Welcome to our virtual book study of Mike Anderson's, The Well-Balanced Teacher. As the end of the year craziness sets in, this book will be a nice way to keep us focused on working smarter as well as finishing up our staff development for 2015-2016.
Each reading selection will have a discussion question as well as suggestions for activities you can try. To earn the hour of staff development you should a) read the selection and b) comment on the post below with your thoughts on the discussion question or results from one of the suggested activities.
Each reading selection will have a discussion question as well as suggestions for activities you can try. To earn the hour of staff development you should a) read the selection and b) comment on the post below with your thoughts on the discussion question or results from one of the suggested activities.
Chapters 1-2 Discussion
How would your students benefit from an improvement in your physical or emotional health?
Chapters 1-2 Suggested Activities
For two weeks, keep a log of everything you eat and drink. (See a sample day from my own food log below.) Examine your results. What's one way you could make your diet a little healthier?
Make a meal plan for your upcoming week. Actually record the meals and snacks you will prepare for the week and then stick to it. Remember, being proactive is half the battle! Junky meals and snacks tend to creep in when we don't have healthy food on hand.
Start keeping track of your exercise. (See page 21 for an example.) Reflect: When is the best time of day for you to exercise? What kids of exercise do you enjoy?
Wear a pedometer. Keeping track of your steps each day can be a great way to make incremental changes in your daily routine to increase the amount of movement you get. Try to increase the number of steps you take each day.
Set a bedtime. How much sleep do you need? What time do you really need to be in bed to make that happen? Set a realistic bedtime for yourself and stick with it for at least a week. Reflect: How does your sleep affect your energy level during the day?
Evaluate your classroom environment. Think about your favorite store. What design elements of the store make shopping there a pleasant experience (lighting, organization, colors, etc.)? Look around your immediate work area. What's one change you could make that would help this space be more healthy and pleasant? Pick one and do it!
Create a list of ways you can disconnect from school and refresh your spirit.
I try to exercise about 15 minutes in the morning before school and then again after I get home. I always feel more energetic at school with my students when I have done some exercise. I get more work done and I am more engaged with what I am doing.
ReplyDeleteSplitting the time up is a great idea, Vickie! I might be able to stick with it for 15 minutes. :)
DeleteI have a hard time keeping my energy level up during the day, especially when lunch is at 10:30. I am ready for a nap after eating! I also find myself getting frazzled during the day. I liked the section on taking care of your spirit. I find that if I can center myself, I do much better during the day.
ReplyDeleteI notice my energy drops after lunch as well and it is a struggle to maintain enthusiasm when you want to nap. Maybe you could eat lunch when your students eat their snack? ;)
DeleteI have been doing GoNoodle exercises with my last math class (after lunch and recess). I do the high energy one for me, and have found it helps my energy level. We do a quick rainbow breathing after to calm down and get ready to learn!
DeleteThe thing that stood out to me was "stressed-out and unhappy teachers mean stressed-out and unhappy children." I try to have "quiet" time in the morning before anyone else gets up. I drink my coffee and do my daily devotion. This helps me start off my day in a positive way. I find on crazy busy mornings when I don't have my quiet time it effects me during the day. I feel rushed and tense. If I take care of myself...I am better able to take care of my students.
ReplyDeleteI loved that line too Mrs. Craighead! It was a strong reminder of why it is so important to take care of ourselves.
DeleteSo far I have created a meal plan for this week and last :-) It worked REALLY well to keep my nights more free (to spend with Matt and baby) and kept our budget more in line! I will let you know how the reflection on the workouts (walks :-))go. I feel like I will be able to maintain a lot more of this list, when we get Roman to sleep through the night! The sleep section made me giggle a bit, only because sleep training has not gone as planned! I am also working on a list of ways to disconnect, and spoke with Matt about designating one week a night to a "date night." Nothing big, but just do something together like watch a movie or make a special meal!
ReplyDeleteI know my students would benefit from me being more physically and emotionally healthy because my energy for them would increase. With more of a focus on my family while I am with them, will make me be able to value the time I have with students. The reading has made me consider deleting my school email from my phone. I might be better able to truly disconnect from school during home times if I am truly disconnected. The part in the book about personal relationships being affected made me realize how truly important this is!
