About this time of the school year, you are beginning to feel fatigued, ready for spring and in need of a break. Most states conduct their state assessments in the spring in March/April, so from the beginning of second semester until spring break, is a great period of time for heavy duty instruction without a lot of holiday breaks. So to make it until spring break here are some ideas that can keep you fully charged:
1. Get plenty of sleep. Adults need 7-9 hours a sleep per night. With our jobs so busy throughout the day and then family commitments when we get home from school, many times teachers are burning the midnight oil to get done everything they have to do. Sleep deprived people have a greater risk for high blood pressure and also raises your risk for obesity, diabetes, depression and directly affects areas of the brain that deal with mood and concentration. Try to establish a routine each night as you are preparing for bed, such as taking a warm bath, reading, and avoid coffee, eating and alcohol before bed.
2. Exercise!! Even 20 minutes a day of exercise can be beneficial. Whether you exercise in the morning, take a walk at lunch or go to the gym after work, try to get exercise daily. Short bursts of exercise promote oxygen to the brain as well as are beneficial for your heart. Grab a friend to exercise with or get a group to exercise after school to help you stay the course.
3. De-stress. Daily exercise can help you de-stress. Take a time out at your desk and stretch, reach up and side to side and then down to your feet. Stand up in a doorway and push your arms into the doorway to stretch and release your chest muscles and back muscles. Can you say "Om?" Yoga poses can help you de-stress and offers you healing benefits. Meditation for just 60 seconds of focused quiet can reduce anxiety and nervousness. Start by slowly relaxing muscle groups in your body, take a few deep breaths, focus your attention on your breathing, if your thoughts wander, refocus on your breathing (this takes practice with our running thoughts!) then bring your awareness back to your body, wiggle your toes or fingers and then back to your work! Keep a gratitude journal, rather than focusing on the things that stress us out, focus on the things in your life that you are grateful for! Taking a warm bath with lavender or chamomile can also help de-stress after a long day.
4. Eat properly. Breakfast is critical to get your day started, so if you have to get up a few minutes earlier, do so to eat breakfast. Your body needs fuel in the morning, and without breakfast you are vulnerable to cravings and other bad eating choices. Eating well throughout the day can help promote energy- fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and water for hydration are critical for a well rounded diet.
Hold on, spring break is just around the corner!! Hoping you can get away someplace warm, sunny and with NO SNOW!
Monday, March 11, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
The Four Agreements
About 10 years ago, I read the book, The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz. It was an amazing, introspective book that is to support love and happiness in your life. Think of how we express ourselves and what comes "flying out of our mouths" sometimes. The author, Don Miguel, says by practicing the Four Agreements, we will face challenges, yet find happiness in our lives. I wanted to share the Four Agreements with you!
The Four Agreements are:
1. Be Impeccable with your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.
2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
3. Don’t Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.
4. Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.
Think about it!
The Four Agreements are:
1. Be Impeccable with your Word: Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.
2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
3. Don’t Make Assumptions
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.
4. Always Do Your Best
Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.
Think about it!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Staying Committed!!
Well I have been away for awhile....life has been hectic! I lost my focus, my commitment, for a bit, but back at it now! I am committed to providing some educational insights for you that might benefit you in your teaching AND in your life.
The Webster dictionary defines commit as "to put in charge or trust," "to carry into action deliberately," "obligate, bind" and "to pledge or assign to some particular course or use." That is a pretty heavy duty word!!!
In our lives we are committed to our partners, to our kids, to our family, to our community, to our work, to our colleagues....we have SO many commitments, it is easy to become overwhelmed in our lives. And all of these commitments are made at different levels, focusing on one or more, all at once, or focusing on them at different times dependent on what is going on in our lives. Being committed is doing whatever is necessary to fulfill or accomplish something.
In our jobs, we have to focus on the purpose of our work in order to be committed. What is it that we do that drives us? What is it that we do that gives us meaning? What is it that we do that makes a difference?
