I love to read and this year has been a CRAZY BUSY reading year! I’ve read some of the most impactful books of my life this year, so I wanted to take the opportunity to share them with you!!
Taking Full Advantage of Your School Break
As teachers, we run ourselves ragged. We rarely take time for ourselves. We pour and pour and pour our heart and souls into our teaching, our students, our craft, our passion. But what do we do to fill ourselves back up?
School breaks are supposed to give us that chance, but my question to you is – are you taking full advantage of your school break? [Read more…]
A Thank You Note to Teachers
Teaching is a pretty thankless job. It’s difficult for anyone who is not a teacher to truly know how much work goes in to teaching. So here is my thank you note to teachers – my favorite group of people.
Reframing Negative Thoughts as a Teacher
Life with a three-year-old is never dull – to say the least. She is always watching and thus I’m always “on”. She is learning from me and those around her about what is acceptable and not acceptable. She is learning about the big things in life like fairness, justice, integrity and consequences.
Like every other parent out there, I worry that in the process of learning right from wrong and good from bad, that she will lose her spark and devalue her uniqueness. In the process of training her to be conscious of her actions and their consequences (conscious of her “self”), I am afraid of her becoming self-conscious.
In this world, we each have to learn to walk that tightrope – and for many of us it’s a constant struggle. [Read more…]
Fostering Your Learning Community
Most teachers by now are part of a professional learning community (PLC) – a community or team of teachers that encourage professional growth and reflection on your teaching practice. You may also be part of a professional learning network of your online colleagues from around the globe.
But have you ever thought about having a personal learning community? I submit that a personal learning community is just as important as your professional learning community. What is it, you ask? Let’s explore.
Healthy Eating Habits for Busy Teachers
I admit that I am an unabashed lover of all things sweet!! Oh – and salty! Oh – and carby!! (sigh) The truth is – my love affair with unhealthy food makes me struggle with the other elements of a wholehearted life. When things are unbalanced, when I’m not taking time for myself, when my environment is cluttered or I feel isolated, sometimes I turn to food. And the teacher’s lounge is the biggest pitfall, right?! I know I’m not alone here… [Read more…]
Cultivating Self-Care as a Teacher
As a science/STEM teacher by day, I have had the opportunity to learn a lot about sustainability. Sustainability is often talked about with regard to the environment and natural resources. Sustainability of natural resources means we don’t consume more than can be regenerated – we use practices and products that are capable of being maintained and sustained.
The word sustainability, as defined by Merriam-Webster, means “1. Capable of being sustained. 2 a: of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged”.
So I ask you: If you continue with your schedule like it is today – are you capable of being sustained? Were your personal resources (physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, etc.) used in ways that won’t lead to permanent depletion or damage?
Cultivating self-care as a teacher is similar to cultivating other sustainable practices – it takes choice, intention, and commitment. And it yields fruitful results. [Read more…]
Taking Care of Yourself As A Teacher
As I write this, I’m on a plane – another work trip away from home. But in these moments of reflection, I’m always gifted with a solid gold nugget of truth. Maybe it’s because I’m not pulled in a million directions by a two-year-old or the fact I’m not literally praying that my child won’t be the one screaming the entire flight. Today’s came as the flight attendant prepared us to leave. I was unusually attentive to the safety preparation instructions. He went through the usual instructions for the seat belt, safety information card, and life preserver. Then he got to the oxygen mask…
I happened to be sitting next to a small child (almost 3 – made me miss my own little one so much!) and his father. After instructing all of us in how to put on the oxygen mask, the flight attendant specifically came to our row to repeat it. “Sir, make sure you secure your mask before assisting your son.” There it was. We’ve heard this a million times, and yet it’s important enough to come over and remind parents individually. Why? Because it’s so counter-intuitive for parents. And it’s counter-intuitive for teachers.
We hardly ever ‘secure our oxygen mask’ before we attend to our students. [Read more…]