Inspiration and resources for balance before burnout
Archive for the ‘meaningful connections’ Category
Holiday Wishes – simplify, let go, and let them help!
Thursday, December 24th, 2009This holiday season, my lesson has certainly been to keep it simple. Picture Disney’s Snow White doing her chores with the birds and woodland animals dancing around her singing while she whistled her way through her chores. Well that was me preparing for the ensuing blizzard that hit the East Coast last weekend. I have 2 feeders that stick to my windows of my glass enclosed "Maine Porch Room". This is my favorite place to watch storms and see the birds as the forage for seed. I was running up and down the stairs of the deck, whistling Christmas carols, when all of a sudden I took a tumble. You can picture the interruption to the woodland vision.
Well after the storm subsided the next day, I was able to get an x-ray and luckily it was only a sprained wrist. This has meant that preparing for the holidays and sending out last minute college applications at schools has been a slow process. I know the lesson for me was to let go of perfect and simplify.
The other gift was in letting others help me. My boys made me so proud, cooking dinners, hanging curtains, folding clothes, all the thins I would usually do myself so it was done right … but guess what … they did it better! We had so much fun, and I think it made this Christmas a very special one!
The message for you:
May you keep it simple, let go of perfect, and let others help you!
Peace!
The Simplest Balance Reserves
Monday, August 10th, 2009
The best six doctors anywhere
And no one can deny it
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air
Exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend
If only you are willing
Your mind they'll ease
Your will they'll mend
And charge you not a shilling.
I had an amazing time sharing The Whole Teacher with some truly special educators at the MTA Summer Conference at Williams College in Williamstown, MA. I am so grateful to each of those who chose to attend the first session of the final day of the conference ... especially considering the weather was perfect and it was, after all, the morning after "The Bash".
Thank you to each of you for sharing, brainstorming and offering such heartfelt support to your fellow teachers. I came across this poem this morning. It seems to embody the true meaning of the Balance Before Burnout Reserves and simplifies them beautifully!
Enjoy the final weeks of summer! This is when the "sunshine, water, rest and air; exercise and diet," are most easily found. Keep checking in The Whole Teacher for help finding them throughout your school year when it's a bit more of a challenge!
7 Colleagues Every Teacher Needs – Part 3 The New Hire
Sunday, June 28th, 2009
In the last post we spoke of the importance of The Wise One and their experienced support. Just as important is The New Hire. With professional development an integral part of teacher licensure, many of us are getting more training on newer strategies and methods, but The New Hire still has a fresher perspective and wonderful sense of idealism that may have gotten zapped as we fell into our habits that have served us well. How can they help us?
- Ask them what brought them to teaching. What better way to remember what brought you here? Sharing stories will spark old ideals.
- Newbies may also have the upper hand when it comes to technology in the classroom. Those courses may not have existed when you finished your training and even though they are often offered as professional development, many teachers shy away from them. See what the new teachers in your school are using and how you can adapt it to fit your style.
- Remember, you have a lot to offer also. You can be the Wise One and offer your experience through the tough times of a New Hire on your staff. Keeping great people in education is important!
Tune in next for Part 4 – The Male Role Model.
7 Colleagues Part 2 – The Wise One
Monday, March 2nd, 2009Everyone needs their own Obi-wan Kenobi to guide them through no matter how many years of experience you have. The Wise One has seen the educational pendulum swing in many different directions and has endured. In many articles and lessons at The Whole Teacher we talk of the importance of not re-inventing the wheel … pardon the cliche … and what better way to find some strategies and lessons that work, than from some one who’s tried them?
Your Wise One can help by listening to you, offering suggestions, or just supporting you. In our guidance office we have 2 women who will be retiring at the end of this year. They have been amazing mentor’s for myself and the other 2 counselors who also started the same year. One thing I truly appreciate is that when things have gotten really tough and overwhelming and I feel like I can’t keep up, they often are feeling the same way and this validates the fact that sometimes the job is just tough and that I don’t need to be so self critical.
A mentor can help with learning the ropes of a specific subject or the social constructs of your school. In addition to receiving help from your wise one you may also be offering the new perspective of the Fresh Colleague. In a few days I’ll share about the importance of someone "fresher" than you.
7 Colleagues Every Teacher Needs
Thursday, February 5th, 2009There’s a great article written by Lisa Earle McCLeod entitled 7 Friends Every Woman Needs. In it she address the 7 types of friends that are a must in every woman’s repetoire of gal pals. I love this article and everytime I read it I can go back through every one of my adult friendships and see the meaning and pupose in them.
In this month of building the Balance Reserve of Meaningful Connections, I suggest we reframe this and look for the variety of relationships we have at school. Who are the 7 Colleagues Every Teacher Needs? I’ve borrowed some of the titles, but let’s see how they fit in at school. Here’s the first:
1. The in-the-trenches-with-you Colleague -
This person is usually right next door to your classroom. They are extremely important when you can’t wait for your planning time to take a potty break, when you need a time-out for a student or yourself or just an ear to listen to your story at the end of the day.
Teaching can be isolating, but strong bonds are formed by geography. These are the colleagues who best know your daily routines. They witness your good days, and are the most likely to hear through the walls on your rough days and vice versa. They tend to teach the same grade level as you and are an amazing resource to help alleviate re-inventing the wheel.
Do you need more crayons? Have you run out of glue, or staples? Need a great lesson for teaching Egypt? These are the colleagues we turn to the most during our school day.
My last year in the classroom I developed a very close relationship with the woman who taught next to me. Every morning we shared a routine of relaxing music while we both checked emails. We each sipped our coffee and reflected on the previous day, while getting ready for the present. I made sure I was prepared for the next day the night before, so I could enjoy the morning "socializing". I felt that "adult" time helped me set the stage for a day full of "children".
Who are your in-the trenches-colleagues? What do they add to your day? Post a comment below. Tune in in a few days for "The Wise One".
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