negativity, read this post and figure out how you can meet your needs QUICK before you burn out!!
10 Habits of Wholehearted Teachers
This blog post was the kickoff of my 10 Habits of Wholehearted Teachers blog series and outlines the top 10 things I work on with my teacher clients.
Wholehearted teaching is teaching from a place of “emotional abundance”, where your needs are met, your worth is known, your boundaries are firm and your spirit is resilient.
Wholehearted teaching is being all-in – staying completely engaged, while having the emotional boundaries to not take on your student’s problems and burdens.
Wholehearted teaching is knowing your value and taking impeccable care of yourself. YOU are your greatest asset and resource (and your students’ too as a matter of fact). Act that way!
Wholehearted teaching isn’t a destination – it’s a journey. Some days will be harder than others, but the truly wholehearted teachers get up and keep going.
I have had an absolute blast writing these blogs and loving on you guys this year. If you missed any of these, you have to check them out!!
2015 was great – and I know 2016 is going to be EVEN better.
Cheers to you all!
Have a wonderful New Year holiday! See you on the flip side!
Wholeheartedly Yours,
~Alison, A Teacher’s Best Friend
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