Sometimes staying committed in our teaching jobs can cause conflicts with others and within ourselves. We work hard, do our best, and yet in this economy, our jobs may be on the line every day. But if we believe in what we are doing, we have to stay the course, no matter what! Continue to grow and enhance your professional skills.
If you are a new graduate and/or have not been able to find a teaching position after being out of school for a few years, are you still committed to the field of teaching and finding a job? What does that commitment look like? Looking at the job search as a challenge rather than a roadblock to your career might help you continue your pursuit. Be determined to keep looking for that first job! Develop an action plan that can guide you on this quest.
Commitment means ACTION. What actions are you taking?
The Webster dictionary defines commit as "to put in charge or trust," "to carry into action deliberately," "obligate, bind" and "to pledge or assign to some particular course or use." That is a pretty heavy duty word!!!
In our lives we are committed to our partners, to our kids, to our family, to our community, to our work, to our colleagues....we have SO many commitments, it is easy to become overwhelmed in our lives. And all of these commitments are made at different levels, focusing on one or more, all at once, or focusing on them at different times dependent on what is going on in our lives. Being committed is doing whatever is necessary to fulfill or accomplish something.
In our jobs, we have to focus on the purpose of our work in order to be committed. What is it that we do that drives us? What is it that we do that gives us meaning? What is it that we do that makes a difference?
Sometimes staying committed in our teaching jobs can cause conflicts with others and within ourselves. We work hard, do our best, and yet in this economy, our jobs may be on the line every day. But if we believe in what we are doing, we have to stay the course, no matter what! Continue to grow and enhance your professional skills.
If you are a new graduate and/or have not been able to find a teaching position after being out of school for a few years, are you still committed to the field of teaching and finding a job? What does that commitment look like? Looking at the job search as a challenge rather than a roadblock to your career might help you continue your pursuit. Be determined to keep looking for that first job! Develop an action plan that can guide you on this quest.
Commitment means ACTION. What actions are you taking?
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
OUR students......OUR teachers
The tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut shakes me to the core! As an administrator, this was my worst nightmare that something would happen to my administrators, teachers, support staff AND the children in my school district. The events of September 11th, started my career as a school superintendent. This was an unsettling time as we had not faced this type of incident before. Later that fall, we had an 8th grade student commit suicide and we found out five minutes before the school day started. I experienced several students passing on because of cancer and other medical problems, a teacher and several teacher's spouses who passed away and bomb threats for two consecutive days where we had to evacuate the schools each day.
With all these crisis events, we had plans in place in our crisis manual, that were written to assist us with various scenarios. What I learned is that each situation has its own caveats and that while the manual gave you guidance, it did not help you to deal with the FEELINGS and EMOTIONS of the people. Luckily, I had a great team of school social workers, school psychologists, school nurse and guidance counselor, as well as administrators, that I could depend on to help guide us through these situations. Our police and fire departments as well as the county police and the local city were also supportive during these times.
What was amazing during these times, was that the teachers were able to keep the kids calm, supported and feeling safe. Even finding out about the death of a student five minutes before school started, everyone pitched in to meet with the faculty, prepare statements, provide support for students immediately and contact parents. The teachers tried to put their own feeling and emotions on the back burner, to first help the students get through these difficult situations. Following protocols, giving extra time beyond their school day, and giving their feedback on how the situation was handled were important to them and to me. The middle school and high school kids wanted to be at school during and after some of these events, with their friends, teachers and support staff to talk to at the school.
Our teachers do more than just teach 9 months a year, with summers off and an 8-4 job. They are with their students almost 8 hours a day! Our teachers mean a lot to most students, especially elementary students, who love their teachers. Our teachers love their students, protect them, help them, support them and love them, besides teaching them.
With all these crisis events, we had plans in place in our crisis manual, that were written to assist us with various scenarios. What I learned is that each situation has its own caveats and that while the manual gave you guidance, it did not help you to deal with the FEELINGS and EMOTIONS of the people. Luckily, I had a great team of school social workers, school psychologists, school nurse and guidance counselor, as well as administrators, that I could depend on to help guide us through these situations. Our police and fire departments as well as the county police and the local city were also supportive during these times.