If you are nervous about taking your work email off of your phone, you might start with disabling the sound notification when you receive a new email. I did that and now only check my phone at set times throughout the day. Unless I'm in a boring meeting and I check it obsessively. :)
DeleteThe part that really tugged at my heart was the personal relationships. Sometimes I feel like my poor family suffers and I have had to learn to "walk away" from the work and put it aside until after bed time or realized that it's okay to not do everything at that exact minute...school work or dishes (shh, don't tell). I feel like a worse parent and teacher in the winter when we are all stuck inside and the sun goes down at 5:00. I'm ready to crawl in bed and my motivation is non-existent. When spring rolls around I feel so much more motivated because I can be outside and have two wonderful children to play with. When I'm "playing" with them and more relaxed, I feel like their energy carries over into my teaching. I also feel like my students are better focused in the fall/spring because we are able to be outside running around, sunlight and fresh air are getting into the room and our minds are vibrant all around.
ReplyDeleteWinter is very challenging for my motivation as well! Can you reply or email with your name so that I can give you credit for participating? :)
DeleteLynnsey
DeleteWell, I agree with the statement, "you can not give what you do not have." Like when my son asks for another banana and I have to say, "we're out because you ate the last one." He then whines, "but Mom, I want one!" To which I reply, "Do you think I can pull one out of my ear! No, we're out, pick something else!" It's the same with our overall health, if we don't have our mind, body and spirit at it's best how can we expect to give our best to our kids (at home or at school.)
ReplyDeleteWe keep a menu board at home where the kids get to make requests for dinner, we work in what they would like (within reason) and add what we need to balance the meal health wise. This gives all of us a say as well as a visual of what a balanced meal looks like. In the winter we often become sluggish, as I feel many do. That's somewhere we could make improvements as a family. We spend a lot of time outdoors in good weather which I've noticed always improves our outlook.
I also think that as the kids "feed" off of what we bring to the class we can also do the same from them. I find that when I'm with a group that's excited to be there, I am too and I'm more excited to bring more in-depth projects to them. When they seem reluctant or even bored with the project no matter what I try, then I start to quickly loose momentum as well. One of my problems is letting someone else's mood affect my own.
-Amanda Janney
I love that you let the kids request dinner items. It gives them a voice and maybe more buy-in to the dinner selection!
DeleteIf my physical health were improved, then my students would find me more energetic and happier. Age is creeping up on me, but I think I still have quite a bit of energy each day. I like coming to work, and I love seeing what my instrumental students can accomplish. Physically, problems are increasing.Our home diet is very healthy (almost all the time). Exercise is inconsistent and needs to improve. I do much better in warmer months. Personal goals are in place. Emotionally, have a very supportive wife. We realize the need to communicate and help each other through trying times. My church family is also a wonderful support. On the down side, I know that I don't get enough sleep. Also, since daddy died, I have begun to think about my own mortality. Will my fate be the same as his? Will I be able to care for my mother and family, or vice versa? All in all I think my mental health is strong. God and my family get me through.
ReplyDeleteI understand where you are coming from David. You have many healthy supports in place and God helping you through. What more could we ask for?
DeleteFirst- I am so excited to read this book. I was in shock after reading the first chapter. Something I never thought about was the amount of money spent on subs. I always tell my family, same as the rest of the staff that I have talked to, "I would rather go to work sick than have to make sub plans."
ReplyDeleteSecond- I love every idea that he has in his second chapter because those are things that I strive to do everyday, which I will mention in a second, but I am not so sure about the bringing nature in the classroom- in all reality I love the idea but after last year of having a zoo in my classroom and pretty much continuing the same this year, I do not find it relaxing. Actually the kids get frustrated with me sometimes and vice versa because of the water flow affecting our hearing! :)
As to all of the suggestions that you made above, I do all of those EXCEPT meal planning. Before spring break I was tracking all of my food and exercising daily, then trips and sickness happened and I just didn't have time/ make time to do it. BOY has it made a difference. When I track my food and when I make a commitment to exercise I so much less stressed, relaxed, and organized in the classroom AND at home! The organization is what I noticed the most that changed I am back to my routine of having lessons plan done but not having the materials I need printed out for the week ahead of time. At home I am back to the routine of coming home and just wanting to do nothing versus when I was tracking I came home and did household chores and even would cook dinner (both of these things completely freaked Jason out because he is used to doing most of both and I know he enjoyed having help). So overall, my goal is to get back to tracking that way I can not only be more prepared and pleasant for my kids but also my husband!
I agree completely Katie! When I plan (work, health, home), I feel like I get much more accomplished and am a more pleasant person to be around. I hope this week is more productive for you! Happy Tracking!
