If you're a teacher reading this, I'm going to tell you something you already know. Teachers are planners. Does anyone else remember filling out "Reflective Teaching Logs" when you were in college? These logs felt like such a waste of time while I was filling them out, but now I realize that they were preparing us for what teachers do each and every day. As we teach a lesson, we're mentally preparing for how to make this lesson better the next time we teach it. We do this each and every day with little things, but even more with big things, like setting routines and procedures. Halfway through a school year I have already made decisions that "Next year I'm going to do this differently next year." Before we finish one school year, we've already begun planning the next school year, and we spend a good part of our summer preparing (mentally and with new resources) for these tweaks, updates and changes. 

This year, thanks to Covid 19, is different because we don't know what to expect out of next year. Will we be back to distance learning? Will we be in our classrooms? Will we be working on a hybrid system? Will we be in and out of our classrooms and digital environments throughout the school year? I've read all the blog posts speculating what it can, should and will look like. However, the end result is that we don't know and all the speculation in the world isn't going to change that. All of the not knowing can be very stressful, and it can make it hard to make good use of this time when we normally prepare ourselves for next year. However, there are some things that we can do to prepare. 

So, here are 10 things that you CAN do this summer to be prepared for the 2020/2021 school year, no matter what it looks like:

1.) You can prepare a digital classroom. 

2.) You can explore new technology tools. 

3.) You can search out new resources that will work with in class learning AND digital learning. 

4.) You can make a plan for improving parent communication. 

5.) You can dig deep into your standards and your curriculum. 

6.) You can create teaching videos. 

7.) You can create reward systems that will work with in class learning AND digital learning. 

8.) You can consider differentiation options. 

9.) You can explore ways to find a balance between parental and teaching responsibilities. 

​10.) You can take time for self care. 

Be sure you come back each day to find the linked blog posts, and the giveaway entry forms! What are you doing to prepare for next year?

What an stressful time it is to be a teacher! This is especially a stressful time for those of us who have been teaching for a long time. Those of us who know our routine and have figured out how to do this thing called teaching have just been thrown a serious monkey wrench in the form of distance learning expectations during this pandemic. 

Personally, I teach in New Mexico. All schools here have been closed for the rest of the school year. This means that I will be teaching from home for the next 6 weeks, while managing the education of my own 3 kids (high school, middle school and elementary).  Add this to the stress of the unknown that we are all suffering right now, and I know that I'm feeling the stress. I am sure you are too, so I created today's blog post to help all of us  reduce our stress load at this challenging time.

Here are 10 tips to help teachers reduce the stress of this time:

1.) Build a routine/schedule: Routine is so important to reducing stress because routines give our body and brain a start and finish time. Additionally, having a routine or a schedule helps us to get more done and feel more successful, which is a definite stress reliever.
Your schedule doesn't have to be complex, but it should give you an overall breakdown of your day so that you can stay on task, remember to do things like eat lunch, and feel accomplished at the end of the day. Make sure that when you make your schedule, you give yourself a time for lunch, a time for connecting with other teachers, and a time to turn it all off at the end of the day.

2.) Take time to exercise and move - I'm a big fan of yoga, but honestly any time of movement is important right now. Exercise release endorphins which reduce stress. Our bodies normally get some stress relief by moving around our classrooms, walking the hallways of the school, talking with our colleagues, etc. Many of us additionally go to the gym. So right now we are missing a lot of movement and this is NOT the time to skip the exercise. Personally, I build my time right into my schedule. I need it in the morning to get me going. My husband prefers it at the end of the day, to wind him down. Wherever it works for you, be sure to take time to move.

3.) Make a plan for your own kiddos - One of the most challenging things about our current situation is that many of us are trying to work full time AND parent full time. As someone who used to home school and run a business, I'm here to tell you that this is challenging! But it's not impossible. The best thing to do is have a plan ready ahead of time (and then be prepared to tweak that plan each and every day). 

My kiddos are bigger these days. My baby is 9 now, but when I was home schooling, he was 3 and I planned my life and work around nap times and Little Einstein videos. I would not allow any television before my online meetings, and then when I needed to be on the computer, he was more engaged in his show. I set up times where he and his brothers played together, and I would save certain toys that he really enjoyed for the times when I needed to be the most focused.

Now that my boys are bigger, they have a schedule that they have to follow (with a paper checklist for them to complete) and then they have expectations that have been clearly communicated for when mom is needing focused time. Having a plan ahead of time means we have less arguments and less of the "Mom, when are you going to be done?" conversation.

4.) Use tools your students are familiar with - Whenever we try a new technology tool, there is a certain learning curve that goes with it, so I always try to find the familiar for my kiddos. Most district are requiring new tools already, so try not to add to that too much. Instead, try to do what you've already done as much as possible. My kiddos were already using: Zearn, XtraMath, Prodigy, Freckle, Clever and Google Classroom (with Google Drive products). So as much as possible, I come back to these programs. I may use them in a new way, but by coming back to the familiar, I am reducing the stress level for the kids, which in turn reduces my stress level because they are more likely to be able to figure it all out. Also, I'm not having to stress out about finding all these new things to use.

If your kiddos weren't using a lot of technology before, think of ways that you can do what you were already doing with a tech tool. Were you using my paper tiling puzzles before? Then try using the digital format now. This way students will understand the biggest part of what you are asking them to do, and all they have to figure out is the digital component. Remember that new tasks cause stress, so stay with the familiar as much as possible.

5.) Use what other people have made - This is not the time to recreate the wheel. There's already so much to learn and to do. Take this opportunity lean on people like me who have tons of things available for you to download and use in your Google Classroom or other distance learning platforms. Here are some of the items I have ready for distance learning include:
 - Digital Tiling Puzzles
 - Internet Scavenger Hunts
 - Teaching Power Points

​This also includes working with other teachers in your school. This is the most important time to collaborate and use what your teammates have made. Share videos you have made, share resources you have found, share technology tricks you have figured out, and work together!

6.) Don't be afraid to video tape yourself - Synchronous learning activities like Zoom meetings are one of the leading causes of inequity in distance education. However, creating video lessons is a great way to teach because it allows us to truly talk to our students and model things the way we would do in our classrooms. 
Many teachers are scared to video tape themselves, but this is a fear we will need to get over during this time. Your kiddos want to see you. Turn on your video camera and then forget it is there. Talk like you would to your kids. Show them what you would show them in class. And then post it. Don't go back and re-watch it if you don't need to edit it. It'll just add to your stress. But I promise you, once you post that video and your kids see that you are still with them, their stress will go down. And so will yours.