Teacher Effectiveness Begins With YOUR Well Being

The most important thing you can PLAN out as you look at the next year is all about YOU! In order to be your best as a teacher, you MUST, MUST, MUST take time for yourself and making a plan now on how you will accomplish that is key to not getting burnt out. This was probably (or should have been) a key focus in one of your Ed Theory classes so reflecting on this should be easy to revisit.

First, in your lesson plan book, seriously block out time for yourself. Covet that time and don’t let anything step into that block. Exceptions may be made if the building is burning down or there’s a pandemic :) Joking aside, make sure you really think about what is important to keep you feeling good about you!

1. Make yourself a priority

2. Enjoy life OUTSIDE of the classroom as you do in it.

3. Find what feeds your soul and nourish yourself with it.

4. Find positive in what’s around.

I encourage you to take the time to set goals for yourself with those key points in mind. Be specific so you are taking care of your whole self and not just your teacher self. These are areas in your life that will suffer (and starve) if you don’t think now about making them a priority! Set a goal in each of these categories: PHYSICAL HEALTH & NUTRITION, LEISURE/FUN, RELATIONSHIPS, PROFESSIONAL PURSUITS, PERSONAL. Identify your objective for each, then set a goal.

Remember any goal made should be S.M.A.R.T, just like what you teach your students>> Simple, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. Don’t set a goal to hike Mt. Everest when you know your first year of teaching isn’t time conducive to afford or get away to do so. Instead, break it into chunks. Take a 20 minute walk each night. Spend one Saturday a month hiking a close mountain trail. Invite a friend to join you. Buy new hiking shoes to keep myself accountable and comfortable.

So right now, do it. Write down FIVE objectives on taking care of yourself and set SMART goals to go with each objective. Schedule it in your lesson planner, on your Trello app or in your phone as a reminder. Just do it and remember your effectiveness as a teacher depends on YOUR well being!

PS. Need a little "UMPH" and want more info on teacher self care? Watch/listen to the “Take Time for You: The Happy Healthy Educator” webinar from Marzano Resources, presented by Dr. Tina H Boogren.