Just as our students have different learning styles, I recognize that so do we.  The videos are another format that you can access for support and resources to help you to build balance before burnout.

Look for them to be posted soon here on my blog and check them out on YouTube.  I have plans of weekly short bits that continue building on the subject matter of teacher wellness and working on helping "The Whole Teacher"  "the whole you", so that you are better able to help your students and school.

Enjoy!

There are many ways our students help us to keep our passion.  Their passion and perserveranceare often what keep us working on inspiring them to be excited about their learning.  The following website is an example of how they often do this with humor.

The answers to the questions on essays, tests, and quizes may not always be correct, but they are quite often humorous!

Check out http://www.adprima.com/humor.htm for some histerical student responses. 

I am sure many of you could add to the list. 

What’s your funniest student story or response? 

In  October’s Whole Teacher Tidbots I suggested you spend more time with people who lift your spirits.  One of the characteristics that is often associated  with burnout is negative talk.

We all know someone who is challenging to be around because they are constantly complaining about how bad things are.  Sometimes it feels as though they could suck the life out of the room.  There is a very fine line between venting and just out right complaining.

Complaining can become a bad habit and seems to breed more negativity, as we seek proof to validate how bad we says thing are.  Remember we spoke of 100% responsibility in the last blog?  Complainers play a very real part in creating their own reality.

Next time you’re met with a difficult or frustrating situation, instead of complaining, try putting on your "suit of armor".  Finding humor in a situation will quickly shift your energy, and often improve the outcome.  It will also attract others who are looking for the positive.

Be the change you are looking for!

Preparing for back to school means a fresh start with organizing the mountain of paperwork we know is inevitable.  There are a variety of systems we can use to help tame the paperwork we are inundated with at school. 

One system to explore is a binder system.  Keep your three-hole punch close at hand and organize your paperwork into known categories.  Binders are great for papers you will need to keep for a while, want on your finger tips, prefer to keep in chronological order, or keep by student or topic.  A benefit of the binder system versus a regular file folder is this added protection, and consistent order.  They also can bee easily stored and look better on your shelf or desk than a file overflowing with mix-matched papers.

So, what are some areas of paperwork that would be best organized with a binder system?  Here are a few:

Student/Parent contact information and Log – Important phone numbers, etc together with contact log and pockets for notes.  One cover sheet with one pocket per student in alphabetical order for easy access.

Classroom procedures or sample lessons  for Substitutes

Homework binder – organize by subject if necessary, separate by date with post it or colored sheet.  As homework is passed out to students a student helper could put an extra copy in this binder for future reference and absent students.

Subject notebooks – a safe place to keep resources for specific lessons or subjects to alleviate researching the topic the next year.

Office notices and protocol – Keep important papers from administration and meetings in chronological order for quick reference.

Professional Development – Paper work on completed courses with a section for your plan.

What else could go in a binder?  Please comment below and share with others.  Best of luck preparing for a successful new year!

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!

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.

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".

Wow!  Why does this seem so simple yet so challenging?  This month as I have been practicing simplifying and organizing my life, I have found that the first step for me has been rest and quiet.  Last month after the hub-bub of the holidays I stepped out of the lime light of my business and withdrew to my comfy homelife.

In this quiet,  I have been thinking about what is important to me.  What I want to keep and what I must let go of.  I have been able to begin little projects weeding and pruning by asking myself if they fit in harmony with my life. 

This past month the landscape of my life changed drastically.  My husband left his position at a bank to finally start his own business.  It has been a wonderful and exciting time, yet shifted many family routines.

As I go through each day and make decisions on how to spend my time.  I try to take the time to pause to ask myself if it fits in harmony with my new life.  Our values are the same, yet the routines have changed, so I can’t take the outcomes of my decisions for granted.  It is a whole new playing field. 

This was terrifying at first, but now I am enjoying the change that was made to fit our values.  He’s closer to home, doing what he loves, and even though he works most weekends, the times we are together as a couple or a family are more precious, because we appreciate them.  I believe because he is following his own calling he has more love and energy to give us.