We never knew we would be so
happy to see a Monday! We’re hitting the reset button today because last week
made us thankful that Halloween happens only once a year! And it was on a
Monday?! Come. On! Talk about a “thrown-off” week we had! Today we’re sharing
some tips on how to refocus in the classroom after a stressful week.
Spending time with your family.
Each of the Double Dose ladies love spending time with their families and love
to fill the weekends with family events. Some of our favorite winter events include picking out and decorating our Christmas trees, driving around to look at holiday decorations, snuggling up with our kiddos to watch Christmas movies, and baking cookies with our moms. Teachers live, breathe,
and sleep education all days of our lives so it’s necessary to spend time with
your loved ones and refocus!
Setting a goal. Us special
educators are all about setting clear, achievable goals and finding ways to
help our students meet them. That practice should reflect in our lives too!
Setting a goal for the week helps us stay motivated during those trying times.
Your goal may be something as small as preparing all your materials for next
week before Friday, or it could be as large as touching base with each of your
students’ parents. Just remember, that they need to be achievable! How can we
expect our students to reach their goals if we can’t either?
Refreshing our Monday Mindset.
Our students thrive on rewards and incentives. They’re always earning something
and they’re constantly seeking adult attention. After last week, we’re
increasing our positive reinforcement to make up for missed opportunities. This
extra splash of positivity is sure to set the tone for our week.
When all else fails, look forward
to something. This week we have no school on Friday, which means a three-day
weekend for us to get all of our last minute holiday preparations in. That’s a teacher win in our book! At times it’s difficult to
think that our plans, our class management, our rewards, etc. aren’t working,
but we have to remember that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.
And this week, that light is a three-day weekend!
Pamper yourself! Take the time to
go get that mani-pedi that you’ve been thinking about for the past week, grab a
coffee and head to your favorite hair salon, or find time for that massage that
you’ve been long overdue for. A little “me” time goes a long way in helping
refresh your mindset…even if that just means a little longer than usual shower
with a fresh face of makeup after!
No matter how stressful of a
situation I am dealing with, I always feel better after I take some time to get
organized. I’m not saying that you need to completely clean out that classroom
closet or redo your entire leveled library, but try to tackle one small task of
de-cluttering, labeling, sorting, or throwing out and it may help ease your
mindset. I love coming in on Monday mornings to a clean desk that’s ready to go
for the week! I also carry this over to my home, and tend to clean if I am
stressed about something. The physical space that I am in has a lot to do with
my mood and mindset, and nothing calms my inner “me” more than a clean and
clutter free space. Ahhhhhhhh :)
Consult your teacher bestie! Use the
emotional advantage of having a friend down the hall at its fullest when you
have had a rough week. Plan something together with your classes to look
forward to-perhaps a Friday afternoon movie on the Smart Board after finishing a
coordinating chapter book read aloud. Plan to bring each other your absolute
favorite coffee the following week. Plan to have your lunches align so you can
decompress and talk to someone that really gets it!
LOVE what you do. LOVE your
school, LOVE your coworkers and LOVE your kids. This may seem literally
IMPOSSIBLE at times, but try to reflect on why you even began this career in
the first place and just how far you have come as an educator. Whether this is
your first year or fifteenth, there is a whole classroom of kiddos who need
you, who make you the center of their world for 7 hours a day—even if they show
it in the most unloving of ways at times. Take a couple of minutes to reflect on
the quirkiness, uniqueness, perseverance and strength that each of the tiny
humans who call you “teacher” every day has and the joy that they bring to you
when you are able to be 100% present to them.….and maybe, tomorrow your mind
will be a little more at-ease, and you can continue on being the rock star
teacher that you are! :)
{Interactive classroom resources for the busy teacher}
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