The Educators' Scoop

Tips, Tools and Resources for All Educators

10.13.23 Self Care Strategy

Be Here Now: October

."As we move into the fall, our energy wanes, and we're triggered more easily. Learning to be in the present moment enables us to cultivate awareness of our emotions and make choices that foster our resilience."

Mindfulness

Right Here, Right Now

This is a simple meditative phrase to repeat at any time you feel anxious or unsettled, or when you find yourself worrying about the future or ruminating over the past. Simply say to yourself, Right here, right now, everything is okay.

Most of the time, for most of us, everything is okay. This phrase can reground you in the present moment. As you say it to yourself, sense your body - you get back into the present as well. When you say the phrase to yourself, focus on the word okay. It means that the present moment is not my fantasy moment, but it's also not painful. It's fine for life to be okay a lot.

Try it while yourself fluttering out of the present. Try it while you're settling your students into a Do Now, when you're walking your class to lunch, when you're sitting in a meeting that you don't want to attend, when you're running late to school, when you're working your way through a stack of paper to grade. Most likely, during those moments that can feel stressful, everything is still okay.

-Adapted from Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators, Aguilar, 2018.

Meditations

Below are a collection of recorded meditations, described in the book and provided here for download for free. For a full explanation of these materials, pick up a copy of or sign up for one of Elena's interactive workshops for educators.

onwardthebook.com

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How to Turn October into ROCKtober

October can be one of the toughest months of the year for teachers. The rejuvenation from summer has worn off and it is easy to slide into the phase of disillusionment. The good news is you can redirect the burn out of October and ROCK it out by putting some strategies in place for you and your kids. Click here for strategies. Click here for a great motivational video from everyone's favorite, Kid President. You've got this! Your kiddos are lucky to have you!

Rad Resources

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Clock Partners

Clock Partners is a great way to help students pair up quickly and make sure everyone has a partner! It allows students to have a choice in who they work with; while also ensuring they aren’t engaging with the same classmates every time! This strategy will help with both management and engagement - take a look!

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4 Ways Student-Led Conferences Can Impact Your School

Do you want your students truly invested in their own learning while developing a growth mindset? Student-led conferences are a great way to foster this by allowing students to be involved in conversations about their strengths, areas for growth and goals! Not only do student-led conferences empower your students, but they also can increase parent participation. Click the article linked here for step-by-step directions focused on how to empower and engage all stakeholders in students progress.

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Graffiti Walls

Graffiti Boards are a collaborative writing space where students record their comments and questions about a topic. The purpose of this strategy is to help students “hear” each other’s ideas. Some benefits of this strategy include that it can be implemented in 5-10 minutes, it provides a way for introverted students to engage in the conversation, and it creates a record of students’ ideas that can be referred to at a later point. You can use the Graffiti Boards strategy as a preview activity by introducing a new topic and helping students organize any existing knowledge about that topic. You can also use this strategy to prepare for a class discussion or writing assignment about a text by asking students to share their reactions to the text on the Graffiti Board.

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Blooket

Blooket is a game based for students to practice standards. It is FREE. You can choose from many different game modes to keep the students engaged. You can discover sets from other educators or create your own to align to the standards needed.

Good for check in’s, review, etc.

Teacher Spotlight

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Meet Mrs. Stephanie Ijames!

Stephanie is a Chemistry and Physical Science teacher at Concord High School in Concord. Here is what her coach, Lindsay Schultz, has to say about her:

Stephanie is a JOY to work alongside. From the moment we met, she began to talk about her passion for students and following her calling; she cares for each and every one of them and you can immediately sense it as soon as you walk into her room. Not only does she cultivate authentic relationships with students, she’s a reflective practitioner who is always seeking ways to hone her craft in order to serve her students best.

She is quick to implement a new strategy or tool and won’t settle for mediocrity. I’m so proud of all she’s accomplished in just a few short months, and I know she’s only going to continue to thrive! Stephanie, your students are so lucky to have you, and I sure am thankful to have the opportunity to learn and grow alongside you!