We just finished our first three weeks of school and I. Am. Tired. Whether you are a teacher or a mom (or both), you know what I mean about the mental and emotional exhaustion at this time of year.
How do we get our energy back for the important work we do? Here are 5 tips.
1 – Get some sleep. Whether you take naps, go to bed earlier, or sleep a little later, get some sleep. Everything looks better after you get some rest. We give that advice to our kids, but we don’t always give it to ourselves.
2 – Make a success list! Make a list of all the things that went well this week, both at home and at school. Your head might be spinning with all that you need to do or all the things that did not go well, but for this list: focus on the things that DID go well. You’ll probably amaze yourself.
Some examples from my list:
*I went to bed on time every night, even though I had lots more stuff on my to-do list.
*I made my things-to-do list every day, to keep myself focused on what needed doing first.
*I smiled and greeted my students in a positive way every morning.
*I cooked three dinners this week.
*I drank 9 cups of water every day.
*I exercised five days this week.
*I listed five things I am grateful for every day this week.
3 – Read. Spend some time reading something just for you, whether it’s a devotional book, a trashy novel, or PEOPLE magazine. Let your mind focus on something else besides school and kids.
4 – Watch TV or a movie. Let yourself zone out, relax, and get caught up in another world.
5 – Go somewhere. Whether you go out of town or to a local park or to a shopping area you do not usually visit, just go somewhere and get a different perspective.
I hope these tips help you relax and get some perspective! If you have other tips, please share!
Today I am beginning my 28th year of teaching. What have I learned after all these years? It’s this: there is nothing more important in the first days of school than building a classroom community and our relationships with students. Yes, the content will be taught, but establishing the classroom community remains the most important “thing to do” first.
So how do we start? Here are my 12 go-to activities.
1 – Read aloud, read aloud, read aloud. This is THE quickest and best way to build community. Why does it work so well? Stories bring people together. Everyone, from our youngest learners to our high schoolers, enjoys listening to and discussing a great story together.
I make a point to read aloud to students every single day, but I especially use it on the first day of school to help me bond with students and to help students connect with each other. Keep a stack of good picture books available and read one whenever you have a chance during that first week of school.
Reading aloud regularly (preferably at predictable times) helps establish classroom “rituals”, enabling students to feel safe and connected to the classroom. Consider participating in #classroombookaday. See more here.
2 – Learn the correct pronunciation of each child’s name. Ask the child. A simple “tell me how to say your name”, said with a warm smile, is all it takes. Names are important and communicate respect and caring about the individual.
3 – First-day “morning work” – you’ll be busy collecting forms, possibly collecting classroom supplies, greeting everyone — so it’s important to have work that students can do independently, but that will also give you a lot of information about them.
Something that asks them questions about themselves is perfect. (I have a ready-made questionnaire on Teachers Pay Teachers HERE.)
As they’re completing this work at their seats, you have a chance to observe how they get started working, how they interact with other students, etc. Read these morning work questionnaires as soon as you can. Make it your own first day of school homework. 🤗
4 – If you don’t do a morning work questionnaire, you can still gather that information in a whole group.
Form a circle on the carpet (or pull chairs into a circle). Go around the circle and have students answer pre-made questions.
Keep these simple at first and work your way up to “bigger” questions such as “name one word that describes how you are feeling about school this year”. To do this, you might use an object that you pass around the circle (like a beanbag or stuffed animal).
You might share something first and then pass the object to a student beside you. Continue going around the circle until everyone has had a chance to share. (You can read more about starting class circles in my post HERE.)
5 – Create scavenger hunts for students to complete with partners. It could be a scavenger hunt in which they have to find someone who went to a beach this summer, has a younger brother or sister, likes pizza, etc. Here’s an example.
Another option is to create a scavenger hunt of areas in the classroom. This activity also gets students moving around and talking to each other.
6 – Use whiteboard messages. These are quick questions such as “what is one thing you are thankful for, what will you do to make today a wonderful day,” etc.
There are plenty of pre-made questions online or for sale on Teachers Pay Teachers. It builds community for students to share these answers in a way that other students can see. Thus — the notion of answering the question on the whiteboard.
If that is a problem (or if it gets too crowded at the board), you might try an online tool such as Padlet or a Google doc. Post the question and allow students to add their answers to the question.
7 – Keep most bulletin boards and hallway displays bare at the beginning of the year. Have the students do some work in the first week that can be posted. This shows your students that this classroom belongs to all of them as much as it belongs to you. It’s also fun to take lots of pictures the first week and post them on walls or displays as well.
8 – Discuss your class/school expectations and create something that shows what these expectations look like/sound like. Try to focus this activity as a “what do we need/what helps everyone” activity rather than a “these are my rules and you need to follow them” activity.
