I had a nightmare today.

I won’t go into specifics, but it was one of those nightmares that left me feeling with that sense of emptiness and sadness after I woke up. This was followed by the overthinking and overanalyzing of what each part of it meant.

I am a big believer in dreams and that they manifest some of the things we are feeling, thinking, or experiencing, but might not want to face. During one part of my dream, I was trying to wake up but I felt that something was holding me down. I could feel the handprint on my back and no matter how hard I tried to, I couldn’t get up. This might be a fear I have or a sense that something is keeping me from accomplishing something else. Whatever this dream meant, it really ruined my nap 😅

 

Today I watched a movie about one of my favorite artists of all time: Freddie Mercury. It was a great glimpse into his short, yet remarkable life.

He dealt with so much adversity in his life and kept saying that he was doing what he was supposed to be doing. This statement resonated with me because of the change of career from nursing to teaching. I have found myself saying this multiple times in my classroom, either to remind myself when anxiety strikes or to reassure myself when I have a bad day.

You can be anything you want to be, just turn yourself into anything you think that you could ever be.

Today has been one of those days,

My short-lived reign as gym teacher came to an end as I rolled my ankle playing Sharks and Minnows with my students. Still didn’t get tagged, though.

It’s been an eventful day, but also a great day, and that’s why I almost forgot to blog.

Yesterday, I talked about how overwhelmed I have been feeling and I pinpointed 5 ways I’ve let this stress control my life.

Today, we had an amazing whole school meeting, where we took the time to have a mindful moment. This simple breathing exercise set me up for the rest of the day and allowed me to reflect on my self-care and how necessary it is, for both my students and myself.

As I was scrolling through my social media feed, I found this picture, which really resonated with me. You see a man who is clearly not having the best of days. His tire is flat and, although the ones he is carrying are full, they are worn out. Much like this man, we can reflect on our lives and the many roles we play in them. We might have all the resources and desire to do something, but if we’re worn out, we won’t be able to get the job done.

 

 

This week, I’ve been feeling overly stressed and anxious.

I’ve had so much to do with my summative meeting and post-observation scheduled for this week that I haven’t been sleeping great and it feels like new things just keep piling up.

Funnily enough, on Monday, our principal sent us an article called 5 Ways I Allowed Stress and Anxiety to Control My Life, which I wasn’t able to read until this evening as I was speed eating so I could get back to work. It really resonated with me and it was exactly what I needed to hear today! He discussed his experience of how he realized his stress and anxiety affected him. He pinpoints the 5 things he says can lead him to lose control of his life.

As I reflect on this article, I think the 5 ways I tend to allow stress and anxiety control my life are:

1. Losing sleep over things I can’t control (at the moment or at all)
2. Setting unrealistic goals
3. Thinking I can multitask (goodbye Netflix!)
4. Overthinking things
5. Not being able to say no

There are all the things I need to work on and know that when I do, I will be much more at peace with what I do. My favorite quote from the article was,

Sometimes the lesson we create is not as engaging for our students as we thought they would be, and in this time of social media where everyone seems to have a life that is engaging and beautiful, we begin to doubt ourselves and stress ourselves out. Stress and anxiety happen, but they don’t have to happen as much as we allow them to.

When I was growing up, I never thought I would be a teacher. I remember wanting to be a veterinarian, an astronaut, and a doctor, but never a teacher.

Maybe it was because of my personal experience with teachers. Or maybe it was my lack of interest in academics (mostly because I didn’t understand them).

But, I think I was always destined to be a teacher. I remember pushing my coffee table against the wall and sitting my stuffed animals around it to mimic the illusion of a classroom. Then, after I gave directions or a mini-lesson, I would ask if anyone had any questions and go on and on explaining. I’d walk around helping my stuffies, making sure they understood whatever they were learning. I’d even put stamps or stickers on their papers, to congratulate them on a job well done.

But the idea of me actually teaching as a career was not something that came to me until I was in nursing school, working at a gym, in the kidcare center. Up until this point, I was sure the medical field was for me and that I wanted to work with children. I was told to put on a movie and make sure the kids didn’t get hurt. But their boredness and reluctance to stay there drove me to create activities and help them with homework. Eventually, kids were running up to me and asking their parents to stay more time. I was thrilled and motivated!

Soon, I quit nursing school and pursued a dream I didn’t even know was mine. I had finally found my calling and I haven’t looked back since!

Today’s my BIRTHDAY! And although I have a million and one things planned to do today, I wanted to share 27 things I’ve learned in my 27 years on this planet. It is in no particular order and you are free to learn from my experience or judge it. Regardless, it’s been a wild time and I can only hope to continue making memorable experiences like the ones I’ve made.

