Inspired Teacher
Blog
|
Even superheroes need to sleep.
It's not really surprising that many find teaching to be a stressful job. When you wake up every morning determined to make a difference in the lives of children, all the obstacles of the day that try to divert you from that goal can get a bit overwhelming...
|
Sign up for our Courses!
|
Teaching Self Discipline
Decrease
the time spent on discipline by building student problem-solving
skills. Learn to create a classroom where students' behavior is
governed by their role as valued members of their classroom community,
rather than punitive measures or rewards. Develop strategies for
successful student and teacher conflict resolution.
Wednesdays: April 30 May 7, 14, 21, 28
4:30pm - 7:30 pm
Location: Inspired Teaching
1436 U St., NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20009
Call or email Kaneia Mayo to register:
202.462.1956
Register online.
|
| Join Our List
|
|
|
|
| Is teaching supposed to be stressful? |
|
"Stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that 'demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.' In short, it's what we feel when we think we've lost control of events."
~ Mindtools
Sound familiar? Spring break is over, the TEST is around the corner, and the school year has slipped into its rollercoaster ride to the end. You've got projects to complete, meetings to attend, last minute standards to teach, and students to bring up to grade level in a short span of days. Forget your personal life-you're living and breathing school right now, and the air is getting more than a little toxic.
When there are so many demands on your time from your job, it's common to let your job takeover your life, but that doesn't make this situation healthy for you or the students and colleagues with whom you come into contact. If you're experiencing any of the following stress-related symptoms, it's not hard to picture how they might affect those around you:
- Headaches
- Sleep problems
- Burnout
- Angry Outbursts
- Dietary Problems
- Negativity / Depression
Stressed-out teachers yell more in class, they have a harder time planning ahead and dealing with the hundred unexpected incidents that pop up throughout the course of a normal school day. So what can you do to decrease your stress?
First of all, take a breath. Then, consider the following:
- Make Me-Time Mandatory: If the principal can require you to go to those meetings, you can require yourself to take a break from work when you go home at night. Even if you can't do this every night, determine at least one night a week when you will not bring work home with you; keep that night sacred for going to the gym, taking the dogs for a walk, making a new recipe, or simply curling up with a good book or TV show. The work will still be there tomorrow, and nobody is going to die if they don't get that paper back for another day!
- Sleep: There are few problems in life that don't improve with a little rest and relaxation. That insurmountable mountain will look more like a molehill with a little shut-eye. If you're having trouble getting to sleep try drinking a cup of tea before you go to bed, doing some light exercise like yoga, listening to relaxing music, or reading through a book of academic standards. :)
- Be a Choosy Grader: If you're getting overwhelmed by the stacks around your desk, give yourself permission to throw some away! It's a little-admitted fact that students don't actually need every piece paper they complete graded. Assignments designed to practice skills often don't need grades, and students can learn a lot from grading their own work. You can even have students choose a small number of assignments from a week's worth of work that they really want you to grade. That way you're giving them feedback on the material that they're most curious about.
- Bring Back the Joy: Here's another secret they don't tell you in school - A few minutes out of "instructional time" during the school day to laugh and play with your students actually won't destroy their test scores. In fact, it's more likely to bring them up by decreasing their stress and getting those positive endorphins working in the brain. This week's activities present a few good ways to bring the joy back into your classroom.
Life's too short, and too potentially beautiful, to spend your days sequestered in the land of stress. Break the cycle early and fast, your students (and your body) will thank you!
|
What are you doing?
|
|
This warm-up activity challenges students to use their imaginations and pushes them to step out of their comfort zones. Students are most likely to engage fully in this activity when you have created a safe and respectful classroom community. Click here for a complete description of the activity. |
M & M Activity
|
|
The basic structure of this activity can be applied to any questioning/discussion/community building lesson. Click here for a complete description of the activity. |
Inspired Teacher Essay Contest
DEADLINE APRIL 11!!!
|
|
Calling all student authors! Celebrate your teacher wit h words. Tell us in 100 words or fewer: What does your teacher do to inspire you? You could see your essay published in The Washington Post KidsPost and aired on WHUR 96.3FM. Winning student writers and their teachers will be recognized at a reception hosted by Barnes & Noble and receive prize packages that include gift certificates for the bookstore, restaurants, and t-shirts. Submit your essay online today! |
| Teacher Resources |
|
Effective Stress Management Summary
Short and sweet, this summary highlights key information and a few strategies for managing stress.
America's Number 1 Health Problem
The American Institute of Stress delves into why stress has become a bigger problem in the U.S.
Unhealthy response to the pressures of life (Mayo Clinic)
Consider how stress affects the body and all its systems.
|
Sign up for the Inspired Teaching Institute
|
|
If you're looking for an experience that will revolutionize your teaching practice, consider the Inspired Teaching Institute. It's a full year course, with an intensive 2 week introduction during the summer - it may sound like a lot of time but it is time WELL SPENT!
Click here to apply or learn more.
|
Center for Inspired Teaching is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that exists to ensure schools make the most of children's innate desire to learn. We do this by investing in teachers. Please visit our website to learn more about our philosophy, programs, and results.
|
|
|
|
|
