Lets talk about keeping up the energy during the holidays...
Be positive! Its easy to always find the negative in things but its important to find some positive in your everyday life. I always think to myself, "it takes too much energy to focus on this negative thing. Why waste it when I can use that energy on something that makes me happy?" One way to ensure you stay positive is keeping a positive journal. At the end of every teaching day write down something something positive that happened. It can be some big or small. For example, I've been working with a student on remembering her password on a math program for 3 weeks and the day she entered her whole password without help, was so exciting. It could be that you noticed a student took the initiative to help another student while you ran small groups. Or the student who constantly shouts out but one time he actually raised his hand. Yay for small victories! Look for the positive in every day life.
Team work! Be a team player. You cant do it all on your own. Work with others. Ask your grade level partner to make copies. Or ask another teacher to find support with a student's behavior. Pick other teachers brain for ways to keep students excited about learning and engaged. There's a whole tribe of teacher to engage with on Instagram, facebook, Twitter, pinterest, and more, who are willing to share tips and ideas that help them and may help you.
Timing is everything! Managing your time is so important. I love making lists! I make lists at school and home. It helps me organize my time so I can make the most of it. It also helps clear my mind of trying to remember what needs to get done. Make time for your absolute musts that need to get done. Don't stress about the little things that take too much time and wont make a difference. For example, dont stress yourself out by trying to make things "pinterest perfect." It definitely takes up a lot of your time and it wont make a difference. You are human.
Passion! Find what you are passionate about and use your passion to help keep you going (other than teaching 😉). Maybe your passion is music, books, cooking, gardening, exercise or crafting. Maybe you love reading a good book and sipping on some coffee or tea.
Whatever your passion is, do it every day. I have many passions and I'm sure you do as well. I love music, crafting, creating home decor, shopping, and listening to inspiring messages. Now that I have a toddler and newborn I don't have a whole lot of free time. So I use my time wisely by listening to music and podcasts during the day and crafting at night.
I know the holidays are near when I drive home in the dark with car lights lined up on the freeway. This is one of my major stressers, getting stuck in rush hour traffic, it can really drain my energy. I am sure some of you feel the same. To help me start the day with amped up energy I like to listen to up beat music in the morning on my way to work. On my way home I like to keep my passion going by listening to podcasts so that I putting my focus into something other than the guy who cut me off. I have a wide range on podcasts from exercise to educators. And in the evening time or on the weekends, I like to do some crafting when my little go to sleep.
Your passion will keep your heart and mind going strong!
This time of the year can take up a lot of your energy. From running around getting things done in the classroom and at home. Holidays are a time to enjoy, try not to run down all of your energy, organize your time, be a team player, find the positive, and use your passion to drive your energy!
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