Teaching from home is a big transition for students and their families, but it also is a HUGE transition for teachers! It isn’t just you and your class anymore. It is you and your families and pets, and each student home with their families and pets. I’m sure many of us are prepared for crazy days teaching, and lots of distractions (Especially us Pre-K-4 teachers), but I don’t think anything could have prepared us for this pandemic that is forcing us to teach from our homes!
That being said, I am sure you are experiencing the same emotions that I am being at home and having no face to face interactions with students: sadness, anger, frustration, and A LOT of stress. Many of us in the field of education are perfectionists and transitioning to online curriculum was not easy. We are stressed about our families, maybe our spouses and our students from our schools. In a time like this it is so important to take care of ourselves! Here are 3 easy things you can do for yourself during this stressful time.
- Keep a schedule.This might be something you already do because you are teaching your class, answering parents, staying in touch with other teachers and coworkers, and juggling all of the tasks for your own children. Even if you are not super busy, there
are still benefits to keeping a schedule. Set aside time for your class and time to answer emails, then you will not be focused on it for all of your waking hours. Make sure to schedule time to do something for yourself every day!! - Practice Mindfulness ActivitiesTake a few minutes a day to practice mindfulness activities. This can just be taking a few deep breathes when you get a minute or doing some activities as a whole family. Here’s a great video for mindful breathing with kids!
Rainbow Breath – Flow | GoNoodle
Learn how to raise your energy and face your day with this exercise. Have fun with it! This video comes from GoNoodle’s Flow channel. Flow gets kids to relax…
- EXERCISE!!!There are so so many benefits to physical activity
. It can even reduce our anxiety and stress levels. Even if you don’t have much time, take 5 minutes to stretch or do something you enjoy. This does not have to be rigorous. It can be any exercise you enjoy. Maybe for you it is taking a walk, bike riding, yoga, or playing your favorite sport for a while. I love the app FitON, it has so many great workouts!
Hopefully you find some time to do something for yourself during these stressful times. Take the time to take care of yourself. Everyone in your life will benefit from it!