Teachers... take care of yourself!

As we count down the final 5 days before Spring Break, a friendly reminder about taking time to take care of yourself.  Take some time, whether you're in Hudson, Florida, Mexico or the West Indies, to do something just for you.  

Rest, relax and rejuvenate! 

(And then come back refreshed for the final leg of the school year!)

Taking Care of Yourself: Resources to Help with Teacher Self-Care

Association of American Educators, June 2017)

More than many other occupations, education is missional in nature. Educators are well aware that how well a child is educated will drive their success later on in life and popular culture often heightens this with movies and books that focus on how a single, passionate educator can “save” a child from the dismal life that awaits them. Schools, too, often suffering from low budgets and lack of staff encourage educators to take on extra duties and go the extra mile. While none of this is bad in and of itself, it creates a situation where educators feel as if they must always do more and try harder, making it easy to lose themselves in the mission. This striving leads to an unsustainable pace, and it’s easy for educators to become burned out. This is why one of the most important things an educator can do is take care of themselves. Self-care is not a “nice to have” goal for when you have time to pursue it. For a classroom teacher, it is the foundation that allows a teacher to give their students the focus and energy they deserve. If this is an area that you struggle with, you are not alone. Numerous resources exist to help teachers with their physical, emotional, and mental health. Check out a few of them below: Happy Teacher Revolution Developing a Self-Care Plan 10 Self-Care Techniques for Teachers 7 Self-Care Strategies For Teachers How to Teach and Still Have a Life This School Year Top Tips for Stress Management and Self-Care How Teacher Compassion Can Help Prevent Teacher Burnout Teacher Self-Care: What Will You Do For You Today? Recharging Our Professional Batteries: 3 Ways to Keep the Love Alive! Self-Care for Teachers & Four Easy Ways to Stay Well

The Postive Impact of Building Goodwill

Build Goodwill on Good Days

This is a draining time of year.  We are tired, and maybe even a little impatient.  This is the time of year where sometimes our only interactions with students start to be responses to disruptions. When things are going well and students are quietly reading, doing their work, or listening attentively, we just silently accept this situation and enjoy the respite from having to correct misbehavior. This is a perfect time to build a little goodwill by commenting on how much you appreciate your students' good habits and behaviors. By noticing that they are doing the expected - and making sure they know that you noticed. It's a great way to build up your students, and a great way to enhance teacher-student relationships.

There's research to support that positive feedback not only helps the receiver, but it also helps the giver!  If you are looking for something good or beneficial in a person or situation, you will always find it.  And while you're looking, you will be a more positive and cheerful person. The benefits of positive emotions don't stop after a few minutes of good feelings subside - they continue to resonate in your heart and mind, and continuing to impact your words and actions.  When you think positive, you will notice amazing things all around you.  Your brain will actually begin to operate in a state of free-flowing feel-good hormones called endorphins, which will make you feel lighter and happier. 

I encourage you to take the time to notice and praise the positive behaviors in your class.  I encourage you to assume the best of intentions of everyone around you.  Set your focus on spreading goodwill when you notice the good.  And an extra bonus - it will not only help build up our staff and students, it will make you feel happier, too.

BONUS:
A quick read going around on Facebook this weekend, related to the idea of building relationships: One Teacher's Brilliant Strategy (Readers Digest).  It's about how a teacher takes time each week to ask her students two questions, which help her identify what is going on in her classroom.  You'll be amazed at what she finds out when she looks at the results!

1.  Names of 4 children they'd like to sit with the following week

2.  Nominate a student who they believe has been an exceptional classroom citizen that week

Teacher GRIT

We've been talking about student GRIT, 

but what about teacher GRIT?

About this time of year, educators are tired.  Winter days, inside recess, parent/teacher conferences, grading and reporting, the flu, and not a day off for weeks.  How do we stay positive and engaged?  When things get difficult, teachers are no different than students - they need GRIT, too.  Grit doesn't simply mean working harder. Educators already work hard. Regardless of how talented we are or how hard we work, some parts of our job will always require added determination. We'll always face new challenges that will require us to try and try again while maintaining our focus and energy on the students.  So as educators, we need to remind ourselves of having grit as well.

As we think about the things that keep us up at night - changes in education, school improvement, student success to name a few - an article called Teachers Need Grit, Too! (ASCD, June 2017) states that it's essential to recognize that perseverance and passion are important qualities not just for students but also for educators.  There's a lot to think about in this job.  Educators have a great responsibility - it's tough work. Our staff needs to work together to create a culture that nurtures grit as an integral part of student and teacher success.  And when we do, we send a powerful message of possibility to everyone in the school. 

So when the day is difficult, remind yourself to persevere.  When your colleagues are frustrated, remind them of their passion for education and the need to focus on the solutions.  When you see someone showing GRIT, take note and offer a compliment. Or even offer to help! Together, we can support an environment that promotes GRIT FOR ALL.  And what amazing role models we will be for our students.

Thank you for modeling grit in your daily life, expecting grit from your students, and encouraging your colleagues to always find their own.  This is what keeps us going.

Winter Olympics

As we talk about perseverance and growth mindset, preparing our students for assessments and life, the Olympics provide many examples of athletes overcoming, working hard, and having success as a result.

As we move from Super Bowl to Winter Olympics, here are some links to provide background information for students.  The links include information about South Korea and local atheltes, as well as grit and determination.

This week's Hawk Talk Live will include a little bit about the Olympics, but I wanted to share some additional resources with you for additional classroom use if you choose.  

Have a great week -

Sue

Resources for 2018 Winter Olympics

Information on South Korea - activityvillage.co.uk website

Passport to Winter Olympics 2018 - actionforhealthykids.org

2018 Winter Olympics: What you need to know - CNN website

Team USA stats - teamusa.org

11 Reasons to Watch the Olympics with your Kids - ActiveKids.com (several reasons, including inspiring perseverance)

10 Lessons in Perseverance that Olympic Athletes Can Teach Us - Health Feed: University of Utah

5 Incredible Olympic Stories That Will Inspire You to Never Give Up - Hubgets (I have not previewed the video links)

25 Most Inspiring Olympic Moments of All Time - Greatist (not all examples show perseverance, but there are several that do)