CatholicEdChat is a twitter chat. Topics focus on discussions around educational issues for Catholic Educators and topics beneficial to Catholic Schools. We look forward to continuing to connect Catholic Educators online to discuss education and teaching with faith in our schools. The chat takes place on Saturday mornings. Time 9am EST.
God bless and good morning #Catholicedchat! We are excited to talk balance with you today. Introduce yourself, your role, and share one song that lifts your spirits every time you hear it. (Or jam out hard in the car to.)
Sarah Johnson from Northwestern, WI, Teacher and Principal turned Educational Consultant through Go'd's calling to teach masses. Hard to choose one song! My heart lifts my arms every time on this newer one. "Cover the Earth" #CatholicEdChathttps://t.co/jhVByU3uYI
God bless and good morning #Catholicedchat! We are excited to talk balance with you today. Introduce yourself, your role, and share one song that lifts your spirits every time you hear it. (Or jam out hard in the car to.)
hopping on #catholicedchat at 9am on a saturday to have a chat about balance. The irony is as sweet as the salted carmel chocolate iced coffee i am sipping on. :)
Good morning , Bobbie Principal from MA and I love Country- jam out to “Little Red Wagon”! Love the beat #CatholicEdChat. Happy to be here with @SarahSajohnson talking #BalanceLAP
Good morning , Bobbie Principal from MA and I love Country- jam out to “Little Red Wagon”! Love the beat #CatholicEdChat. Happy to be here with @SarahSajohnson talking #BalanceLAP
Good morning, #CatholicEdChat! I am a Catholic author and veteran teacher (of theology and Spanish in my thirteenth year at @BMHSMustangs) in Forestville, Maryland (Archdiocese of Washington)!
Hi #catholicedchat. Joan from California. I don’t listen to music enough to have favorite song, but yesterday the Justin Bieber song about my mother doesn’t like you and she likes everyone made me smile.
Q1: In order to transform into more balanced versions of ourselves, we need to practice self-awareness and recognize when we are out of balance. What are your “tells” that indicate you are out of balance? #CatholicEdChat
Good morning from frosty La Loche SK where I teach grade three. Inspiring song is “be not afraid, I go before you always, come follow me, and I will give you rest” #CatholicEdChat
A1: When I am out of balance, I am not eating well, and I feel more anxious. I feel guilty that I am not giving enough to either work or family, and my inner monologue is telling me a lot of lies about a lack
of worthiness. #CatholicEdChat
Q1: In order to transform into more balanced versions of ourselves, we need to practice self-awareness and recognize when we are out of balance. What are your “tells” that indicate you are out of balance? #CatholicEdChat
#CatholicEdChat It is so good to see another Steubie here, @PJ_Ernst. I am in my last year (God-willing) of Franciscan's distance learning-based MA in theology and Christian ministry.
A1 When I'm out of balance, I really drag and am tired. I also catch colds easily. I feel guilty about not organizing and cleaning, but I realize sleep is more important for me so I don't get sick. #CatholicEdchat
A1) I can tell that I am out of balance when I feel that I am too busy to stop and pray. I often need to remind myself that prayer takes precedence over action/productivity. #CatholicEdChat
Q1: In order to transform into more balanced versions of ourselves, we need to practice self-awareness and recognize when we are out of balance. What are your “tells” that indicate you are out of balance? #CatholicEdChat
When I get out of balance my organized house and office become a disaster! Drives me crazy and I can't get balanced again till I take care of that! #CatholicEdChat
A1. Not that I am an icon known for my empathy and sensitivity, but i tend to get even more didactic and analytic in times of high stress (mind/body switches to process-and-react mode). If i am robotic, i am probably stressed. #catholicedchat
A1: a tell for me is when my family comes straight out and says it to me...it’s difficult for me because I want to do so much for my Ss that I don’t focus on my true priority...my family. #CatholicEdChat
A1) I can tell that I am out of balance when I feel that I am too busy to stop and pray. I often need to remind myself that prayer takes precedence over action/productivity. #CatholicEdChat
Q1: In order to transform into more balanced versions of ourselves, we need to practice self-awareness and recognize when we are out of balance. What are your “tells” that indicate you are out of balance? #CatholicEdChat
Q2: We do not believe balance is 50/50 work-life. Instead, we need to find our own formula to prioritize our personal, professional, positional, and passions in life. Which of these four are you most immersed in now? #CatholicEdChat
Q2: We do not believe balance is 50/50 work-life. Instead, we need to find our own formula to prioritize our personal, professional, positional, and passions in life. Which of these four are you most immersed in now? #CatholicEdChat
A2 I am feeling, at the moment, quite balanced in all quadrants. There are so many great suggestions in the #balanceLAP book that I have taken to heart that has helped. I know next week, the positional side will become the one I am immersed in the most. #CatholicEdChat
A1: needing more quiet or solo time is a sign I’ve been going non-stop all day. Also, falling off my training and eating plans Are red flags. Can you tell I’m a planner!? #CatholicEdChat
My know I’m out of balance when I am irritable and bothered by the slightest noise and can’t find anything - too tired to think or see straight. #CatholicEdChat