What was amazing during these times, was that the teachers were able to keep the kids calm, supported and feeling safe. Even finding out about the death of a student five minutes before school started, everyone pitched in to meet with the faculty, prepare statements, provide support for students immediately and contact parents. The teachers tried to put their own feeling and emotions on the back burner, to first help the students get through these difficult situations. Following protocols, giving extra time beyond their school day, and giving their feedback on how the situation was handled were important to them and to me. The middle school and high school kids wanted to be at school during and after some of these events, with their friends, teachers and support staff to talk to at the school.
Our teachers do more than just teach 9 months a year, with summers off and an 8-4 job. They are with their students almost 8 hours a day! Our teachers mean a lot to most students, especially elementary students, who love their teachers. Our teachers love their students, protect them, help them, support them and love them, besides teaching them.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
5 Professional Competencies to Focus on Developing
Teaching is hard work!! Teachers need to develop Professional Competencies that will make you more attractive as candidates for prospective teaching positions as well as for further developing your skills for those already teaching.
1. Collaborator - Collaborators work together to achieve a common goal. Working in collaborative teams has a direct impact on improving student achievement, if teachers are focusing on the "right things." The right things are: What do we want students to learn? How will we know that the students learned them? How will we respond when some students do not learn? How can we enrich and extend the learning for students who already know it?
2. Learner-- You finished school, have your degree and have your first job!! You think, "I am so glad I am finally done with school!" As a new teacher, you will be learning every minute of the day!! You will need to master your teaching skills, and that will be a huge learning curve in itself! With social networking now and the internet, the answer to almost every question is at your fingertips! Believe it or not, your students will teach YOU a few things. Reflecting on your teaching and learning is a critical piece to your life-long learning. You don't need to go to a professional conference to continue your learning; you will learn from your team members, from professional development in your school and from professional reading.
3. Data User--Using student data will help you to understand how students are learning and what skills and knowledge they have mastered. And I don't mean the grades in your grade book. Data can be collected at the district level, at the school level and at the classroom level. The data collected at the classroom level is the most powerful....where you can reflect on your own practices, determine effectiveness of instructional practices, determine and utilize new strategies for student learning, and make sure that students are learning the implemented curriculum. Again, back to the first PLC questions, what do we want all students to be able to know and do, and how will I know that the students learned it? Data will tell you, from your classroom formative and summative assessments.
4. Communicator--Teachers communicate to students, colleagues, parents, and other school personnel. As a teacher you are creating interest in learning, listening to students and colleagues, discussing learning with team members, interpreting data, talking to parents about student progress and using non-verbal communication every day. Being a good listener is critical to be an effective teacher. Communicating clearly and making sure students know what the goal of a lesson is will engage students in the learning. Use of humor is also a skill that improves communication. Teachers need to be open and approachable. Use of technology in communication is now being used, e-mails to colleagues and parents, and while this is time efficient, be mindful of school policies and how you are communicating via e-mail; re-read your e-mails and make sure that they say what you want them to say. Don't write anything that you don't want on the front page of the local newspaper!
5. Instructional Practices -- Examining your instructional practices and discussing them with other teachers, can help you develop them over time. Knowing best practices that are research based, meaning they are effective practices for student learning, will help you develop your units and lessons and communicate the instructional targets to students. Students need to be engaged and be able to demonstrate their learning through a variety of performance tasks. Formative assessments of learning needs to be incorporated so that teachers get the feedback they need to provide supports to students or extend the learning activities. Again, in your teams, discuss the 4 PLC questions that will help you design your instruction.
1. Collaborator - Collaborators work together to achieve a common goal. Working in collaborative teams has a direct impact on improving student achievement, if teachers are focusing on the "right things." The right things are: What do we want students to learn? How will we know that the students learned them? How will we respond when some students do not learn? How can we enrich and extend the learning for students who already know it?
