Journaling for Educators

(Now that summer is here, it is time for me to discuss different educational topics alphabetically. Please join in the conversation and tell me what you think!)

Journaling is a powerful tool for self-reflection and personal growth. It can be especially beneficial for educators, who often face high levels of stress and burnout. I have been journaling for years and it really helps me clarify my thoughts and develop a teaching philosophy. Journaling can help teachers to:

• Process their thoughts and feelings: Journaling can be a safe and confidential space for teachers to express their thoughts and feelings about their work, their students, and their personal lives. This can help them to better understand their own emotions and to develop more effective coping mechanisms.
• Reflect on their practice: Journaling can help teachers to reflect on their teaching practices and to identify areas for improvement. This can lead to more effective teaching and learning for their students.
• Set goals and track their progress: Journaling can be a helpful tool for setting goals and tracking progress. This can help teachers to stay motivated and to achieve their professional goals.
• Glean insights and inspiration: Journaling can help teachers to gain insights into their own teaching and to find inspiration for new ideas. This can lead to more engaging and effective lessons for their students.

If you are an educator, I encourage you to give journaling a try. It is a simple and effective way to improve your professional and personal well-being.

Here are some tips for journaling as an educator:

• Find a quiet time and place to journal. You will need to find a time and place where you will not be interrupted. This could be first thing in the morning, during your lunch break, or before bed.
• Set aside some time each day to journal. Even if it is just for 10 minutes, try to journal on a regular basis. This will help you to develop a habit and to see the benefits of journaling over time.
• Be honest with yourself in your journal. Journaling is a safe place to express your true thoughts and feelings. Don't be afraid to be honest with yourself, even if it is difficult.
• Don't worry about grammar or spelling. The most important thing is to get your thoughts and feelings down on paper. Don't worry about grammar or spelling.
• Experiment with different types of journaling. There are many different ways to journal. You can write in a traditional journal, or you can try other forms of journaling, such as freewriting, brainstorming, or drawing.
• Have fun with journaling! Journaling should be enjoyable. If you are not having fun, you are less likely to stick with it. So, find a way to make journaling fun for you.

I hope these tips help you to get started with journaling as an educator. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Do you journal? Please share your web address so I can follow you. 

Good Habits

In You Might Win On a Day But You Don’t Win In a Day from Cool Cat Teacher Blog by coolcatteacher@gmail.com, Victoria A Davis, Cool Cat Teacher) asks,

“Are your daily habits leading you towards success?”

This past year I have started bullet journaling. At first, I just used a marble notebook but since, I’ve graduated to a dot matrix type of journal. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money if I didn’t think I would stick with it. Over the course of a year, I not only stuck with it, but I feel that I’ve been much more productive because of it.

Each month, I have an overall monthly spread that shows important events for the month and other appointments. I can glance at this and get an idea of what the month will look like for me. Then I have a weekly spread that lists things I need to do that week.

Every morning, I look at my journal and write down the things that I want to accomplish that day (my daily goals). I also have listed any appointments or events for that day. I glance at it several times during the day, so it keeps me on track with getting goals met. Before I go to bed, I can mark off everything that I finished for the day. Anything that didn’t get done will be migrated to the next day. I can also jot things down for the next day that I don’t want to forget.

I also keep a track of my steps, distance, and carbohydrate intake every day. This is helping me lose weight that I want to lose. When I don’t lose weight that week, I can look at these figures and know what is keeping me from my goal. By writing this information down, I’m more aware of my habits.

I also keep track of a cleaning schedule. By doing this, I’m not hating cleaning my house as much as I used to. Instead of spending a whole day trying to clean the house, I schedule a different room on different days. Once I finish that room, I’m free to do the other things I want or need to do. My house seems much more cleaner and organized rather than sporadically trying to fit in a whole day of cleaning.

I also have some daily reminders on my phone that help me remember to do things. I read my bible daily buy sometimes the busy-ness of the day can make me forget. The alert on my phone helps keep me on track.

Overall, I know that this bullet journal takes some time but it is well worth the effort. I’m really proud of all the things that I’m getting done each day.

What do you do to improve your daily habits? Please share.

Picture courtesy of Pixabay

Getting Things Done

In Procrastination - is there a cure? From  Blue Skunk Blog, Doug Johnson asks,

“Any suggestions on how to eliminate the "squirrel" quality of the Internet and actually get work accomplished?”

