Search results matching tags 'education' and 'professional well-being'

Supporting Teachers My Way

welleducator — Sat, 07 May 2011 17:03:00 GMT

The Institute for Educator Wellness has added a new division - Teachable Moments Transition Coaching.

I will be offering wellness classes and coaching just for educators, because, let's face it, we have a tough job!

Avoiding Burnout: Anxiety Assessment

Anonymous — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:49:34 GMT

One of the people I began my teaching career with began to have severe, debilitating and bizarre anxiety attacks about five years into her career. It had been a stressful career to begin with – we were part of a large group of people hired to replace others our first year, and the staff went on strike our second year. I moved on after that, but she stayed, and I can’t imagine what else must have gone on in that setting. When I caught up with her, she was in a mental health facility, under strict supervision, and I could only bring her things that she could not possibly harm herself with. She did progress out of the facility, by the way, but I’m not certain she was successful at handling her anxieties. She unfortunately went on to have a whole host of health and mental health issues later in life.

Anxiety is a very real concern for educators. We work in one of the highest stress environments out there – right up there with nurses and police officers among others. I think it’s simply the nature of working with large numbers of people. How do you handle anxiety?

First of all, step back and assess your anxiety levels. Some people are comfortable simply being reflective of their state of being. Others like a more focused approach. Axis-One provides a free online anxiety assessment. There are others out there, but I like this one because it is ‘quick and dirty.’ (No comments from the peanut gallery, thank you.)

Start with that. Where are your anxiety levels?

Resilience: Goal-Setting Activity

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 18:00:06 GMT

It’s easy to forget that we don’t stop developing just because we are adults. Indeed, we do continue to develop, hopefully creating a more colorful life for ourselves. This can be either intentional or unintentional.

Take a moment and take the pulse of your current life. This is a good exercise for writing down in a journal or on a piece of paper.

What is your greatest achievement so far?
What is the best thing about being your age?
What is the worst thing about being your age?

Now, look over your responses. Take a few moments and think about where you are headed.

What would you like to achieve yet?
What are some things you look forward to in the coming years?
What are some cycles you’d like to break?

This should give you some food for thought in goal-setting. Remember, if you never set goals, you will never reach them.

Taking a Technology Break – Guest Post

Anonymous — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 13:14:00 GMT

A note from Fran: Ben’s blog, www.technologyinclass.com is an outstanding blog filled with practical tips about technology in education. Today we welcome him as a guest blogger for welleducator.org. Welcome, Ben!

Guest post by Ben from http://www.technologyinclass.com/blog

Teachers are highly wired professionals. Technology is a huge part of our job. We have to answer e-mails from students, teachers, parents and administrators, input grades and attendance in programs like gradebook and blackboard, update our class blogs, plan with and incorporate educational technology into our daily teaching. Then when we get home, we’re on facebook, we write personal e-mails, and we read our favorite education blogs. Whew! I’m tired just thinking about it.

In a technologically driven profession like teaching, an intentional technology break is essential. If we don’t make the break intentional, we’ll default to checking facebook or e-mails when we have any downtime. We know that even when we take a walk there’s the danger of looking down at our smartphones or listening to our mp3 player instead of looking up at the sky and listening to the sounds of nature.

The technology break has to be intentional so that our minds can rest. Glenn Gould had a theory. He said that for x amount of hours he spent with people he would have to spend x amount of hours alone. I would say the same about technology. For x amount of hours you spend on your laptop you have to spend x amount of hours with human beings or by yourself apart from technology.
Here are four suggestions to build a peaceful mind on your technology break:

Sit or lie down and let your mind wander. Get into a technology-free place (not at your computer desk), and let your mind go where it pleases. Don’t stop it, but notice it and let it go. Notice what you notice. Catch yourself thinking.
Breathe. I learned this technique as a teenager from Dr. Weil. He calls it the 4-7-8. I practice this a little before bedtime as it is a relaxing exercise. It’s easy and it works:

· Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
· Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
· Hold your breath for a count of seven.
· Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
· This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

Red tea. I discovered red tea (a.k.a. rooibos) when I was looking for a salubrious decaffeinated tea. I drink this at night. According to South African Rooibos Council, red tea’s chemical properties may help alleviate digestive problems, allergies, and anxiety.
Walk. Take a technology-free walk. Walk with another beloved human or a pet. Leave everything else at home. Notice what you notice.