2. Learner-- You finished school, have your degree and have your first job!! You think, "I am so glad I am finally done with school!" As a new teacher, you will be learning every minute of the day!! You will need to master your teaching skills, and that will be a huge learning curve in itself! With social networking now and the internet, the answer to almost every question is at your fingertips! Believe it or not, your students will teach YOU a few things. Reflecting on your teaching and learning is a critical piece to your life-long learning. You don't need to go to a professional conference to continue your learning; you will learn from your team members, from professional development in your school and from professional reading.
3. Data User--Using student data will help you to understand how students are learning and what skills and knowledge they have mastered. And I don't mean the grades in your grade book. Data can be collected at the district level, at the school level and at the classroom level. The data collected at the classroom level is the most powerful....where you can reflect on your own practices, determine effectiveness of instructional practices, determine and utilize new strategies for student learning, and make sure that students are learning the implemented curriculum. Again, back to the first PLC questions, what do we want all students to be able to know and do, and how will I know that the students learned it? Data will tell you, from your classroom formative and summative assessments.
4. Communicator--Teachers communicate to students, colleagues, parents, and other school personnel. As a teacher you are creating interest in learning, listening to students and colleagues, discussing learning with team members, interpreting data, talking to parents about student progress and using non-verbal communication every day. Being a good listener is critical to be an effective teacher. Communicating clearly and making sure students know what the goal of a lesson is will engage students in the learning. Use of humor is also a skill that improves communication. Teachers need to be open and approachable. Use of technology in communication is now being used, e-mails to colleagues and parents, and while this is time efficient, be mindful of school policies and how you are communicating via e-mail; re-read your e-mails and make sure that they say what you want them to say. Don't write anything that you don't want on the front page of the local newspaper!
5. Instructional Practices -- Examining your instructional practices and discussing them with other teachers, can help you develop them over time. Knowing best practices that are research based, meaning they are effective practices for student learning, will help you develop your units and lessons and communicate the instructional targets to students. Students need to be engaged and be able to demonstrate their learning through a variety of performance tasks. Formative assessments of learning needs to be incorporated so that teachers get the feedback they need to provide supports to students or extend the learning activities. Again, in your teams, discuss the 4 PLC questions that will help you design your instruction.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Gratitude
Did you think I fell off the face of the earth? I have been on "blogger hiatus" for a few weeks!
Today, I want to share a thought as we prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday. I want to talk a bit about gratitude and to use it in your life. In August 2010, I was a superintendent, the economy, property values and the lack of state of Illinois payments to school districts, caused the district to make HUGE cuts in educational programs and staff. It was an extremely stressful time for me; I was a year away from retirement and this was by far the hardest time of my educational career. Administrators, teachers and support staff losing their jobs, cutting programs for students, as well as families in our community were struggling with their own loss of jobs and maybe even their homes.
On opening day for teachers, a young second year teacher sent out an email to all of his colleagues.
"Budgets will no doubt be getting tighter, we will have to do more with less, more personal sacrifices will be made for the benefit of students and colleagues, and the list could go on and on. That being said, amongst the bleak forecasts I cannot help but be grateful and thus hopeful. I am so thankful to have a job I love. Even more so, I am grateful to get to work with a terrific bunch of professionals like yourselves who care deeply about our students - their lives and learnings. I am beyond appreciative for the fantastic group of students we get to work with, even those we have to drag by their toes to the end......The point is, no matter what goes down this year, from the mountain tops experiences of ecstasy to the deepest of valleys of despair, we need to be thankful and stick together--Faculty, Staff, Administration, and All. Being grateful changes everything, it brings hope and puts everything in a new perspective. Let's be intentional about being thankful in a tangible manner. Shoot an email, write a note, buy a little gift to show each other just how grateful we are - even for the little things."