Recently I started to do bullet journaling. I’m getting back to writing things on paper with pencil (or pen). I have watched some YouTube videos on bullet journaling and gotten a lot of great ideas: How to Bullet Journal and Bullet Journal Flip Through and  The more I do it, the more evolved it becomes. I started several things and have customized them to fit my needs. Some things I’ve done away with because it didn’t help me.

At first I tried to make it like a calendar and found myself just making a prettier paper copy of my Google calendar. That didn’t help me the way I wanted it to. I wanted something useful that was meaningful and help me be more productive.

Every morning I start the day’s journaling. I write the day and date as well as the weather forecast. (I like to look back at these figures). Then I start listing the things that I want to accomplish for the day including events listed on my google calendar. I have also color coded them so it is easy to see at a glance. I have several categories: chores, events, gardening, crafting, and travel. Everything I do pretty much fits into one of those categories.

Also included each month is a chart of daily activities that I repeat each day. I color in the box when I accomplish it and I like to look back and see how the chart is filled in.

When I see an inspirational quote, I write it in the daily page. I am enjoying writing in cursive again for a change of pace.

I have also started doing monthly doodles which is dragging me outside my box. While it is fun, it is also hard for me so I enjoy the challenge.

I have added a page for books that I want to read, craft projects that I want to make, and

I also add some doodles if I have the time because it makes me smile.

Now, all of this is to say, that it has really helped me get things accomplished. I like checking off the things that are finished. I use an arrow to move things forward if needed. Instead of being overwhelmed by the big picture, I look what is needed to be accomplished immediately.

Now when I finish what I need to do, I don’t feel guilty for doing fun things I want to do. I’m able to enjoy what I’m doing without thinking about what I need to finish.

I’ve been doing this for 2 months now and I’m still enjoying it so I will continue.

This would be great to get students to do also. It might encourage their creative side as well as helping them be more productive. It is important that they know there is no right or wrong way to do this but it is important that they find a way for it to be useful and meaningful.

Do you do bullet journaling? If so, what do you include in it? Please share. 

Advice for First Year Teachers

In Meeting My “First Year Self” from A Relief Teacher's Journey,Michael Graffin shares some strategies and resources to survive the first year of teaching. He gives some advice that he wished someone had told him. I totally agree with everything he has mentioned and wanted to add a few more things of advice to what he mentions. Please check out his post and read the advice he gives too.

Keep a Journal: I really wish someone had told me to keep a journal of my years of teaching. I kept one the first year and then life got in the way. Now that I look back of my 30 years in the public school, I really wish I had kept a journal every year.

Prevent burn out in advance: I know that most teachers get burned out after five years. If you know this in advance, look for ways to avoid it. Get a life outside of school. Learn a new hobby. Have an outside interest.

Learn something from your students: Look for something new that you didn’t know before. This makes every day a brand new start. Learning from my students was invigorating and exciting. It might be a lesson in behavior or it might be a lesson in new technology. Knowing that every day is a new learning experience can keep you on your toes.

Exercise: Do some kind of regular exercise at least three times a week for at least 30 minutes even if it is only getting out and walking. This helps keep a positive attitude in your life. When you are feeling down, exercise. When you are feeling frustrated, exercise. When you are feeling exhausted, exercise. When you are feeling great, exercise.

Don’t Give Up: Sometimes it is easier to give up than to plug on. But don’t. I remember hearing someone tell me that when I reached the end of my rope, to tie another know in it. Remember all the hard work you put into training for this career and the reason you went into it. Eventually you will get into a rhythm and it will be easier and you will end up enjoying it. Too many people give up before they reach this stage.

Ask for Help: As a new teacher, you feel like you are already in a fishbowl and everyone is just watching you and waiting for you to fail. Actually the opposite is true. Everyone is just waiting for you to ask for help. They are waiting to catch you when you fall. They don’t want to offer help in case you see it as their lack of faith in what you can do. When you don’t know something or you need support, ask for it. There are people out there who want to be there for you.

What other advice would you give to new teachers? Please share.

Image: '154/365 They're Coming To Get+You.'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64636777@N03/6821633630
Found on flickrcc.net