Teachers, at this point, you probably don’t have a lot of time for extra stuff. Oftentimes, things you don’t need creep into your day without you really even noticing. Sometimes, they even disguise themselves as essential. Autumn is the perfect time to let things that no longer serve you go. By letting the extra stuff go (and yes, there is plenty of extra stuff!), you
Improve Your Day in Just 30 Seconds with the Power Pause
As an educator, your day is super busy! One minute you are welcoming your students and the next minute they are heading out the door! Pausing during the day to check-in with yourself can help you to calm anxiety, increase your feelings of gratitude and make the present moment better. The Power Pause is easy to do and takes less than a minute. You can
Teachers: Stop Thinking about Work when You are NOT at School!
If you are like most teachers, it probably feels like you never stop thinking about school! That can make it hard to be present for your family, your friends, or even yourself. Good self-care means leaving school at school so that you can make the most of your personal time. Get those students, lesson plans, and uncorrected papers out of your brain with these easy
Feeling Anxious about Teaching During a Pandemic? Use these Easy and Effective Strategies to Stay Calm
These are challenging times for teachers. In many schools, vaccination rates are low and masks are not mandated. In this environment, teacher self-care is more important than ever. Use these 6 strategies to help you stay calm so that you can be the amazing teacher that you are and to set a positive and calm tone for your students. Watch the video or read the
You Don’t Need a Perfectly Decorated Classroom to be a Great Teacher!
A few days ago, I saw a We Are Teachers post on Facebook about how teachers are tired of spending their own money on their classrooms. The post got a lot of comments, including my own, in which I said: This post brings up some important points beyond the obvious that teachers should stop spending their own money on school supplies, but also that by
Stop saying, YES when You Want (or Need) to Say No: Take Back Your Time Video Tip #2
As an educator, you are constantly being asked to do tasks beyond your contracted hours. While some of these, “opportunities,” are really command performances, others really are optional…it can just be hard to say no. Maybe you want to be a team player. Maybe your administrator has set certain (unrealistic) expectations. In this video, I will help you to take back the time that rightfully
Teachers: Take Your Time Back – Video Quick Tip #1
Taking work home every night, spending most of Sunday planning, and feeling like it’s never enough is a normal part of life for most teachers, but it shouldn’t be! When you signed up to be a teacher, you did not sign up to have it take over your entire life. I want to help you to change both your behavior and your mindset around the
The Power of Pausing – 3 Quick Ways to Improve Your Day
One time when my son was little, I was reading him a story when he asked if we could “pause” the book so he could use the bathroom. At the time, I thought it was cute, and also that perhaps I’d been letting him play too many video games. But now I think it is kind of cool. He wanted to pause the activity so
How to Deal with Negativity when Teaching During a Pandemic
Whatever is being asked of you this school year, whether you are teaching in a socially distanced classroom (or worse, one that should be and isn’t), teaching online, or somehow doing both, you have done an amazing job. You have learned so many new things and dealt with so many new challenges, often without the parts of teaching that are fun and rewarding. You have
Become a Better Educator (and a happier person) by Setting Healthy Boundaries
Way back in 2012, long before the word “pandemic” was a household word, I asked the following question on my Facebook page: Would you advise a young person considering a career in teaching to forge ahead or choose a different path? The responses were heartbreaking and sadly predictable. Many teachers talked about how they love the kids and love teaching, but that the profession has