Reflecting on My Blogging Experience

As this comes to an end…

I reflect upon this new experience of blogging my thoughts, interactions, lessons, etc. and have found a new love for sharing my ideas with others. I was nervous about this project in the beginning; I do not use many “blogs” outside of social media platforms, so I was unsure of how this would go.

In class we learned about the Rhetorical Triangle and ways to engage our audience(s) in our posts:

This triangle became very beneficial to me as I was blogging. As someone who has never blogged like this, I would often leave sections out or forget to focus on different things within the triangle. Having this representation of what I need to include really helped me to make better blog posts.

Other blogging takeaways:

  1. Hyperlinking text
  2. Bullet lists to minimize “fluff”
  3. Using “we” dialogue to connect with the readers
  4. Embedding videos
  5. Adding pictures that are relevant, visible, and enhance the design/layout
  6. Add captions for pictures
  7. Play with font, colors, etc.
  8. Add extra resources to be viewed after your blog; also add in research or peer reviewed articles to help back up your information.

And the biggest takeaway is that practice makes perfect. You need to try and make mistakes to get better at everything you do. At first, blogging was difficult for me, I am still not perfect, but I have seen the progress I have made during this semester’s journey. This experience has allowed me to grow and find a new love for writing which I can use in the future.

A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new                – Albert Einstein

Thank you for reading and coming along on this journey with me! ☺

Giving Your Students the Best You

Welcome back to another blog! ☺

As a teacher being abruptly thrown into this new normal of digital learning, it can be hard to always believe that you are doing your best to help every student succeed. You may not be the best with technology yourself, so how do you continue to give your students the education they deserve?

It is understandable for you to feel like your top priority right now is your students, but are you forgetting about yourself? The first step in finishing this school year strong, is making sure that your students are getting the best version of you possible!

Self-Care 101

Workspace: As tempting as it may be to do your work from your bed, still in your pajamas, cuddled up in your favorite blanket… it is in your best interest to find a different spot in your house to dedicate to your work, for the current time being. Working from your bed has many disadvantages to your mental and physical health.

‘When it comes to switching off the light at night, if you’ve been in your bed all day, thoughts about work are more likely to persist.’ By the same coin, working from your bed means it’s also likely you’ll be less productive and more likely to nod off during the day. –Dailymail

Take more breaks: Try to set up a work schedule with microbreaks. While you are cooped up, it is important to make sure that you do not overwork yourself into a full blown burnout. The Formula for Perfect Productivity suggests working 52 minutes and having a break for 17.

An article on The Science of Taking Breaks at Work lists 3 benefits of taking breaks:

          1. Breaks keep us from getting bored
      1. Breaks help us retain information and make connections
      2. Breaks help us reevaluate our goals

Recognize what IS and what ISN’T in your control: Technology can’t be perfect, and neither can you. Set reasonable expectations for yourself and your students. Don’t spend time dwelling on things you can never change. Rather, you should set an example for your students and show them that it’s okay to not know everything, it’s okay to have bad days, and it’s okay for you to learn along side your students sometimes too.

Remember that everyone is struggling, overwhelmed, stressed, and upset right now. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Don’t give up on yourself or the young ones looking to you for guidance. As long as you are giving your best effort, it is more than enough! This all shall pass soon.

“Every challenge, every adversity, contains within it the seeds of opportunity and growth.”
― Roy Bennett

Other Great Resources:

  1. Going Online in a Hurry: What to Do and Where to Start
  2. So You Want to Temporarily Teach Online
  3. Effective Teaching Online
  4. Pocketful of Primary (Teacher Youtube Channel)
  5. Coronavirus Resources for Teachers

Stay safe and I’ll see again in the next post!

Helping Your Child Cope with the COVID-19 Pandemic

As the world enters unknown territory with the Coronavirus, it is no question how detrimental and life changing this pandemic has already become. Families are struggling with incomes and job loss, parents/guardians are figuring out how to be teachers, hugging loved ones is no longer a form of affection… everyone’s lives are being flipped around, but what about the children?

The pandemic is already difficult for adults to cope with and understand, so how do we explain this new way of life to the children? How do we help protect their mental health?

Just Breathe

Practice breathing exercises with your children to help manage upset, angry, or sad emotions. Meditation is a healthy way to relieve stress and also create a bonding time for your family.

Mindfulness Meditation for Kids | BREATHING EXERCISE | Guided Meditation for Children

Download our App for free: Apple iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/new-horizon-kids-meditation/id1457179117#? Google Play (Android): https://play.google.com…

Stay Fit While Staying Home

According to the WHO:

  • Children and youth aged 5–17 should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily.
  • Amounts of physical activity greater than 60 minutes provide additional health benefits.
  • Most of the daily physical activity should be aerobic. Vigorous-intensity activities should be incorporated, including those that strengthen muscle and bone, at least 3 times per week.

Make the most of your time safe at home by introducing work outs or physical activity games into your daily routines. Try to get outside when possible, and soak in the Vitamin D. Play catch, run around, decorate your sidewalks with sidewalk chalk, try yoga, have a dance party, the possibilities are endless!

Stay Connect, Even When Apart

If possible, make virtual play dates for your children to “hang out” with friends. Using sites, like Zoom, Google Classroom, Netflix Party, your child can still enjoy peer interactions while staying safe.

This would also be fun to do with the family members you have all been missing!

Having time to talk about this new world with others can be a huge stress reliever for your worrisome child. Pick up a phone and give someone else company as well.

Continue staying safe and remember to wash your hands

Other Resources:

  1. Concerns for the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents during the Coronavirus Pandemic
  2. 100 things to do while stuck inside due to a pandemic

  3. Fun Science Experiments for Kids 

Decisions, Decisions…

Imagine the hardest decision of your day being what you want to play with after circle time… the things I would do to go back to that time!

This is the struggle of many 3-year-old students at my placement; it is one of the hottest conversation topics among the learners, each morning. The students are given a lot of choices throughout the day as to what they want to use, how they want to use it, etc. During the class’ center time, the students grab their name clips and are given the option of where they want to play. The center cards have a certain number of spaces for each name clip, to make sure there is not too many students in one area (ex: “Dramatic Play” has 4 spaces for student name clips). This is also a way to keep track of where the students are at; when a student moves to another area, their name clip must follow.

What are the Benefits of allowing students to explore centers at their own leisure?

NAEYC lists out 5 essentials to meaningful play:

  1. Children make their own decisions
  2. Children are intrinsically motivated
  3. Children become immersed in the moment
  4. Play is spontaneous, not scripted
  5. Play is enjoyable

When children are given options, they feel like they have some control, which is not always present in a classroom setting. Students will have more freedom to explore their interests and not be forced to play with anything specific.

Why this matters to you

I believe that giving students choices is a great way to improve learning. Allow your students the options to do what they want, and not do what they don’t. Students learn from people they like. Letting them believe that they are in charge of their own learning will have them happy and willing to explore the your classroom, while they have fun. Implement this into your play-based center time. The rest of the day you have the choice to dictate what happens and when, so allow your students some time to have freedom from restrictions and learn at their own leisure.

To continue research on your own:

The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds

The Importance of Play-Based Learning

Play – NAEYC

How to get into Play-Based Learning

See you in the next post!