So if you notice, I have only had one blog post and that was several months ago. I came into this thinking I would have a set schedule for blogging and sharing ideas. I’ve written down many ideas on sticky notes, planners, random papers around the classroom and house but somehow time slipped away and here we are now trying to play catch up, which is almost second nature to a teacher.
These last few months have been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. I started my 9th year in the classroom and boy has it been a tough year. I teach 166 freshmen! Can you imagine dealing with 166 14–15-year-olds on a daily basis?! It’s definitely not everyone’s piece of cake. I have been so busy with two course preps (one of them being an AP course), creating creative assignments and projects, managing an after-school political organization on campus, and just the daily struggles of time management, behavior management, and so much more. Honestly, I feel so burnt out. But then I’ll also have the daily reminder of why I work so hard.
Having those students who are struggling but they come to you and are able to get through the day or seeing their faces light up when they make connections through my lectures or seeing the student who has isn’t such a great writer complete their assignment with amazing responses. Yes, I question if what I’m doing is worth it and I think I will always struggle with wanting to step away from the classroom and work somewhere else, somewhere maybe that has 166 adults to deal with on a daily basis rather than teenagers! but knowing that I can make an actual difference in kids lives on the daily gives me the motivation to keep pushing forward day by day. Of course it’s overwhelming and exhausting but one thing I have learned to do is take a few minutes and just reflect. Something that really helps is reading and seeing a simple reminder of your strengths. Having motivational posters around your classroom walls may seem a bit cheesy but it’s insane how effective just reading one or two of those posters can snap your purpose into perspective and give you just the extra little push you need to keep going. Yes, I have these posters up in my room for my students but honestly, they have helped me in ways I can’t even explain. Teachers may not always feel like they are superheroes and can also succumb to the pressures of the workload but taking a 2-minute break to breathe deeply and see inspiring words around you can really help when you’re trying to figure out how to get through the next struggle. Here are some posters that not only have personally helped me to keep going but the aesthetic can only be applied to any workspace whether it be a classroom or an office.
Link – https://amzn.to/3Z0pOkl
Link- https://amzn.to/3UQFt3k
Your environment plays a huge role in your success. As a teacher, our success is only accomplished when our students are motivated to build their skills at the highest levels. I have an idea for another blog post that will dwell deeper into setting the perfect classroom environment but for now, this tired teacher would like to help motivate a fellow educator out there that we just need to rewire our mindset sometimes and keep hustling because success is not an easy road to travel on but it is most definitely worth it!
The Classroom Chronicles 