9 – Share things about yourself. Kids love to find out things about their teacher which makes you more “real” to them. It’s also a good way to find common areas of interest.
I have a Google slide presentation with 50 facts about me. They’re not anything major — just things about my family, what I like, what I don’t like, etc. Think about some facts about yourself that you could share!
Another variation on this idea is to share one fact about yourself from the first day of school to the last (such as “I am now reading . . .”, “This weekend I tried sushi for the first time”, and “I am learning to bake the world’s best cinnamon rolls”, etc.).
10 – Name homework and sharing – read Chrysanthemumby Kevin Henkes (or any other picture book about a child having to explain their name.
Discuss how names are part of what makes us special and unique. Ask students to ask their grownups about how they were given their name and what it means (if known). Share these stories in partnerships or in a class circle.
11 – Consider having students write about some goals they are setting for themselves this year. If you post their writing, you might also have them create a self-portrait of themselves to include.
12 – Brown bag activity — send home an empty brown paper lunch bag along with a list of possible categories they might use to fill their bag.
Categories: likes, dislikes, hobbies, family, favorite color/food, etc. They can include a picture of something (like their pet) that does not fit into the bag or is not allowed at school! Have just a few kids (maybe 2-4) share these daily. (If it goes on for too long, kids get restless and don’t listen to each other.)
Want a ready-made version of this idea? It’s in my TPT store here!
I hope that these suggestions are fun and help to build the best classroom community for you and your students. Have an awesome school year and enjoy building relationships with your students!
Depending on your phase of life, you have different amounts of time to devote to self-care. Here are 5 tips to think about how you can use the time you have.
1 – I LOVE social media. But right now I am working on not spending too much time just mindlessly scrolling. Maybe you can set a time limit for how long you’ll scroll at one sitting? Or maybe you could set aside certain times during the day to check your social media sites, then avoid them at other times? Mindless scrolling is good for a brain break sometimes, but if it is taking time away from other, more enjoyable tasks, think about how you could change that.
2 – Besides social media, I LOVE Netflix and romantic comedies. But I am trying to be intentional about when I watch and how long I watch. Summer is a great time to watch TV and movies that you might not have as much time to watch during the school year. I highly recommend it as a relaxing activity, especially when you watch it with someone you love. But be careful about being sucked into the “just one more episode” mindset.
3 – If you’re a parent with children at home, I know you have a lot to do. Can you delegate some tasks? Can you get some help with child care so you’re not doing it all yourself? It is okay to ask for help!
4 – If money is an issue (as it is for most of us), think about starting with self-care tasks that don’t cost anything. Follow me on Pinterest and subscribe to this blog for some ideas!
5 – Schedule it! If I don’t put it on the calendar, it often doesn’t happen. Schedule time for yourself and stick to it.
Take some time for yourself every day. It matters.
If you’re a teacher, I hope that you are enjoying some much-deserved time to rest this summer. Even if you are working another job or spending time with your own kids, here are 5 tips for your own self-care this summer.
1 – Deep breathing — pause and remind yourself to breathe deeply a few times a day. If you have an Apple Watch, you may already get these reminders. But you can also set a reminder on your phone. Take a break from whatever you are doing and take five deep breaths. You’ll be amazed at what a difference this makes in your stress level!
2 – Stay hydrated — drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day. Try adding a slice of lemon or lime to add flavor or drink flavored water. You might also want to try a flavored seltzer like LaCroix or Spindrift.
3 – Get more sleep. I know that my optimum sleep amount is 7 hours. But during the summer I try to get around 8 hours. If you can’t get that much sleep at night, try taking a nap during the day, especially if you have young children who are still napping.
4 – Eat more fruits and vegetables. With all the yummy and fresh options available in the summer, this is a great time to try something new!
5 – Get some exercise every day. Even if you don’t do a formal workout, there are lots of ways to move more in the summer. Try walking, swimming, playing outside with your kids, or try a new sport.
Self-care is easy to put off but it makes the biggest difference in your mental and physical health. It makes you better at everything else you do. Try one of these tips today and see what a difference it makes for you!
A friend recommended the FASTER Way to Fat Loss program to me three years ago. At the time, I had some menopausal weight gain issues going on, more body fat that I wanted to lose, and my thyroid hormones were constantly fluctuating, even with medication. After two rounds on this program, the weight was gone, body fat was greatly reduced, and my thyroid hormones have completely stabilized. Success!