This teacher e-mail impacted me greatly! With all the decisions to be made, the tough conversations with people, the worry and stress, I felt like a robot just making it through the day. HOWEVER, that changed when I read this email. That day, I started a gratitude journal, writing every day, the things that I was grateful for: my great secretary and office staff who worked long hours, my teachers who were doing more with less and were still dedicated to students, my principals, my Board of Education, the great students we had, my husband, my kids, my family, my health....it just flowed each day I wrote in my journal (IPhone app-gratitude journal). Not only was I appreciating everything that I had, but I felt stress relief, happier and more hopeful. Research says that people who embrace gratitude either through journaling, thanking others, etc. are 25% happier after 10 weeks of focusing on being thankful.
Just this week, I saw two 24 years olds on TV whose lives were changed forever. Amiee Copeland who was ziplining and got a flesh eating bacteria and lost her hands, feet and right leg and Lauren Scruggs, who walked into a helicopter propeller which sliced off her left hand and had her left eye removed-- both of these young women expressed their gratitude for life.
So as we prepare for Thanksgiving this Thursday, reflect on your gratitude. Yes, we all worry about finding a job, losing a job, our performance at our job, paying our bills, paying the college bill each month, insurance, house repairs, car repairs, and the list goes on. So try a Gratitude Journal for 30 days, either an app on your phone, or a spiral notebook, and see how you feel. I know that you will feel different, I did!!! Thank you Jonathan!! Happy Thanksgiving!
Today, I want to share a thought as we prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday. I want to talk a bit about gratitude and to use it in your life. In August 2010, I was a superintendent, the economy, property values and the lack of state of Illinois payments to school districts, caused the district to make HUGE cuts in educational programs and staff. It was an extremely stressful time for me; I was a year away from retirement and this was by far the hardest time of my educational career. Administrators, teachers and support staff losing their jobs, cutting programs for students, as well as families in our community were struggling with their own loss of jobs and maybe even their homes.
On opening day for teachers, a young second year teacher sent out an email to all of his colleagues.
"Budgets will no doubt be getting tighter, we will have to do more with less, more personal sacrifices will be made for the benefit of students and colleagues, and the list could go on and on. That being said, amongst the bleak forecasts I cannot help but be grateful and thus hopeful. I am so thankful to have a job I love. Even more so, I am grateful to get to work with a terrific bunch of professionals like yourselves who care deeply about our students - their lives and learnings. I am beyond appreciative for the fantastic group of students we get to work with, even those we have to drag by their toes to the end......The point is, no matter what goes down this year, from the mountain tops experiences of ecstasy to the deepest of valleys of despair, we need to be thankful and stick together--Faculty, Staff, Administration, and All. Being grateful changes everything, it brings hope and puts everything in a new perspective. Let's be intentional about being thankful in a tangible manner. Shoot an email, write a note, buy a little gift to show each other just how grateful we are - even for the little things."
This teacher e-mail impacted me greatly! With all the decisions to be made, the tough conversations with people, the worry and stress, I felt like a robot just making it through the day. HOWEVER, that changed when I read this email. That day, I started a gratitude journal, writing every day, the things that I was grateful for: my great secretary and office staff who worked long hours, my teachers who were doing more with less and were still dedicated to students, my principals, my Board of Education, the great students we had, my husband, my kids, my family, my health....it just flowed each day I wrote in my journal (IPhone app-gratitude journal). Not only was I appreciating everything that I had, but I felt stress relief, happier and more hopeful. Research says that people who embrace gratitude either through journaling, thanking others, etc. are 25% happier after 10 weeks of focusing on being thankful.
Just this week, I saw two 24 years olds on TV whose lives were changed forever. Amiee Copeland who was ziplining and got a flesh eating bacteria and lost her hands, feet and right leg and Lauren Scruggs, who walked into a helicopter propeller which sliced off her left hand and had her left eye removed-- both of these young women expressed their gratitude for life.
So as we prepare for Thanksgiving this Thursday, reflect on your gratitude. Yes, we all worry about finding a job, losing a job, our performance at our job, paying our bills, paying the college bill each month, insurance, house repairs, car repairs, and the list goes on. So try a Gratitude Journal for 30 days, either an app on your phone, or a spiral notebook, and see how you feel. I know that you will feel different, I did!!! Thank you Jonathan!! Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, October 22, 2012
Transitions in Life
I am a week behind on my blog!!
