Reflecting On This Experience

My Initial Thoughts

When I first learned that I would have to be making blog posts for this course, I was a little hesitant and unsure about how it would go. I had never made a blog post previously and I was a little worried about how that was going to go.

I had many worries when approaching this. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to think of interesting topics to write about. I was also worried about making posts interesting and easy to read while also being insightful.

Doing these blog posts definitely put me out of my comfort zone and pushed me to take risks and try new things.

Looking Ahead

From this, I have learned so much not only about writing blog posts, but about gathering and delivering information in an effective and concise way. I learned how to give feedback to others and also take feedback and adapt appropriately.

I am very glad that I had the opportunity to do this and develop this skill. Making these blog posts have become easier and easier as I kept doing them. These skills are skills that I will take with me throughout my entire teaching career. Getting more comfortable with this skill will benefit me a lot. These skills will also help me with communicating with parents and other teachers and coworkers.

Self-Care for Educators: Taking Care of Yourself During a Pandemic

Taking care of your mental health is something that all people can benefit from regardless of your profession. However, for educators, it is way too common that we put that self-care aspect on the backburner while we scramble to do a million other things.

It may seem impossible to carve out time in your busy schedule just to do something for yourself but in reality, taking the time to care for yourself can actually boost your productivity, not dwindle it.

The Importance of Self-care

Self-care is vital to maintaining a balanced and healthy relationship with yourself. It improves all elements of health including physical, spiritual, emotional, psychological, social, and professional health.

Practicing good self-care is important always but especially in times of uncertainty and stress like we are in right now.

Living and trying to teach during a global pandemic is very overwhelming and can be a huge source of stress in your life. Now more than ever, it is imperative that we all take the time to care for ourselves.

“Teaching is consistently recognized as an incredibly high-stress career, which is only compounded by the fact that many of you are not doing things that would help you manage that stress.” -Jennifer Gonzalez, Cult of Pedagogy

Tips for Self-Care

There are many different things that you can do to help manage stress and work on bettering yourself. These things can be simple acts such as taking a minute to just focus on your breathing.

Here are a few options of things that you can do to help take care of yourself and your wellbeing:

        • Go for a walk
        • Get plenty of sleep
        • Pet an animal
        • Read a book
        • Watch a TV show or a movie you like
        • Do some physical activity
        • Practice positive self-talk
        • Meditate
        • Listen to music

This is just a short list of examples that you can do. There are countless ways that you can destress and be kind to yourself. Figure out what your goals are and where you can carve out time for yourself in your day. Add your self-care into your daily routine.

Here is a video on how to go about creating an action plan to integrate self-care into your life:

A Self-Care Action Plan

Self-care can seem like a daunting task when you’ve already got a lot on your plate, so let’s take a little time to reflect on what works best for you, and m…

Being a Role Model for Your Students 

Lastly, having a healthy relationship with yourself and caring for your own wellbeing is, of course, an amazing thing you can do for yourself and it will make you feel happier and healthier but it will also benefit your students.

Research has shown that practicing mindfulness actually makes you a better teacher and helps create a more positive classroom environment as well as a more positive student-teacher relationship.

Your students can tell when you are stressed or overwhelmed and they will feed off of that and it can create more problems. On the other hand, students can also sense when you are happy and healthy and that helps them feel more comfortable. They are able to learn and engage more.

There are countless benefits to practicing good self-care. We are living in very stressful times but establishing a good self-care regimen now will actually help you even when this pandemic is over.

Take care of yourself, you deserve it!

 

Keeping a Routine During a Pandemic

In this time of a global pandemic, it may seem like routine is impossible to find. Everything seems out of order and we are all trying to get used to this “new normal” of trying to live our lives from inside our homes.

However, in this time of uncertainty, schedules are critical to keeping some sense of normalcy alive. Experts say routines and schedules are extremely beneficial to children, especially during difficult times.

There are many different things that you can implement to create some structure and routine for yourself and for your kids, even while you are stuck inside all day.

Create a Daily Schedule 

One of the most important things you can do for your child during this time is to stick to a set routine. Having a start and end time for doing schoolwork is very helpful. Also, including lots of breaks for eating and playing are essential and will help break up the day. The goal is to make it seem as similar to a normal school day as possible.

Setting Up the Right Environment

Try and create a space that is designated specifically for doing schoolwork. It is important to limit distractions in that space as much as possible. Your child will work and learn better in an environment that is quiet and comfortable.

Get Creative

During this time, we all need to be flexible and adapt to the situation. It is important to try to have fun through this! Try and make something like creating a schedule a fun activity for the whole family. Ask your child for input on when they would like to have a snack break or playtime. Write out the schedule and let your child color and decorate it however they would like!

Make the best of this time and don’t forget to take care of yourself! Self-care is imperative to your health and well-being and the well-being of your child. Even if your child isn’t directly experiencing trauma, they can still sense and pick up on the stress and worry of adults and others in the house.