1. Be yourself – it’s simple and its probably the one thing all educators try to teach their students.
2. Find your passion – whether it’s writing, reading, or photography (all of which are mine!), make sure to find something that interests you and that lets you take the stress off. Work can be overwhelming, so having something to go home to that doesn’t involve lesson plans is not only helpful but essential to our self-care.
3. Speak Up – growing up, I thought I didn’t have a voice. I was terrified of making my ideas and feelings heard because of my language deficit and just having others disagree with me. I’m still terrified but now, I’m the voice for my students. Sometimes I have to remind myself to be a little louder, but I’ll always make sure to stand up for them.
4. Make time for those you love – it’s pretty simple, they’re not going to be here forever. Make sure you make time for them and make as many memories as possible. In the end, that’s all you’ll have.
5. Take pictures – they make memories last longer! Plus, both professionally and personally, it documents special events or activities that you may want to refer back to during ie, your summative meetings 😉
6. Remember that kids are kids – the work of a teacher is never done and having words like assessment and intervention circling around our heads doesn’t help! But kids are kids and in the end, we have to remember to let them breathe and have fun. When they do, they learn much better and feel more trust towards their teachers. It completely changes the dynamic of the classroom.
7. SLEEP – if there is one thing I learned during my student teaching and if I could only give one piece of advice to any new teacher, it would be to sleep! There is no way that anyone can do this job and not get a good nights rest. Everything has a base, and the base of the teaching lifestyle is getting enough sleep.
8. It’s never too late – I am first generation, first to graduate college and the oldest in the family. I had very little guidance when it came to academics, but I knew what my goals where. And although it took me a little longer to do it, I still managed to do it! So go get that masters degree! Go backpack around Europe! Go do what you want to do and don’t sell yourself short!
9. Travel – whether it’s to another country, another state, or another town, visit a new place. Learn and experience their culture. This gives you a whole new perspective in teaching and opens up your doors for new opportunities. You end up understanding your students better and how they may see the world.
10. Enjoy the little things – these can be some of the most memorable moments of your life. Enjoy them through your eyes, not the lens of your phone.
11. Learn peoples name – re: please see previous blog post
12. Respect others’ perspectives – I know that I can see the world in a very optimistic way and it can be hard for me to understand why people such as my SO sees it so realistically or why some people see it so negatively. But, if we don’t respect their ideas and perspectives, how can we expect ours to be expected, as well? Without a doubt, it’s a difficult thing to do, but as educators, it’s something we must do. Our students deserve a chance for their ideas to be heard and respected, without judgment and in a safe space.
13. READ! – whether its fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, whatever – just read! It helps with stress, improves your memory, improves concentration and focus, makes your vocabulary grow, improves your writing, etc – the list is endless! Plus, how can we expect our students to become well-read when we don’t practice it in the first place?
14. Appreciate others – it doesn’t have to be a big gesture, it can be a simple, “I’m proud of you” or “You’re doing such a great job!” Motivations like this can go such a long way, especially when they are genuine and from the heart. I remember one of my first writing assignments at my new school, my teacher wrote “Great idea! :)” This motivated me and made me feel more comfortable in this new setting. Plus, it made me want to begin something that is now a passion of mine!
15. It’s okay to take a break – There have been too many times that I’ve said, “Just a few more minutes,” and have completely exhausted my energy and my resources. It’s okay to take a break – in fact, it’s necessary! Although our students see us as heroes, the truth is we sometimes need to take a step back and take a breather for a while. It’ll help you clear your mind and reenergize you.
16. Explore your creative side – I theorize that there are so many hidden talents within ourselves. We just don’t have the time or interest or idea of how to find them. But exploring our creative side can help us with discovering things we didn’t know about ourselves. It can be frustrating because many believe it has to be perfect or done a certain way. But that’s the beautiful thing about being creative – you make it what you want! And in the end, it’s all about how it makes us feel. In first grade, I was yelled at for creating a Santa with a funny face because my teacher lacked creativity and didn’t know how to let us explore ours. We ended up with a sea of uniform Santa’s, which besides the names on the back, would not be able to be told apart. Be inspired so you can inspire!
17. Be empathetic – we don’t know what others are going through. This one can be applied anywhere and at any time. When I lost someone close to me a few years ago, I lost all notion of time because of my grief. To be honest, I don’t know how I managed the week from his death to his funeral, because I don’t remember anything, much less do I remember holding the door for people or saying thank you to whoever held the door for me. Of course, this does not excuse anyone’s actions, but it does remind me to take a breath when someone cuts me off when I’m driving – they might have somewhere to be.
18. Don’t procrastinate – man, did this one come up during undergrad! I would always put things off, with the excuse that I work better under pressure. I work just as well without it, but the outcome feels better because I do it in half the time and with twice the pressure. Regardless, don’t do it! Plan it out, organize yourself, and I promise, it’s going to feel just as rewarding, if not better, because you’ll have all that time to relax.
19. Laugh at yourself – self-explanatory 🙂
20. Share your ideas – this is one I’m still currently working on. For me, personally, it’s very difficult to contribute my ideas in a group setting. It might have to do with my elementary experience, it might just be the fear of saying something silly. But regardless, I’ve learned that even when I say something silly, the idea might still be something that we can build on.
21. Get rid of the clutter – as teachers, we tend to collect things that we hope someday will be used on a lesson (like the toilet and paper towel rolls I’m hording in the corner of my bedroom in hopes of using it for Halloween). But we should attempt to get rid of some of the things we are not using or plan on using within the next 6 months. It’s taking up space and makes it feel more reduced.
22. Reflect – this is one of my favorite things to do because it’s so simple, time-efficient, and relaxing. I love to reflect and think about what I did or should have done (usually the only work I do Saturdays). This helps me better understand my thought process, what my students need are, and what my needs and/or capabilities are. I tend to reflect in my head and then write down a few things I’m taking away from it or changes that I want to make, but there are different ways to go about this. Regardless of what you do, it’s what best fits you and your lifestyle.
23. Have a playlist – this one seems silly, but it can be great when you just need something to unwind after a long day at work or need something to pump you up on your way to the gym.
24. Don’t over think things – it only holds you back from all that you can accomplish!
25. Have someone to talk to – it’s so important to have this! You need a someone you can talk to and a cheerleader and someone to bounce ideas off of. Whether it’s at work or at home, having this person makes your hard times bearable. Plus, it’s easier to think things out when you have someone you trust to listen.
26. Self-Care is important – this is one of the most overlooked, yet necessary things we have to do! We work hard, but never take the time for ourselves to really sit down and relax and reflect.
27. Always make sure you hit save – Much to my surprise, the first draft of this post was deleted because I forgot to save 🙁

