TL;DR: Keep the little notes students write you in a file for when you need a smile. Focus on the small sparks of joy you get throughout each day. Write down the great things that happen to you! Keeper File Over the holidays, I received a handwritten card in the mail from one of my 2nd-grade students, Abby. It was … Read More
Before You Throw in the Towel: REASSESS
TL;DR: Being a teacher is not for the faint of heart. Teaching is a calling. If you ever feel helpless, unappreciated, or want to leave the profession, don’t. Instead, REASSESS: remember, evaluate, affirm, seek, study, eliminate, survey, and shift. By nature, I am highly reflective. As a teacher, I often looked forward to ways to redo a poorly executed lesson … Read More
9 Practices to Boost Your Happiness
TL;DR: Learn practices that experts have shown to positively impact happiness. Identify what additional practice brings you joy. Reevaluate your schedule to see how you can incorporate some of these healthy habits into your day. How can we stay grounded? Esther Perel, psychotherapist and New York Times bestselling author, posed a brilliant question: How can we stay grounded when the … Read More
Ground Your Reality with Truth and a Positive Mindset
TL;DR: Your mindset is a choice. If you believe your day will be good, then your mindset and attitude will mirror this. Choose to focus on your W.H.Y. and agree to make the adjustments needed to hold on to a positive mindset each and every day. Face your current reality, flip it with positivity, commit to habits that will support … Read More
Learning Environments That Exude Joy
TL;DR: Create a positive learning environment with JOY. Listing things that bring you joy. This is one way to model for students that joy doesn’t have to come from big or expensive things. Intentionally place joy throughout your day. I recently had the chance to join Rae Hughart on the Daily Drop In show where we were chatting about the … Read More