Now it’s your turn. How do you spend your technology break? What suggestions do you have for those of us who can’t pull ourselves away from a screen of some sort?

Why Change is So Difficult: Overcoming Beliefs

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 13:40:02 GMT

Examining your inherent beliefs is critical when you find yourself needing to make a change in your life. When something isn’t working well for you – say you aren’t feeling satisfied in your career, in the status of your health, or maybe in your relationships.

Teachers know how difficult it is to get students to critically think about their own thinking, to evaluate their own assumptions and beliefs. It’s just as difficult for adults. Maybe more so because we have lived with our beliefs longer.

When was the last time you took the time to examine your own beliefs? I’m not talking about your spirituality. I’m talking about your inherent beliefs about your self, your job, your role as an educator, your beliefs about education.

I recently read an interesting journal article regarding the need to examine one’s own beliefs before one can effect change in his/her life. I’m citing the article below so you can access it yourself if you so desire.

The author discusses, among many other topics, belief perseverance.

Belief Perseverance is this tendency to reject convincing proof and become even more tenaciously held when the belief has been publicly announced to others. -AlleyDog.com

One of the greatest stumbling blocks to effecting change is overcoming beliefs. First, you have to be aware of what your deeply held beliefs are. This is so ingrained in us, that it is at times difficult to identify. Once you are able to identify you core beliefs about the world, then you really have to take a good hard look at those beliefs and try to determine if they are valid.

This is really difficult, sometimes emotional work. Have you ever caught yourself clinging to a belief even when you are being presented with conflicting information that is pretty credible? I have done this. I have seen others do this.

I think it all goes back to that concept we educators understand all too well – it’s easier to teach something correctly the first time than to un-teach something that was learned and practiced incorrectly. Our beliefs have been with us all our lives, and we have been ‘practicing’ them for all these years.

Only by taking the time to examine our beliefs can we lead ourselves to effect change in our lives.

*Enemies of Critical Thinking: Lessons From Social Psychology Research Nancy L. Douglas , Reading Psychology 21: 129-144, 2000

Avoid Burnout: Practice Kindness

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:29:29 GMT

Earlier today I was perusing blogs related to “burnout.” I wanted to see what other bloggers were saying, suggesting, and maybe make some connections.

I stumbled upon this one blog – the author IS burned out in her job. She has applied for a different job, and has totally checked out of the current one, showing up in body only. From her own description she has one crappy attitude. Then she has the audacity to complain that nobody pays attention to her.

Frankly, I can’t blame them. I wanted to put my eye out with a sharp stick rather than read any more of her whining. Being the problem solver that I am though, it got me thinking.

I have been in situations where I hated my job. We all have. One of the things you can do to make a horrid work situation more tolerable for yourself, others, and the situation is to stop looking inward, and start looking outward.

Observe

The people with whom you work
The boss
The tone of the work environment and how it changes throughout the day

Reach Out

Initiate conversations
Listen to others, and let them know you heard in some way (paraphrasing can be a bit overkill, so get creative about this. Asking more questions about what was said shows your interest.)
Remember some detail about what you were told, use it in conversation with that person to let them know you remember

Practice Kindness

Show interest in other people
Do something nice for the group or more quietly for an individual
Do something nice anonymously for someone who needs a little boost

When you practice kindness,

you take your attention off of your own ‘misery.’ (As one of my friends frequently says “Get over yourself!“)
you can watch the atmosphere of your work environment change for the better.
perhaps the job will not improve, but there will be at least something enjoyable to look forward to, making it a little easier to endure.
you will develop a strong, positive reputation amongst your peers and your employer – making you a desirable employee.

My daughter shared this with me, and I think it is an appropriate sentiment.

Give it a try. See how acting with kindness changes your world.

Resilience: Remember to Self-Actualize

Anonymous — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:46:22 GMT

Abraham Maslow - Developmental Psychologist

Self-actualization was introduced to we educators through Abraham Maslow’s heirarchy of needs.

As educators this is our goal for our students – for them to be self-actualized people who are secure enough in themselves to be contributing members of society. You have an important job in working toward that goal. It’s important to remember, however, that you are not only an educator, but also a role model.