I admit that I was a little skeptical at first. How was this program any different from anything else that’s out there? I started reading all the information I could find about it. The creator of the program, Amanda Tress, is a certified personal trainer who struggled with some of the same health issues that affect many of us. She tweaked and re-worked the program while training individual clients and, after seeing their results, started sharing the program with others and word spread like wildfire from there.
Three of the core aspects of the program are intermittent fasting, carb cycling, and tracking your macros. Carb cycling appealed to me since I don’t like any eating plan that recommends giving up all carbs forever and ever, amen. Tracking your macros is mostly about tracking the food you’re eating, which is not hard to do. Then, after reading more about the health effects of intermittent fasting, I decided to take the plunge and I signed up for my first round.
Despite being a fairly healthy eater and an avid exerciser, I still learned so much from Amanda’s program. FASTER Way to Fat Loss is all about fueling your body in a healthy way and teaching your body to burn fat instead of carbs.
How long is each round of the program?
Each round of the FASTER Way lasts for six weeks. You will learn all about tracking your macros, intermittent fasting, carb cycling, and matching your eating plan to your workouts. During each round, you receive a full program guide, daily workouts, access to webinars, and membership in a private Facebook group. The Facebook group is for women only. Amanda also has a program just for men, so they get their own support there. 😉 In the Facebook group, you will get daily coaching and encouragement from one of Amanda’s certified coaches. I loved that part of the program. Everyone in the group was so supportive of each other’s progress and setbacks. I never once felt any guilt or “oh my gosh, I’ve blown it” from either the group or the coaching. Constant encouragement and helpful tips were my favorite things about the group.
I’m afraid of intermittent fasting. Isn’t fasting bad for you?
Don’t be afraid — it’s so much easier than you think it would be! And NO — fasting is NOT bad for you! There are two books I recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about intermittent fasting:
Amanda also has very helpful information about intermittent fasting on her site . You can read that HERE.
It’s easiest to start with a 12-hour fasting window and work up to 16 hours from there. Once you see the results from intermittent fasting, you will embrace the lifestyle. Gin Stephens calls it “the health plan with a side effect of weight loss.” My results prove that!
I don’t like the gym. Can I do the workout program at home?
Absolutely. Amanda includes daily workouts, with videos, for both home and the gym. She also includes modifications for beginners. The Facebook group is great for motivation and workout tips.
One thing that helped me
The one thing that helped me most was learning about carb cycling and matching my workouts to the eating plan. For instance, two days a week, you will eat lower carb meals and do HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts. On other days, you will eat more carbs (yay!), and you will do heavier weight workouts. *Tip from a woman over 55: if you’re not already doing some form of strength training, START NOW! You need muscle. Trust me. :)* 😊
I love how everything is spelled out for you in this program. It is a healthy and realistic way to eat and work out for the rest of your life, not just for a week until you can’t stand it anymore. The encouragement and suggestions from Amanda and the coaches keep you motivated and inspired!
Learn more!
After doing two rounds of FASTER Way to Fat Loss and seeing AWESOME results in weight loss, inches of body fat lost, and stabilization of my thyroid hormones, I am a believer. If you are interested in learning more, or if you would like to sign up for the next round, click HERE.
If you’ve tried the FASTER Way to Fat Loss, I would love to hear your thoughts! If you do decide to try it out, please let me know so that I can cheer on your success!
We’ve all been there — feeling like what we’re doing is just not worth it.
Here’s a self-care tip to help you keep going: encourage other teachers.
Wait, isn’t this tip supposed to be something that takes care of you?
Believe it or not, this tip DOES help you. Whatever you put out in the world tends to come back to you. So if you want to be encouraged, find someone else to encourage. You can give a compliment, leave a post-it note, write an email, give a hug — whatever feels comfortable for you.
When people see you as a positive force and as an encourager, they will tend to give the same gift back to you. Maybe not right away, but it will happen.
Today I talked to two teachers. Both of them were people with whom I worked in the past, and both are in transition — trying to figure out their next steps in teaching. One was wondering about leaving the classroom for another position and the other was discouraged about teaching in general and considering doing something different.
I don’t know that I had any great insight or inspiring “words of wisdom” for them. But what I do know is that I could give the one thing they needed most: I could listen. And as I listened, I could chime in here and there with encouragement: reminders of things that I know they do very well, things about them that make them a positive force for good in the world, all the good things I have seen them do in their classrooms.
At the end of the phone calls, both thanked me for encouraging them. And it made me wonder — how many times do we think we need to “fix” something or give advice when all the other person wants is to be heard and to be encouraged?
Take care of yourself and be an encourager for others. Look for the good. Others will see that in you and return the favor. Encouraging teachers and reminding them of the good they do is my goal for this blog’s content. I hope you will find some encouragement here.
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
