Don’t Go To The Dark
Side!
I started my school year
with a load of regret. Why didn’t I use more of my summer planning for the
year? Why did I do this? Why didn’t I do that? What did I get myself into?
School hadn’t started yet and I was already giving up on myself. I started to
freak myself out.
“It is during our darkest
moments that we must focus on the light” (Aristotle Onassis ).”
I thought to myself...What are my options? The only option I could come up with was to come up with a plan. I needed to "dig myself out of this hole".
You attract what you are,
not what you want. If you want great, then be great.
Here are some of the
strategies I use to keep me positive and productive:
1.Prioritize your
time:The first step in doing this is actually creating a list of all of the things you want / need to do. Now prioritize this in relation to things you really need to get done and things that can wait a few days, or at least until you have time to complete the task.
2.Schedule your life:
I put all of my life on my planner. It allows me to manage my short and long term goals. I put all of IEPs, meetings, days I plan to assess, and professional developments on my calendar. I put all of my lessons and attachments on a website called planbook.com
3.Find support:
Find your tribe, a handful of coworkers you can laugh with and let off steam and don’t take things so seriously for a minute. Of course, you don’t want to dump all of your problems on someone. I have always been fortunate to have a great support system at home and at work. It wasn’t until recently, I realized the burden I was putting on the people who care about me most. When I need to talk through my problems, I currently use a method called Expansive Listening. It’s a quick way to vent and move on.
2.Schedule your life:
I put all of my life on my planner. It allows me to manage my short and long term goals. I put all of IEPs, meetings, days I plan to assess, and professional developments on my calendar. I put all of my lessons and attachments on a website called planbook.com
3.Find support:
Find your tribe, a handful of coworkers you can laugh with and let off steam and don’t take things so seriously for a minute. Of course, you don’t want to dump all of your problems on someone. I have always been fortunate to have a great support system at home and at work. It wasn’t until recently, I realized the burden I was putting on the people who care about me most. When I need to talk through my problems, I currently use a method called Expansive Listening. It’s a quick way to vent and move on.
As important as it is to
have support, it is as important to support others. Remind the people who are
there for you that you appreciate them.
4. Be your biggest
cheerleader:
For every time I think
of something going wrong, I remind myself of the things going well at the time.
I work late when I have to, but I also leave when it’s time to go to the gym or
a new episode of Real Housewives is on. I have a snack drawer when I’m having
“one of those days”. It’s
okay to not be okay! It will be tough, but it will get better. You will have
good days and bad days, and maybe that and everything in between in one day,
but it will be okay. If you need to walk away for a second, do it. Remind
yourself, YOU CAN DO THIS!!
Disclaimer: I’ll never
claim to be perfect. I’m just a teacher that sees the importance of learning.
Please continue to follow me along on this journey. After teaching special education for 6+ years, I know first hand how overwhelming teaching in this field can be, yet how fullfilling and life changing it is at the same time. My goal with this blog is to provide tips, tricks, and hacks that actually work in the special education classroom setting. I want to show special education teachers that you can have high expectations for your students/classroom, yet make time for yourself.
For
the love of teaching,
Kimberly Reza
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