DeleteThere are many things in these first chapters that I am so good at in sporadic periods. I go a few weeks and then lose my get up and go. Here are my initial reactions to things I want to improve to be more balanced:
ReplyDelete1) Walk at least 5 days a week (and keep this up for more than a few weeks at a time)
2) Eat breakfast (instead of our lunch time being my first meal)
3) Cut up fruits/veggies to grab quickly as snacks and a way to make my lunch healthier
4) Pull out the hammock!
5) Remove my desk from my room. I never sit at it and it's useless space. I have been thinking this for weeks and have come to an official decision with the help of this book!
6) Drink more water. Go to the bathroom more than once a school day.
7) Hike. Take photos. Read. ( Don't make excuses not to)
8) Designate two days a week where I have to leave at 5pm NO matter what.
I think these are my first initial steps to being more balanced and to cleanse my spirit. I notice my fuse is much shorter on days that I don't walk and feel groggy. It's not fair to anyone involved when I can't be my best self because I am holdong myself back. If I am my best self, my students are their best selves.
I like your list! :) Especially #8 - I will help hold you accountable! (& you can help me too!)
DeleteMs. McDaniel at IVES handed me a copy of The Well-Balanced Teacher, and while it was not practical for me to attend book study meeting at IVES, I began reading. Immediately I was sucked-in by the author’s field notes of minutes actually available for instruction, and I found myself urgently reassuring my husband—also a teacher—that, after umpteen years of experience and still feeling there’s not enough time, the onus is not all on us! But like the idea (it is expressed on a poster hanging at CES?) that while we cannot control the actions of others we can control our own reactions, I understand that it is up to me how I choose to react to the workload/time-available ratio.
ReplyDeleteWhen Ms. Cromer offered the virtual book study option, I thought, “I can commit to online convenience!” Since deciding to commit 2 weeks ago or so, I have nodded again and again at my inner voice’s repeated reminder to post, but I have not posted. I have carried the book with me each day. In my laptop bag, I packed the book on top of my computer, so that when I would unzip the bag to plug in, the book would be gazing up at me. Finally, this past Wednesday night, while sifting through what to take to school the next day, I unwittingly lifted out The Well-Balanced Teacher in a pile of folders, and I began to laugh. Laughed at the irony of the title juxtaposed to my inability to BALANCE a convenient virtual book study option into my life! I thought, “Well, if that doesn’t say it all!”
So there you have it. My confession. This year I am NOT a well-balanced teacher, and in the formal teaching realm, I am not sure I ever have managed to be well-balanced, at least not consistently. This year, not unlike how I have pushed this book aside in my bag for the next pressing priority, my tennis shoes and yoga mat have been calling to me, unheeded, from the corner of the room. My kitchen clock’s eyelids droop when I push past my intended bedtime to finalize paperwork or plans or when I click on the lights in the pre-bird-chirping dark of the early morning. After I have successfully foregone caffeine for a stretch of days, my coffee mug chuckles a bit smugly as I stir my cream and coffee into it. It knew I couldn’t sustain my off-kilter routine without an artificial boost. Sigh.
What I know I cannot sustain is careening at this pace within my current order (disorder?) of priorities. At this point in the school year I do not believe I will adopt many huge changes in lifestyle because I think that I might fizzle under an overhaul. However, for my spirit and body, I can focus on the things that have been working (1-3) and that have worked in the past (4-7):
1) Being positive with the people I encounter daily—in adult and kiddo form, at work and at home. That feeds me.
2) Remaining flexible—in my itinerant position, it does not pay to have rigid expectations of schedule! How freeing to trust that the schedule can work out in more than one way.
3) Continue making healthy food choices: drinking water, avoiding processed carbs and sugars, eating local meats and eggs, & minimizing coffee to 1-0 cups a day.
4) Intentionally invite my 4 year old and/or my husband to do something specific and focused together, especially OUTSIDE. I’ll never regret that time spent.
5) Eat more leafy greens! I love ‘em, but they look like time! So chop and sauté many bunches and freeze or “cheat/splurge” and buy frozen, already chopped.
6) Deliberately focus on breathing deeply for more moments in the day.
7) Writer shorter comments!
Peace to you all,
Kim Marye
These chapters have just reiterated what I have been trying to do all year. Like Mary, some weeks I am GREAT at being well-balanced. Other weeks, I'm the worst. I have noticed a pattern. Weekends when I can't find time to prep for the week ahead (for school and home), my Monday's are stressed and my week feels like I'm playing catch-up.
