Teaching Well Tips

Teaching is a rewarding, exciting, and STRESSFUL job! It is difficult to balance school life from home life, especially when you have a family of your own. It is important to take time for YOU! As teachers, it is our natural instinct to put others first. We care and want to help others, but before we can do that, we need to HELP OURSELVES! Really! You may not even realize it, but your life is consumed with fulfilling other people’s needs, and we ultimately suffer when we are always focused on helping other and not ourselves.

There are simple ways that you can bring balance to your life so that you can be the most effective teacher, parent, spouse, son/daughter, and friend you can be!

 RELAX! 

Stress is inevitable for teachers: a classroom full of loud students, piles of paperwork, deadlines from administrators, answering parent emails. The list is constantly growing. We need to find ways to combat that stress so that we can live happier, more balanced lives. Mindfulness and meditation are effective ways to keep us grounded. Taking even just five minutes each day for quiet reflection can help us find calm in our busy lives. Keeping a journal of  your thoughts is another way to reduce stress. Reflect on your blessings, your successes, and the positive aspects of your day in your journal. Yoga and breathing techniques can counter the effects of stress. Listen to your favorite band, or put on soothing music while you are falling asleep. Reading a good book can also take your mind off of the craziness of the day, and help you feel more calm and relaxed. 

            

         

EXERCISE

Go for a walk! Find walking trails in your area, clear your mind, and enjoy nature. Studies show that being outdoors reduces stress and improves your overall health. 

Sign up for a fitness class! There are so many to choose from, for so many levels. My personal favorites are Zumba, PiYo, and Turbo Kick. They are fun, the music is great, and they keep you motivated. There is no better feeling than starting or ending your day with a great workout with great people. Here is a link to my favorite fitness studio to see all of the exciting classes that are out there. There is sure to be one that excites you:  www.bethefitfriend.com

Try a new sport! Adult leagues for soccer, softball/baseball, basketball, dance, and even curling are offered in our town and cities. Do a simple Internet search and you will be surprised to see how many adult leagues are out there.

EAT WELL!

There are so many benefits of proper nutrition. We need to fuel our bodies with nutritious foods to provide us with the energy and brain power needed to stay on our toes educating young minds. Take-out and eating out can be expensive, and it isn’t the healthiest!

 Food prep is essential. Take an hour or two on the weekend to prepare your meals for the week ahead. There are so many dishes that can be made ahead of time and popped into the refrigerator or freezer to eat later in the week. Just think: veggie lasagna, shrimp tacos, and white chicken chili can be on your family’s menu this week with just a little prep time. Prepping for breakfast is also a huge time-saver in my house. Overnight oats in mason jars is the perfect grab and go breakfast when you’re short on time and want something healthy AND filling!

 With a little planning, you can also make two meals in one. One of my family’s favorites is spaghetti and meatballs. We will have the pasta and meatballs the first night, and then dinner for the next day will be meatball sliders, which are always a hit! Rotisserie chicken can be made into enchiladas one night, and a chicken Caesar salad the next.

Use your crockpot! This is a huge time saver and there are so many different recipes out there to satisfy even your pickiest eaters!

Veggie lasagna recipe: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/marcela-valladolid/veggie-lasagna-3089113

Shrimp Tacos: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/262655/shrimp-tacos-with-avocado-crema/

White Chicken Chili: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/white-chicken-chili/

Overnight Oats: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/overnight-oats-3416659

        
  

SLEEP! 

Are you getting your eight hours? This seems to be where most of us fall short, but sleep is the most important thing we can do for our bodies. It helps fight off all of those classroom illnesses, reduces stress, boosts our intellectual functions and our mood, and the list goes on and on. It is hard to shut off our minds at the end of a busy day. Turning off our cell phones and electronics before bed can help. Make your bedroom your oasis: play relaxing music, spray lavender essential oils, and read a book or magazine. This will put our mind at ease and help to get a restful night’s sleep.

      MANAGE YOUR TIME

Sometimes we feel as though we live in our classrooms. It’s true, we see our colleagues and students more than we see our own families. It is important to budget our time so that we can make time for ourselves and our families.

Making lists is essential. It is easy to get off track. Teachers don’t usually get more than five minutes of uninterrupted time. Checklists help us stay focused so that we can accomplish what we need to, even when we get interrupted.

Creating a top three to-do list is also helpful. Start your day by jotting down the top three things that you hope to accomplish that day. This helps to prioritize what is most important within our day, and allows us to set reasonable expectations for ourselves. Limiting the list to three items makes that list a lot less daunting and a lot more manageable. Sticking to that list can help to weed out the non-essentials within your day, and will allow for more time at home.

      SAY NO!

We want to help. We want to be involved. The reality is, though, that we cannot do everything, even though we really want to. Teachers need to learn to say no. We need to decide what our top priorities are and weed out the rest. If we volunteer to be on too many committees and initiatives, there is no time left for our everyday classroom responsibilities such as planning, prepping, and correcting; and there is no time left for YOU! We want to do what we do well, and we can't if we are stressed or overextended, so don't be afraid to politely decline. You will thank yourself later!