All posts filed under: Misc.

Teacher Self-Care

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Week 6. Can I be honest and say this is hard? I put on a brave face and a smile, but inside, I am anything but. My anxiety, which I have tried so hard to maintain and keep at bay these past few years, has decided to come out of the woodworks. I am stress eating. I am not sleeping well. I am worried. It is not just my own two children I think about, but all 180 students under my care. Am I assigning meaningful work for them? Is it too much? Too little? When I comment on their work, exactly what should I write since I can’t say it in person, and I know words can be taken the wrong way? When students aren’t engaged, what is going on in their world that is causing them not to complete the work? (And there are so many reasons for this beyond they don’t care, which I don’t believe.) How am I connecting with students when I can’t see them in person? How do I …

5 Easy Weeknight Meals + 2 to Freeze

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My least favorite thing about school starting is going back to packing lunches.  I feel like I get in a rut with what to make, especially for the kids.  How many different ways can I make a sandwich?  Bistro box?  My second least favorite thing about going back to work is meal planning and cooking. Now don’t get me wrong.  I love to be in the kitchen baking, but when I come home dog-tired from teaching, the last thing I feel like doing is making a complex dinner.  Over the years, I’ve implemented small changes to make the beginning of the year less stressful, so I don’t grab a frozen/microwavable meal to feed my family. 1. Make a grocery list and stick to it I make my grocery list on a Saturday night and shop Sunday, usually after church.  Saturday evenings are pretty mellow in my house, so I have time to think about what I need and what activities we have going on the upcoming week.  Being intentional about what I make and how …