ReplyDeleteI had a wake-up call when a student of mine started wearing a fitbit as well. We would compare our steps each day and I noticed something... My kiddo was getting about 3,000 - 5,000 steps less a day than I was. While I know that some of this might be the habits from home, in no way should a student get less steps than me during the school day. How is that fair?
After this revelation, I started thinking of ways I could help my student's stay active, and focus on learning...
1) I started using GoNoodle exercises before the start of my afternoon classes. We do the exercise ones, and do a quick breathing exercise after to focus our brains.
2) I try to add as much movement in my activities as possible. This week, when teaching obtuse, right, and acute angles I made a freeze dance game. When the music stopped, I would call out an angle. Kiddos would make the angle with their arms. If someone continued dancing or made in incorrect angle, they were out. The game takes about 5 mins, and was a great brainbreak.
3) I've also been more understanding with my kiddos that just can't sit still. When I made my new seating chart, those kiddos that are always standing are now in the back, so they can move as much as they need to without distracting others.
This has helped ME, more than the kiddos. I have also become more active during the day, and I'm finding that I reach about 7,000 - 8,000 steps before I even get home! I have felt more energized, and can last most of the day before getting stressed and exhausted.
I feel that I am great at most of these things most of the time. I'll just list some things I hope to work on.
1) Prepping for dinner: I am great at eating a healthy breakfast, lunch, and even snacks. Dinner, I start to pig out and eat all the carbs I have been missing all day. I think planning out my dinners and having more healthy things on hand could help.
2) Sleep: I find that even though I feel like I go to bed early, I still only average 6 hrs of sleep a night.
3) Walking everyday: I use my fitbit as a excuse sometimes. I say "Oh, I have reached 10,000 steps, I don't have to walk today."
4) Disconnect form work: This is the hardest for me. I come to school early, and am usually the second to last to leave... This does keep me from having to take work home, but working 10 - 12hrs (Sometimes 13 hrs) a day is not something I want to continue my whole career. And even when I am home, I'm still thinking about work.
5) Making my classroom more homey: I've brought in some things lately that have helped. Over the summer I plan on looking for more comfortable chairs and homey decor. I would bring plants... but I would just kill them. :(
Wow! This book was a great reminder on remembering to take care of myself. Having a new baby really puts things in perspective just how important it is to make sure you are at your best in order to give yourself to others. My time right now is devoted to Parker and I have to remind myself that I need to take time for myself; in fact I am only able to complete this because he is currently napping. When I am on little sleep my frustration and patience is very much tested. We have found it essential to form a bedtime routine and stick to it. I never thought going to bed at 8pm would make such a difference in my overall energy level. However, I have realized that the more sleep you get before midnight really helps you feel more rested. My daily routine overall has changed and prepping for everything is a necessity. Meal planning is one of those changes. I prep snacks such as celery, pretzels, carrots, string cheese, apples etc., ahead of time because lunch time is not always guaranteed. I eat a lot of peanut butter, protein bars and nuts to keep up my energy level. Meal planning has become so much more important. I have to plan meals that I can realistically make in a short time that are healthy and stick to it. So grocery shopping has become more of a process.
ReplyDeleteI do have the ability to exercise in the morning since I am currently home. Parker and I go to the park each morning and powerwalk the track. I try to add an extra lap every couple of days to gain stamina and help lose weight. I hope to continue the routine when I return to school, even if that means picking up Parker and coming back to the school to walk the track. A stroller really adds resistance!
Even though I am not currently at the school, I do have changes I want to make when I return to benefit my students. One of those changes is showing my students that a clean work environment is important. I want to make sure things my classroom stay clean and organized. This means I need to get them on board as well because if left up to me it won’t get done. I do take pride in the fact that I have many plants in the classroom to bring in nature and help purify the air. Also, they make the classroom look homey and happy.
My garden each year really helps me disconnect from work and refresh. It is a place of peace and I look forward to it every year. I have tried to always have the mentality that when I am home, I am ‘home’. This means that I shut off work for the night and become present at home. While it is so important to be present for your students, it is also important to be present with your family and give them the time they deserve as well.
These chapters reminded me of a blog post I read recently that I attached. It is geared towards moms that are teachers but really it applies to all teachers. It also drives home the point of remembering to think about YOU and taking care of oneself.
http://teachoutsidethebox.com/2016/04/7-ways-to-survive-the-teacher-mom-struggle/