You are not alone, @acottos. As a husband and father of four kids (7, 5, 3, and 1), I am transparent that it is admittedly challenging to be a good family man and a good teacher. It takes extraordinary quantities of balance, creativity, and time-management skills. #CatholicEdChat
A2 I think that when I balanced all 4 quadrants successfully is when I feel truly alive and when I came to the realization that being a Catholic school teacher is my vocation. #CatholicEdchat
A2: no capacity to be immersed in just one. When I’m doing something in one area during the day, I’m all in on that area. Balance involves focusing on the task at hand #CatholicEdChat
Great response, Adam. Glad they tell you too. Hopefully in a way that invites you to reflect and not react. That's not always easy in our serving profession. #CatholicEdChat
A2: I’m stuck between personal and professional...this year I was given a bigger responsibility within the school that I want to show complete success with, yet being a newlywed I need to focus there too! #CatholicEdChat
A2: Definitely positional. Principal at bigger school this year. Taking stock, figuring out needs and focus. Applying skills learned in other positions, and acquiring new skills. Just trying to stay ahead of what comes at me each day. #CatholicEdChat
Q2: We do not believe balance is 50/50 work-life. Instead, we need to find our own formula to prioritize our personal, professional, positional, and passions in life. Which of these four are you most immersed in now? #CatholicEdChat
A2) Ideally, I am most immersed in the "personal" priority as a husband and father of four young ones (in fact, I might even consider it "familial" instead of "personal"). I say "ideally" because I must ensure that I practice what I preach. #CatholicEdChat
Q2: We do not believe balance is 50/50 work-life. Instead, we need to find our own formula to prioritize our personal, professional, positional, and passions in life. Which of these four are you most immersed in now? #CatholicEdChat
Yes, John. Might you make time for those proactively? Your response truly makes sense to me as my most unbalanced state lacked all of this. #BalanceLAP#CatholicEdChat
A2: Definitely positional for me. Learning to balance coursework with athletics and other extracurricular activities will hopefully prepare me for busy days ahead in the classroom. #CatholicEdChat
Q3 “Self care is not selfish; being healthy allows us to be more selfless.” Name one way you prioritize taking care of yourself so that you can pour more into others. #CatholicEdChat
A2 #CatholicEdChat Is it a sign of unbalance that I can't pick one?! Probly this week I tottered between professional & positional. Held our first edtech committee meeting!
Q2: We do not believe balance is 50/50 work-life. Instead, we need to find our own formula to prioritize our personal, professional, positional, and passions in life. Which of these four are you most immersed in now? #CatholicEdChat
Bless you in this year, Maureen. The learning curve is never more steep than in our first years of anything, but behind a desk is an intensity only those who do it know. #CatholicEdChat
I literally nodded off at my computer yesterday after a stressfulstaff meeting & while trying to fit too many reading groups with too few leaders. I packed up and went home to bed. There will be outside time with the dogs before the laptop is opened today. #CatholicEdChat
A3: This one is critical for me to be my best. I run every day (today will be my 1569th day in a row), spend quiet time in the morning with a devotional and journal before everyone rises in the morning. This discipline makes a difference in my tone for the day. #CatholicEdChat
Q3 “Self care is not selfish; being healthy allows us to be more selfless.” Name one way you prioritize taking care of yourself so that you can pour more into others. #CatholicEdChat
A2: LOVE this visual! RIght now, I’m mostly immersed in Positional (new role, new school), but also super focused on Professional (a LOT of EdD reading). #CatholicEdChat
A2 hmmm....by hours i would say that im probably running 60 prof./positional and 30 family. it is probably indicative that i combine professional and positional and would break family out of personal. quite the therapy session today on #catholicedchat#nojudging
@LoriFred888 K-8 Computer teacher, song: Come to the Alter, selfish: 1 hour adoration on day off, and monthly meetings w/ fiath filled friends #catholicedchat
And that is so hard. @ksedleader shared this week Joy=Jesus, Others, You, and it spoke so deeply to me! Great response that is easily relatable, Denise. #CatholicEdChat
A3- this sounds completely silly but I find I really *need* a few minutes on my phone each morning. The day gets so busy with school and family, I just have to start with 15 minutes of downtime #catholicedchat
I was forced, by my president, to learn this about 3 years ago. Same goes for the weekend. Once I leave, I don't even look until the next day or Monday. It has really helped me! #CatholicEdChat
A3) As a consummate introvert, my self-care is being away from people. People drain me. :-) God must have chosen me to be a teacher because he knew that being around so many people daily was the only way that I would get to heaven, via that "purgative" experience. #CatholicEdChat
Q3 “Self care is not selfish; being healthy allows us to be more selfless.” Name one way you prioritize taking care of yourself so that you can pour more into others. #CatholicEdChat
Wow! I’m happy if I can get one run in on the weekends. 😂
But to answer the question: a little physical activity (run/walk) and some quiet prayer time as well as making sure I eat three times a day is how I do self-care.
