Checking In . . .

Well, how’s it going? At this point you might just be starting school, you might be a week or so into the year, or you may even already have a month under your belt. Regardless of where you are, we want to check in and see how you are. With all that has changed our profession this year, we want to make sure you take the time to stop and ask yourself, How am I doing?

As teachers, we are used to juggling our responsibilities and getting them done to the best of our ability. We plan, teach, assess, meet, confer, guide, provide, mediate, decide, help . . . The list goes on. It is a continuous loop. When the year starts, we hit the Go button, knowing a Stop button doesn’t exist. And as a result, we make a difference in the lives of our students, colleagues, and community. It is a wonderful opportunity we are given, and we need to remember to take care of ourselves in the process.

What does that even look like intermixed with our list of responsibilities? Try interjecting self-care between each of the verbs in the previous paragraph: plan, self-care, teach, self-care, assess, self-care, meet, self-care . . . You might be reading this and thinking the idea sounds great but there just isn’t time to do it. In fact, it even felt funny as I was typing it and making it visual. However, teachers who take time for self-care will be better equipped to help students because they will safeguard against burnout.

What does self-care look like in the middle of a full day? Here are some suggestions:

• Breathe—Take 15 seconds to a minute to breathe. If you don’t have time to yourself, have your class do it with you. They surely will benefit from the calm time to refocus as well.
• Gratitude—Keep a gratitude notebook on your desk and write one thing you are grateful for each time you need to recharge.
• Laughter—Look for things that make you smile or laugh. Have a joke book where you can share a joke with your class. Hearing the laughter of children is a great way to bring a smile to your face.
• Pictures—Find a few pictures that bring you joy and post them in your room. Simply seeing them will bring a smile to your face, evoke a memory or emotion, and help give you a boost.
• Quote—Print or write a few quotes that mean something to you to display in plain sight. Read them to yourself or out loud to revisit purpose.

What other ideas do you have for self-care in the middle of a school day? Visit our discussion board to share and view the ideas of others. Together, we will help each other move forward.