It’s that time of year: It’s cold - so cold your face hurts when you step outside (Why do we live in a state where air hurts?). Grades are due. You are reviewing standards and preparing for another semester of activities and learning. Mid-year SLO thoughts randomly strike without warning. The words “Standards Based Grading” give you a slight twitch. You are tired. And, spring break is still a distant dream.
BUT….you show up, day after day, and work these amazing little miracles with kids all day long without even realizing you’re doing it. You are probably so focused on everything you didn’t do or need to do that you don’t realize how much you’ve actually accomplished.
Angela Watson, National Board Certified Teacher and author of Unshakeable, urges us to change our story. Change our story when: student issues emotionally drained us, when the pressures of teaching get to us, or when lack of time is stealing our enthusiasm. “If you keep telling yourself that your job is too demanding and you’ll never be able to keep up with it all, that will continue to be your life story, and your attempts to change will probably not last long.”
Watson provides these examples of stories you might currently be telling yourself, along with a new story and habit to change it:
I can’t have fun with my students because there’s no time for it.
New story: I create daily routines that make learning fun for me and my students.
New habit: Use the 30 second dance party to celebrate kids’ work.
My district makes it impossible for me to teach the way I want to.
New story: I choose to exercise my freedom and creativity every chance I get.
New habit: Find one fun new teaching strategy for each unit I teach.
I can’t keep a good attitude because I’m surrounded by negativity.
New story: I choose to seek out people who inspire and uplift me.
New habit: Join a Facebook group for positive teachers who enjoy sharing ideas.
The story you tell yourself is how you experience life and how you see things. We talk to kids all the time about shifting mindset, but do we follow our own advice? The mind is such a powerful force. If we set new goals or change our story but don’t change our mindset, we risk being sucked right back into our old habits, recycling our same old stories.
Transform your thoughts and rewrite your story this semester! Every time you find yourself thinking along the lines of your old story, stop! Replace that story with a new one – one which is not ridiculously optimistic, but rather one which is realistically true that celebrates those amazing little things you do every day. Repeat the story you want to live and practice it with intention.
The difference is in the story you tell yourself. What is your story?
BUT….you show up, day after day, and work these amazing little miracles with kids all day long without even realizing you’re doing it. You are probably so focused on everything you didn’t do or need to do that you don’t realize how much you’ve actually accomplished.
Angela Watson, National Board Certified Teacher and author of Unshakeable, urges us to change our story. Change our story when: student issues emotionally drained us, when the pressures of teaching get to us, or when lack of time is stealing our enthusiasm. “If you keep telling yourself that your job is too demanding and you’ll never be able to keep up with it all, that will continue to be your life story, and your attempts to change will probably not last long.”
Watson provides these examples of stories you might currently be telling yourself, along with a new story and habit to change it:
I can’t have fun with my students because there’s no time for it.
New story: I create daily routines that make learning fun for me and my students.
New habit: Use the 30 second dance party to celebrate kids’ work.
My district makes it impossible for me to teach the way I want to.
New story: I choose to exercise my freedom and creativity every chance I get.
New habit: Find one fun new teaching strategy for each unit I teach.
I can’t keep a good attitude because I’m surrounded by negativity.
New story: I choose to seek out people who inspire and uplift me.
New habit: Join a Facebook group for positive teachers who enjoy sharing ideas.
The story you tell yourself is how you experience life and how you see things. We talk to kids all the time about shifting mindset, but do we follow our own advice? The mind is such a powerful force. If we set new goals or change our story but don’t change our mindset, we risk being sucked right back into our old habits, recycling our same old stories.
Transform your thoughts and rewrite your story this semester! Every time you find yourself thinking along the lines of your old story, stop! Replace that story with a new one – one which is not ridiculously optimistic, but rather one which is realistically true that celebrates those amazing little things you do every day. Repeat the story you want to live and practice it with intention.
The difference is in the story you tell yourself. What is your story?