Today I presented at the Illinois Principal Association's, Principal Professional Conference in Peoria, Illinois. I drove down to Peoria on Friday, and stayed with a friend for the weekend. I lived in Peoria for 3 years when I first got out of college, and landed my first job in Peoria Public Schools. It was an interesting and nostalgic weekend, I went to take a picture of the first home that we owned, which looked like the size of a doghouse now! I was so excited to move into that house, as I was pregnant with our first child at the time. I saw three of my cousins who live in Peoria and we had so much fun just talking about how much fun we had as kids growing up and what was happening in our lives now.
It was ironic as I looked at all these firsts, that I have now just just completed my first year of retirement. Where did the time go? When I looked out into the group of attendees at my session for my presentation today, I noticed most of them were 30-45 years old. The age of education is changing, meaning that the Baby Boomers like me are moving out of teaching and administration and these younger administrators have new thoughts, new values, new visions, and new goals. Working with them, both teaching at the university level and in discussions, is so exciting to me!! They have some different perspectives, but their passion for education, learning and kids seem to be the same as mine. Still!! I asked them to share their transitions today during my presentation, and they shared: now an empty nester; new home, new baby and new job; and a 51 year old principal shared he was the father of a 23-month-old child. NOW THAT IS A TRANSITION!!!
Transition is a natural thing that we go through over and over in our lives. Changing and growing from the first breathe we take until our last breath. Some of those transitions are fun and exciting, some are painful and difficult, some we can control and some we have no control over at all.
Change happens externally, a new program or a new process; transition happens internally, how we adapt to the change or the new situation. Many times it is the painful or difficult transitions that take our time and attention. We need to focus on moving forward with change and being aware of the transitions that we are experiencing.
Accept the changes. Embrace the negative feelings that might arise from the changes you are facing. But then move forward to accepting those changes and building a support system that will assist you in moving forward positively. This will be the first day of change!!
Today I presented at the Illinois Principal Association's, Principal Professional Conference in Peoria, Illinois. I drove down to Peoria on Friday, and stayed with a friend for the weekend. I lived in Peoria for 3 years when I first got out of college, and landed my first job in Peoria Public Schools. It was an interesting and nostalgic weekend, I went to take a picture of the first home that we owned, which looked like the size of a doghouse now! I was so excited to move into that house, as I was pregnant with our first child at the time. I saw three of my cousins who live in Peoria and we had so much fun just talking about how much fun we had as kids growing up and what was happening in our lives now.
It was ironic as I looked at all these firsts, that I have now just just completed my first year of retirement. Where did the time go? When I looked out into the group of attendees at my session for my presentation today, I noticed most of them were 30-45 years old. The age of education is changing, meaning that the Baby Boomers like me are moving out of teaching and administration and these younger administrators have new thoughts, new values, new visions, and new goals. Working with them, both teaching at the university level and in discussions, is so exciting to me!! They have some different perspectives, but their passion for education, learning and kids seem to be the same as mine. Still!! I asked them to share their transitions today during my presentation, and they shared: now an empty nester; new home, new baby and new job; and a 51 year old principal shared he was the father of a 23-month-old child. NOW THAT IS A TRANSITION!!!
Transition is a natural thing that we go through over and over in our lives. Changing and growing from the first breathe we take until our last breath. Some of those transitions are fun and exciting, some are painful and difficult, some we can control and some we have no control over at all.
Change happens externally, a new program or a new process; transition happens internally, how we adapt to the change or the new situation. Many times it is the painful or difficult transitions that take our time and attention. We need to focus on moving forward with change and being aware of the transitions that we are experiencing.
Accept the changes. Embrace the negative feelings that might arise from the changes you are facing. But then move forward to accepting those changes and building a support system that will assist you in moving forward positively. This will be the first day of change!!
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