There. I just gave you permission to work at your own development!

Many are able to self-direct their development toward self-actualization. Some have no idea how to get there. Fortunately, Maslow not only defined self-actualization for us, he also had some suggestions as to how to achieve it.

Here are Maslow’s suggestions:

1	*Experience things fully, vividly, selflessly*. Throw yourself into the experiencing of something: concentrate on it fully, let it totally absorb you
2	Life is an ongoing process of choosing between safety (out of fear and need for defense) and risk (for the sake of progress and growth): *Make the growth choice a dozen times a day.*
3	*Let the self emerge*. Try to shut out the external clues as to what you should think, feel, say, and so on, and let your experience enable you to say what you truly feel.
4	When in doubt, *be honest. If you look into yourself and are honest, you will also take responsibility. Taking responsibility* is self-actualizing.
5	*Listen to your own tastes. Be prepared to be unpopular*.
6	Use your intelligence, *work to do well the things you want to do*, no matter how insignificant they seem to be.
7	Make peak experiencing more likely: get rid of illusions and false notions. *Learn what you are good at and what your potentialities are not.*
8	Find out who you are, what you are, what you like and don’t like, what is good and what is bad for you, where you are going, what your mission is. Opening yourself up to yourself in this way means identifying defenses–and then finding the courage to give them up.

The best place to start is simply to start thinking about it.

Resilience: Writing for Personal AND Professional Growth

Anonymous — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:55:14 GMT

Writing is a vital part of keeping yourself resilient. It can help you coalesce your thoughts, can give you an avenue for expressing yourself, and can also provide a way of developing professionally.

Journal Keeping:

Keep journals of your personal experiences, to help you process the events that occur in your life. Sometimes it’s good to just ‘get it out of your system’, and sometimes it’s good to look back objectively at the emotions you are experiencing.
Journal about your professional exploits. Have you tried out a new way of teaching math? Keep a record of your processes, results, and reflections in a professional journal

Sharing your ideas:

Writing up your teaching ideas for websites is a marvelous way to make connections with other teachers, and to share your triumphs.
Professional journals publish teachers’ projects and teaching research. Being able to write it up according to their standards, while making it interesting and readable for your audience is a big plus.

Professional Development:

Get your professional development college credit by writing. Organizations such as The Attic offer writing courses for college credit. these are courses that focus upon your writing, not your students. The fact is, if you work on your own writing, you will be that much better a writing teacher for your own students.
Many schools of education teach a variety of courses related to everything from teaching writing to professional writing for teachers.

So think about writing as a way to keep yourself resilient.

Another self-care reminder

Anonymous — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:46:45 GMT

Some of you have already begun the school year, and many of you will begin next week. Are you spending the weekend working your hind end off getting ready for the new school year?

I hope not. Of course you have to be ready for that first day. We all know that being well-prepared is the best prevention for other problems in the classroom. Although, I hope you will take this weekend to prepare your self for being your best self this year. All you really have to be ready with is a general plan for how your year will proceed, and your first week’s lesson plans. That’s all.

This is a reminder to take care of yourself this holiday weekend – either pamper yourself, or reinvigorate yourself by doing something fun. Spend time with people you care about. Treat yourself to something that will de-stress you.

Then show up for the first day of classes relaxed, renewed, and the best you that you have to offer your students. That’s really what you have to give to others – your best self.

Exercise – Yes You

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:59:22 GMT

In my Inbox yesterday was another study on weight loss and women. I can’t help but think this must apply to men as well.

According to Harvard Medical School, middle-aged women need to exercise moderately (a good paced walk) an hour per day just to prevent weight gain. If you exercise vigorously (like jogging,) you can get by with 1/2 hour per day. That’s just to break even, not to lose weight.

Weight isn’t the only reason for exercising, as we all know. Exercise improves your mood, your overall health, and just plain prevents all kinds of future health problems.

The thing about these studies, is the results are general. You have to know these researchers are talking about us – talking about you. These aren’t just some people somewhere – they are talking about all people everywhere, of which you are one.

So, educators, while you are assembling your schedule for the coming year, getting your routines in place, remember to put an exercise routine in place for yourself. Consider it an investment in your SELF.