The rough years are the ones, in my opinion, that help us become better teachers. This past year was very hard for me, which admittedly came as a surprise in year 27. How can we process a rough year and not become despondent at the thought of coming back in the fall? I share my own thoughts on that process. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/teacherforlife/support

I am an Adult Child of an Alcoholic, so needless to say I had a traumatic childhood. Little did I know how this would affect my early years of teaching. For some of us, it may be ruining a job we might otherwise enjoy. (Side note: my apologies for the 2 interruptions in this episode…kids, am I right?) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/teacherforlife/support

How do teachers hang in there? What determines who stays and who leaves the field? I decided to interview some teachers to find out what helps them stay in teaching, without losing it. Each episode will feature one teacher who has found a way to find balance. Let’s hear their secrets. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/teacherforlife/support

How do teachers hang in there? What determines who stays and who leaves the field? I decided to interview some teachers to find out what helps them stay in teaching, without losing it. Each episode will feature one teacher who has found a way to find balance. Let’s hear their secrets. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/teacherforlife/support

Our time at work is precious. Sometimes others at work take advantage of our kindness and flexibility. We need to reclaim our time for our own well-being and balance. Credit to U.S. Representative Maxine Waters (California) for this life-changing phrase. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/teacherforlife/support

We are not meant to function in this world without help. Humans are social animals who have always lived in communities. We do better that way. Trying to solve our problems in isolation can be maddening. We don’t always have the help we need from the people around us at work, or even in our personal relationships. So, where should we go for help when we feel stuck and unsupported? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/teacherforlife/support

I don’t know a single teacher who hasn’t been tempted to leave the profession. So why do some leave, and why do some stay? I think it comes down to a lot of factors, but one thing we all need, regardless of our profession, is self-care. Teaching is incredibly stressful if we don’t give ourselves the care we need off the clock. In addition to ample sleep and good nutrition & hydration, how else can we manage to take care of ourselves amidst our busy lives? Self-care doesn’t have to be a...

Online tools for teachers have exploded since internet connectivity in schools became available.  Long gone are the days of pencil and paper only!  Today we have access to myriad websites to help our students learn.  One such type of site is interactive games.  I discuss how I use blooket.com and gimkit.com to make my job easier and to engage the students.  However, overuse of these tools, I have found, can have the opposite effect.  It all comes down to balance.   Please email me with any...

The final episode in the 4-part series on responses to conflict. Fawning comprises people-pleasing, over apologizing, even groveling. Teachers generally have no behavior issues with students who do this, but it is still a set of behaviors to keep an eye out for. Additionally, in this episode, we take a look at how the 4 responses to conflict manifest in teachers. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast:...

Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn are the 4 responses to conflict. What is freeze? It has some evident characteristics and some that had me scratching my head, but it is still a worthy examination. I give an example of a student I have right now who, I believe, is exhibiting some freeze behaviors. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/teacherforlife/support

Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn…the 4 trauma responses. What is flight? When we see a student exhibiting a flight response, it can look like a classic ADHD set of behaviors, or, more confusingly, it can look like a straight-A student. How can a student who makes fabulous grades and one who is barely passing be exhibiting the same response to conflict? We’ll examine. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this...

There are 4 responses to conflict: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. Fight is the one that drives most teachers crazy. “Why won’t they just comply??” Unfortunately, human beings don’t make it that easy for us. Let’s take a look at both the negative and positive (!?) characteristics of a fight response to conflict within our students, and how we can use this knowledge to our advantage as teachers. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. ...

Returning to work after a long break can feel overwhelming! There is so much to do as is, then we learn from administration of all these additional tasks to be completed within a certain timeline. This used to really trigger me until I came up with a strategy, which I share here. Please reach out at [email protected] to share some of your own! I’d love to hear them! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. ...

"Teachers are held to a higher standard than the clergy".  I used to say this all the time.  Is it fair?  No.  Will people just accept us as messy humans doing the best we can?  No.  Like it or not, teachers are held to a ridiculously high moral standard, which can really come back to bite us if we get too free and easy with sharing our opinions on social media and in emails.  So, how do we protect ourselves from blowback if it were to happen?  I share some of my thoughts in this episode.  I...

I am halfway through my summer break.  What about you?  If so, what are you doing with your time?  Are you lapping up the decadence of the free time or are you fretting about going back?  Summer can be lovely but also worrisome for some teachers.  Here, I share my thoughts on that.   --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/teacherforlife/support

Wouldn't it be nice to feel like we are loved and appreciated as teachers?  That the work we do is celebrated and rewarded?  For many of us, this is just not the reality and it is not attainable.  So, how do we stay in a "thankless" job and keep ourselves from going into a downward spiral?  Reevaluating our sources of validation can make a massive difference.   --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast:...

Most of us were raised in a world where adults shaming us was normal.  As teachers, are we carrying on this tradition to the detriment of the students, and to ourselves as well?  When was the last time being shamed motivated you to do something?   (Note:  I realize that shaming is still a tool in many cultures and may seem effective.  This episode addresses shaming in cultures similar to the American one, where students are more apt to fight back or shut down in the face of shaming.) ---...

Children and teenagers love to talk about themselves!  They are their own favorite subject!  Getting kids to engage with our material can be challenging, particularly toward the end of the school year.  If we can create some personal "buy in", their motivation to engage can increase and we can get the type of engagement we hope for.  Here I share my personal techniques for creating buy in, and I believe we can all find ways to do this no matter what we teach.   --- This episode is...

Life in the United States always includes the possibility of a school shooting.  This is a sad reality that we must reckon with to stay in the job.  How do YOU handle that?  I have my own way, good or bad.  I thought I'd share. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/teacherforlife/support

Have you ever felt this way about a relationship you were in:  it feels out of control?  It feels one-sided?  It sucks you dry emotionally?  It doesn't meet your expectations?   Do those thoughts apply to your teaching job as well?  They did mine, for a long time, until I began to take control and stop feeling like a victim in my own career.  But how do we reframe this job in a way that feels healthy? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. ...

"They're so lazy!  They want something for nothing!  They have no ambition!"  Sound familiar?  We teachers spend an enormous amount of time telling ourselves stories about our students.  Why do we do this?  What is our payoff?  And most importantly, how does it leave us feeling?  When we put people in a "one size fits all" category, we step onto the road to burnout.  How do we deal with our frustrations in a way that motivates us to become more effective teachers?    --- This episode is...

How do you handle a failed lesson?  People teaching people is a messy, inaccurate business.   So why would we expect ourselves to nail it on a daily basis?  Embracing our failures and learning from them instead of becoming despondent is key to becoming a great teacher. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/teacherforlife/support

Do you often feel like a failure as a teacher because you could be doing more?  Or, on the flip side, do you become incensed when administrators pressure you to reject your own standards in order to get a student to pass?   If you feel like you will never be good enough, or you can't believe that no one is putting proper responsibility on the students, how do you reckon with these feelings to stay in the job?   We can learn how to rise above the gaslighting that everyone in the field of...

Do you get bogged down with grading?  Do you get frustrated because you take the time to write helpful comments that the students simply ignore?  Let's think about alternative ways to grade that don't take loads of time to complete. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/teacherforlife/support