Introduction
My first year teaching, I remember going out with my teaching buddies to happy hour on Friday's once a month. We would order some cheap appetizers and let the unwinding begin. The consensus of those nights was we spent too much time at school. We were working 50-60 hour weeks and that was before the weekend began. On the weekends we would continue to work but it never ended. The overwhelm was chasing us but no matter how hard we work, it never ended.
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The end of that first year, I sat down with my teaching buddies once again and said I am not doing this again. I cannot have another year like this. There has to be a way for me to teach and live. If I can't find a way, I will have to stop teaching as my family comes first.
That summer, we did a lot of research! We came up with a plan and we put it into action. We succeed and failed all at the same time. The changes we were making helped but the sheer number of projects we took on was overwhelming. Those Friday night dinners once a month, became a way of tweaking our ideas. The next year, I had compiled all we learned and began writing our plan. This plan became The Path to Passionate Teaching. I shared my plan and we put it into action. That year we only worked 45 hours each week. |
In the last five years a lot of changes have been made: we moved states, districts, positions, and some of us even left teaching all together. Despite the changes, we have continued to use the plan set forth in The Path to Passionate Teaching with success. We are all now working 40 hours a week. We have time to live our lives with passion and can enjoy ourselves in and out of the classroom.
How do I get started?
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Staying organized is one of the ways to become a passionate teacher. For this reason, we have created a few items to help you organize your journey to passionate teaching. You can either create a binder of our resources and print them out OR you can visit us here for our monthly blog posts. Pick the choice that works best for you!
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School Year Challenges
When the overwhelm reaches out and begins to haunt you, that is when you know you need help! On the 1st Friday of each month, you will have a chance to jump in and join the challenge. Each monthly challenge is designed to take you one step closer to becoming a passionate teacher. We will give you advice, examples, and ideas surrounding this month's topic.
Just as all teachers do, we want you to make this challenge your own! Use the hashtag #daisiesandchalkpassion to share your journey and help other teachers just like you! For this month's post please see our blog. For past posts, please click on the links below.
Just as all teachers do, we want you to make this challenge your own! Use the hashtag #daisiesandchalkpassion to share your journey and help other teachers just like you! For this month's post please see our blog. For past posts, please click on the links below.
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SeptemberSetting up your year for success for you and your students!
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OctoberThere are a lot of surprises throughout the year but having a plan to handle them will help elevate the stress of these surprises.
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NovemberTesting, Data, Tracking, Progress Monitoring, Reviewing, and more. What should you do and when?
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DecemberParty Planning and Celebrations do not have to be stressful. Creating simple traditions will help you enjoy these more.
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JanuaryThis month we are diving deep into Goal Setting and how one should do that in and out of the classroom.
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FebruaryThis month we are working with Professional Development. Simple steps to make all of this less stressful!
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MarchThis month we are taming the paper monster! As teachers, paper is our nemesis. Once one stack is dealt with three more appear. Learn simple ideas to tame this monster once and for all!
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AprilThis month we are focusing on organizing all the things. Organization is truly a hidden key to successful teaching!
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MayThis month we are looking at prepping for next year and how to handle the inevitable move to a different room.
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WARNING!
DO NOT look at the above links as a list of things you must do! Look at it as a list of options on things that you can improve inside of your own classroom. As mentioned in the introduction, you are picking 1 project to work on this month. ONE way to improve your already amazing classroom. If you have time you can pick another one or wait until next year to tackle the next thing on your list.
Trying to do all of these things at once is a sure fire way to fail and become overwhelmed. The goal is to eliminate the overwhelm not add to it.
Trying to do all of these things at once is a sure fire way to fail and become overwhelmed. The goal is to eliminate the overwhelm not add to it.
Summer Challenges
Despite the popular myth, we all know that teachers work during the summer. This is our time of the year to catch-up, reflection, and to prepare for the year ahead. For this reason, I have created challenges to help us prepare to be our best selves in the upcoming school year.
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JuneThis month we are focusing on you! YOU MATTER and now is the time to take care of you.
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JulyThis month we are focusing on adding new tools to our toolbox. As teachers, we are reflective and need to always be up-to-date with the latest research. Having a specific month set aside to focus on this allows us to take it off our plate the rest of the year.
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AugustOur focus during the school year is on our students. This month. we will be focusing on all the things and people we have been neglecting.
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