Summer is almost here in the United States. If there was ever a time that we as teachers needed to invest in ourselves, it is this summer. But how do we use this time when school is out? How can we make the most of it to get the rest we deserve, while still using it to prepare us for what lies ahead? School is out, so what exactly do we do?
First Relax, Refresh, and Rejuvenate:
Teacher self care is an important way to invest in ourselves. Whether it is the end of distance learning or the end of a regular school year, summertime is an opportunity for you to fill your own cup.
As teachers, we constantly pour from ourselves. That’s why teacher burnout is real, and it’s why so many teachers leave the profession. Teachers who are investing in themselves as learners, which is important, are not investing enough in themselves and their mental, emotion, and physical well being. You have heard it said that you cannot pour from an empty cup, but as teachers and parents we are constantly doing this.
Summer break is for you. It’s a time to pour into yourself. That takes many different forms and varies from person to person. Candles, reading for pleasure, or taking long bubble baths are all ways of self care.. Whatever it is that fills you up, summer is the time to do it.
So, before you do anything, be sure to invest time into yourself and your well being. Check out this list of ways that you can practice these three R’s of summer and get ready for the coming school year.
Next, Reflect:
Reflection is such an important part of teaching and is another way you can invest in yourself. It allows us to think about how our year went and the ways that we can get better. What went well this year? Celebrate those successes and think about why it was so successful. How can you apply that approach and its successes to other areas of your teaching that didn’t go as well?
What could be improved? All teachers need to improve in some fashion or form. We encourage our students to be lifelong learners, and therefore we should go first, acknowledging that there is always room to grow.
However, don’t forget to be gentle on yourself. Just like we tell our students that mistakes are proof we are trying, we too are not perfect. Sometimes we make ourselves proud, other times not so much. It is our ability to recognize these shortcomings as opportunities to get better that make us the best teachers possible.
You acknowledged your strengths and areas for growth. Now it’s time to set your one goal. In the coming school year, what is one goal that you have for yourself and your classroom? What are the tools that you have at your disposal to grow professionally to make that goal a reality in the next school year?
Take some time to reflect before moving onto the next step. Spending this time will help you grow as an educator, and is an investment in your future self. To help you in this process, there is a free reflection sheet in the teacher resource library. I also have a link in my Instagram bio. Don’t forget to get yours FREE!
Lastly, Learn:
What was the one goal that you had for your classroom next year? Summer is the perfect opportunity for you to find some professional development, whether in the form of an online course, membership, virtual conference (or in person conference if they are being offered), or a book. Whether these opportunities are free or come at a cost, investing in ourselves as professionals helps us grow, especially if that learning is targeted at the areas we identified as needing improvement.
Online Courses
Online courses, virtual learning summits, and memberships are growing quickly. You can find a wide range of any of the following to help you better yourself as an educator around those areas of growth you identified in your reflection time.
One such opportunity is Edverthing Education’s Total Teacher Summit. Danielle and Nicole, the fantastic women behind Everything Education, are here to bring you online professional development on your schedule that inspires you and is meaningful for your classroom teaching experience. Their aim is to help you in ALL aspects of your classroom, as well as to provide you the support and community you need to stay a highly effective, and happy teacher. We need you as an educator. You matter as a teacher, so keeping you happy, healthy, and supported is important to keeping you in the classroom where you are needed most. You can find out more about this learning opportunity by visiting their website here. Remember, investing in you may come at a cost, but the feedback these two have received from previous summits is overwhelmingly positive that this investment in yourself is worth it.
Books
Another great way to get the type of professional development that is specific to your needs is to find books on different topics. Books are great investments in ourselves as we can read them at our own pace and revisit them over time. Are you interested in knowing more about how to help your students become conceptual masters of math? Perhaps reading about Number Talks is a great way for you to grow this next year. That’s what I am reading. What I love to do is bookmark books that I want to read on social media. On Instagram, you can easily create lists to categorize your bookmarks. This way, when you have time or are looking for your next read, you can see posts you saved from other inspiring teachers.
Lastly, many or these influencers in a specific niche offer their own online mini-courses or memberships. Be sure to do your research here and see what it is that they are offering before making a purchase, but these are great ways to get targeted online professional development in the areas that you want to grow as a teacher.
Time To Close My Tab:
As teachers, we have one of the most important jobs in the world. We help mold the leaders and people of tomorrow. We cannot do our job well when we are overworked and empty. Summer is the perfect time to refresh ourselves so that we can pour into our students in the coming year. Likewise, we need to recognize through reflection what we did well, but also acknowledge that we have room to grow. In conclusion, through reflection and refreshment, we open ourselves up to new learning to help us become a better teacher to the next classroom of students that we are going to be responsible for. Are you ready to make the investment in yourself?
How is your summer going? Are you refreshing yourself? Tag me, learning_out_loud5 in your posts as you relax and refresh. I want to see your self-care ideas so I can partake in them too. Or, what is your one goal? Use the #2021classroomgoal to share out. Lastly, don’t forget to tag me in your professional development posts so I can bookmark them in my Instagram for my own growth.
Don’t forget to snag your free reflection sheet in the teacher library by sharing your email below.
