This is the time of the year when I am talking with my teachers who are in a survival mode with all of the end-of-schoolyear-expectations and work. And because they are my students, they are also trying to handle their M.Ed. studies – you can imagine what full-time teaching and full-time studying looks like during these extremely busy times.
How are you managing your time and stress? How do YOU find time for self-care when work is too busy? And what is your secret for being a resilient teacher to cultivate your students’ learning process, so that it supports the increase of their resilience, too?
I imagine that this might sound like yet another demand for already busy teachers – but, please, hear me out:
Learning is much more successful when we help our students to become resilient, like the tree in the picture. It doesn’t have much soil, and it has lost some of it’s needles, too. But it bends with the winds and tolerates the salty seawater. And grows. Not as fast as the other trees growing more inland with better soil. It grows on its own pace – like we all do, actually. For growth cannot be hurried
When we discuss learning and metacognition with students, it is important to remember and remind that resilience can be practiced (it is the real growth mindset). Learning to be resilient helps them to rebuild their confidence and learning skills. Because this is exactly what learner agency is: our capacity to make choices about ourselves and our learning.
The more we understand the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and use Trauma-Informed Practices, the better we can support our students’ resilience. To me, that is an essential part of being an educator, which is why I want to remind all teachers about engaging in self-care. The easiest ones for me are going outside to enjoy the nature and laughing with friends and colleagues!
Here is a Tiny Survival Guide with great strategies:
What is helpful for you when work gets crazy-busy? How do you take care of yourself?
NotesFromNina 
Leave a comment