Happy Birthday, birthday-twins: Vivaldi, Garrett Morgan, Brooklyn Beckham, and Ivy Queen!

 

Names are the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

– Dale Carnegie

When I was growing up, I was called by a lot of names that weren’t my own. Sometimes, my name was pronounced AUN/DRE/AH, while other times it was pronounced ANN/DRE/AH. It didn’t occur to me that this was not okay until I was 21 or so that my new boss asked me for my name pronunciation. “Oh, it doesn’t matter,” I told her. I figured she’d eventually forget and call me by something that wasn’t my own.

Then, she said something that really made me think. “Yes, it does! It’s what your parents named you. How do they say it?” From then on, I’ve been very good about remembering peoples names and pronunciation, as well as, making it clear how to pronounce mine. (BTW – here’s a video of how I pronounce it).

Names are a very important part of a person’s life. Names are not simply a label, but an identity for us. So when we begin to mispronounce peoples name, we are taking a part of their identity. As a dual teacher, I try to be conscientious of my students and find myself talking with them about their names very often. I have a very mixed group and I want to make sure that I am respecting their names and the importance that their parents put into them.

As educators, I feel that it is our duty to make sure we are making our students feel at home – and what’s more at home and familiar than their name. If we don’t make this a priority, it can be detrimental to the point that the student does not feel comfortable in the classroom. Names carry a lot of meaning and importance. They are what allowed us to begin our story and will follow us around all of our lives. Making sure we pronounce our student’s names correctly is a small, yet significant shift that will make all the difference to how your students behave and interact in your classroom.

 

Here is a wonderful article that even gives you ways to develop strategies for pronouncing names:

https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2017/11/15/pronouncing-students-names-correctly-should-be-a.html

Saturdays are my day to unwind and reflect on my week.

And this past week was full of new information and learning.

One of the main things that I am taking away is that no matter how good of a routine we might have, always be open to innovations in the classroom. I had the pleasure of hearing Michael Cohen, the Tech Rabbi, speak at the ICE Conference this week. He taught us to use a lot of amazing features on the iPad, which can be implemented into the classroom as extensions to lessons or just tools to enhance our lessons. Immediately after hearing him speak, I bought his book, Educated by Design. One of my favorite quotes of the book is, “What we need to do is help our students develop creative confidence and creative capacity. That process starts by letting them explore.” His whole book focuses on the creativity that we all have inside and how we, as teachers, need to let our students find it within themselves. I havent finished it, but it’s already one of my favorite reads and definitely recommend it!