Out with the old, In with the New! We have all heard that lots of times. I always liked coming back to school after Christmas. It felt fresh and new. I was ready for a new beginning. I was ready to "do this thing" and finish the year with a bang, so to speak. After two days of coming back, I was sleepy....and wishing that it was December 22 again so that I would have more days home with my family...or June something so that school could be out already. But, let's take a moment to think about our main reason for being at school in the first place...the kids. They need us....some of them need us desperately! I am in a new position as a Curriculum Coordinator so I am not in the classroom as the main teacher all day every day, so I don't feel the pressure that I used to feel. Instead of pressure for my students to perform, I now feel pressure to help my teachers continue to make the huge differences that they make every day. I see the exhaustion on their faces. I see them trying to continue to go and go and go and inspire and encourage and lift up.... In other words, "I feel their pain!" I walked in their (your) shoes for 23 years! I get it. You want to make a difference but...lets face it. You are human. You get discouraged. You get tired. The long days of winter in the classroom are real and I get it....because I have been there. I have come up with a few words that may help ease that stress just a bit. I remember, and I hope this helps just a small bit.
1. Focus: You are there to focus on and love the kids. Heaven knows what some of them go home to. Love the kids above all else! If you need to take a minute to listen, encourage, hug, wipe tears or laugh with that one kid...do it..They will remember it and you will too!
2. Remember: They are kids. They need to play. They need to use glitter and glue. They need to run fast and often. They need to laugh. They need to eat candy. They need to get in the play dough. They need to hug you and be hugged back like you really mean it...and you do mean it. I know you do!
3. Relax: All of these mid-year tests? They are just a tests. You know your kids and you now how far they've come since the beginning of school. Close your door and teach your kids. Teach.
4. Rejuvenate: Take care of yourself. You know when the flight attendants say "Put the oxygen on yourself before your younger passengers"? Yeah. That. You must rest. If you are tired and grumpy, you are no good to anyone in your classroom. Go to bed early. Sleep late on Saturday. Eat a candy bar. Buy the shoes. Have a girls night out. Do what ever it is that helps you re-energize. The kids are counting on you to "put the oxygen on first." Do it.
Before you know it, you'll be hugging all of those little bodies goodbye. They will be ready to go home for the summer, and so will you. But in the meantime, hang on. Focus, remember, relax and rejuvenate. Your students will probably not remember how many "book levels" they grew or how many points they grew on a test, but they will definitely remember how much you loved them! Teach on friends, teach on and Welcome 2018 with the biggest smile you have!
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