In It to Win It... Or Not

Teachers should get another week to recover from Thanksgiving Break. Four whole, beautiful days off and I am dragging this week. I feel so unmotivated, in everything. #helpme 

Grades are due this week, and if there's one thing I do not enjoy, it's grading. It's time consuming and redundant. It's important; gathering data drives instruction and helps close gaps in learning, but dang do I hate the process of gathering it! 

This week has just been meh. I feel meh, I feel like I look meh, and just meh. I wish I could stay in bed for a week and sleep through it all. I'm hoping to get my good mood back soon. My students definitely help. The sweet notes, the hugs, the smiles. They can heal a broken heart, that's for sure. 

Being a teacher is hard, really hard. Some days I want to scream, cry, and rip my hair out. I answer a million questions a day (not exaggerating), I try to teach kids to be kind to each other, and I also teach them how to solve two step story problems with equations and unknowns represented as a letter. Some days my head hurts so bad because of how many decisions I've made throughout the day that I just go home and sit on the couch and decompress. 

Being a teacher is even harder if your personal life isn't going well because you have to constantly be on point all day long, even if you want to burst into tears like I have this week. 

But, being a teacher is rewarding. Being someone your students love unconditionally is such a good feeling. Being adored is something I wouldn't trade for the world. 

Being a teacher is hard, but damn is it worth it in the end. 

Thanksgiving Break

Oh my goodness I am so thankful for my four day break starting the day after tomorrow. I. Am. A. Tired. Teacher. I'm ready for a break and so are my kids. 

However, I have loved hearing the stories my students have told me about where they are going for Thanksgiving and what family and friends they are seeing during the holiday. It makes me happy to know they will be loved and happy while they are gone from school. 

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I am looking forward to Thanksgiving. A time to be with my family and revel in all the things I have to be thankful for. And dang am I ready for a break from work. But, let's be real, I'll be grading over the weekend. #lifeofateacher 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Choosing to Be Thankful

Bad days happen. They happen to everyone; no one can escape bad days, no matter how much we'd like to. Today I had a bad day. I woke up in such a great mood, got to work extra early and got ready for the day, and still felt like I had time to breathe. I was excited to see my students, they were listening, things were going great. 

But as the day progressed, it seemed like things kept going wrong. Some students made bad choices, I hated my writing lesson, and then a student of mine got hurt at recess. At lunch I cried; I just needed to let it out. 

But, despite this Monday being the Mondayest Monday in a long time, I am choosing to be thankful. I got to see my dad today for the first time in about three weeks. He was passing through to our cabin for gun season this week and he took me out to lunch. I missed him, and it was nice to see him. 

I am thankful for my dad. I am thankful he listened to me about my day, I'm thankful for his hugs, and I am thankful for having such a supportive father in my life. I know not everyone has that and I am blessed I was a lucky one. It's been hard living on my own and being so far away from my family but today I am reminded they are always there for me, no matter what. 

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Today, I am choosing to be grateful and to think positively. 

Be Good to People

Seeing my students be good people and good friends to one another leaves me with such a good feeling. Two of my students at two separate times show examples of being a good friend to another student. They worked well together, and made the other person they were working with feel good. 

In my classroom, at the end of the day, we do something called student shout outs. I usually compliment the class or specific students for a job well done and then I allow my students to give shout outs to each other for something good they did. Many times, my students give shout outs to their friends for being good friends. But, I love when someone gives a shout out to someone they don't normally hang out with or work with. 

I love seeing my students make new friends. 

I had a conversation with a parent today about her student (he was one of the students who was being a good friend) and she said something to me that has resonated with me since, "As a parent, you just want your children to be good people. Hearing things like this makes me feel like I'm doing an okay job." That really stood out to me, because it's true. Being good to others is something we don't see a whole lot in the news and world today, but it's something that is important and should be taught and highlighted every since day. 

Taylor said it best. 

Be good to people. It feels wonderful. Random acts of kindness, positive notes to friends or parents, or just simply a meaningful compliment. You never know how your words or actions could turn someone's day around. 

Finding an Outlet

Being an adult is hard, am I right? I think back to my third grade self (the same age of students I currently teach) and I just think to myself, "Why in the heck did you want to grow up?" It's freaking hard. You use all the money you earn to pay bills, student loans, and to feed yourself. You have to clean your own house, do your own dishes, and finish your own laundry [there's no one to do it for you when you leave it out so long that she's sick of looking at it... Love you Mom ;)]. And then you just work. I feel like since I've graduated college, my life is less busy as far as how many different things I'm doing, but I feel like all I do is work. That could be because I'm a teacher and I take a lot of things home with me or stay after and come in early or it could just be another part of being an adult. 

There always seems like there is something that could be done. Something else to tweak in order to best fit my students' needs, something to clean in my house, or something to prepare for the next day. 

That brings me to my point: find an outlet. When stress comes, when you're feeling overwhelmed, or when you're lacking motivation or creativity. It's important to find something you love doing that takes you away from your daily responsibilities for a period of time. 

For me, it's planning in my planners (yes, plural) and working out. Although I'm not as consistent with working out as I used to be, I am working on it because I really do love it and it's important to me. I am trying to make more time for both of those things this school year. 

Whatever it is that you love to do, even if it's for ten minutes at night right before you go to sleep, do it. You will be less stressed, you'll be happier, and you'll feel refreshed which will in turn help you be better at work. 

Bottom line, you need to take care of yourself first. You are not helpful to others if you are burnt out, stressed, and worn thin. 

Easier said than done, I know. But try. Do it for yourself because you are worth it! 

Making a Plan & Sticking To It

Seems easy, right? In some cases, yes it is. It's easy to stick to my lesson plans I've created, unless I see a need of my students that isn't being addressed. It's easy for me to stick to my plans with my friends or boyfriend. 

However, I find it hard for me to stick to my fitness plans. I sit down and create this intense, well-thought out plan and I rarely ever stick to it. Why? It's not because I don't want to. It's not because I can't do it. It's more because I let life and excuses get in the way. Also, I'm an all or nothing kind of person, and I think that if I can't commit 100% to what I've set out to do, then it's not worth trying at all, which is not the case. 

Last week I planned to workout five times, but I only managed to get a workout in 3 times. Well, first of all, that's over 50% of my goal. Secondly, I listened to my body and when I was exhausted, I skipped the gym and graded my math tests that have been looming over my head. Thirdly, I started to get sick on Friday, and I'm glad I didn't push myself because I really didn't feel well this weekend. So, I'll take the 3 days I could get in, and try better this coming week. 

Bottom line, going SOMETHING to reach your goals is better than doing NOTHING. And, progress is progress no matter how small. Hopefully this week I'll be able to workout four times instead of 3, or up the intensity of my three workouts. Whatever it is I do to improve is good. I shouldn't feel like a failure for not achieving all my plans; as long as I'm trying my best, that's what should matter. 

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Keep your goals in mind, and try your very best to do SOMETHING to reach them every day. And if you don't, try harder the next day. But, don't ever give up.