#catholicedchat
A3: This one is critical for me to be my best. I run every day (today will be my 1569th day in a row), spend quiet time in the morning with a devotional and journal before everyone rises in the morning. This discipline makes a difference in my tone for the day. #CatholicEdChat
Might also be a sign of balance because you are in the spaces. We advocate for considering how you can be in them all in whatever way is most satisfying to you, Jan. :) #CatholicEdChat
A3: This one is critical for me to be my best. I run every day (today will be my 1569th day in a row), spend quiet time in the morning with a devotional and journal before everyone rises in the morning. This discipline makes a difference in my tone for the day. #CatholicEdChat
A3: Weekend routine (coffee, scone, twitter chat), mass at a time I choose, dinner with family in the area on Sundays. Not answering emails on Sundays if avoidable. #CatholicEdChat
Q4: A faithful and balanced leader is mindful to take time out for spiritual wellness. Share a strategy that you use to keep up this important practice. #CatholicEdChat
A3 I try to get enough sleep (struggle with disruptive insomnia) need time alone in the morning for prayer & fb outdoor time with the dogs and time with the grandkids #CatholicEdChat
A4: Spending time in devotion, running without any other noise so I can be in companionship with the Holy Spirit, and writing down His words to me are all ways I am building my spiritual wellness in this season. Sitting with a woman's group every month now too. #CatholicEdChat
Q4: A faithful and balanced leader is mindful to take time out for spiritual wellness. Share a strategy that you use to keep up this important practice. #CatholicEdChat
The Gospel also impels us to balance self-care with self-denial/self-abnegation/personal sacrifice, recognizing that suffering and discomfort are part of life (per Luke 9:23), and we are called to attach that to the Lord and the Passion that he endured himself. #CatholicEdChat
Q3 “Self care is not selfish; being healthy allows us to be more selfless.” Name one way you prioritize taking care of yourself so that you can pour more into others. #CatholicEdChat
A4 I spend time every day in prayer and reflection. I have a weekly adoration hour. The week’s my husband subs is the week I feel the most unbalanced. #CatholicEdChat
A4- as the classroom leader, I try very hard to start each class period with prayer. It brings balance, it settles the Ss and gets them ready to focus. Which is why @McClainJustin new book is a real treasure! #catholicedchat
A3. My current self care is trying to shut the trap door on politics for some time each day. I can go crazy with worry about our political climate. #catholicedchat
A4: I pray the Rosary driving to school every morning. And I listen to the daily readings on the way to school too. It’s like having a planned date with Jesus every morning. #CatholicEdChat
Thanks for sharing that. I need to look into this more, but I definitely think there must be a difference between self-care and self-indulgence. Silence. Quiet. Prayer. Meditation are all very spiritually driven and also present, right? #CatholicEdChat
A4) Regarding spiritual well-being, I have actually written two books for @avemariapress that are designed to help Catholic school teachers remain focused on their educational vocation and Gospel-oriented mission throughout the academic year (and even the summer)! #CatholicEdChat
I pray the rosary during my morning commute, too! I do it in Italian so I can practice a little of that every day, too. Only have the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be memorized in Italian so far, but it’s a start. 😊 🇮🇹
#catholicedchat
A4: I pray the Rosary driving to school every morning. And I listen to the daily readings on the way to school too. It’s like having a planned date with Jesus every morning. #CatholicEdChat
we end the school day with the examen. it is always impressive to take the pause at the school but even more important to work with the new students about whay a special moment of the day that has the potential to be. #catholicedchat
A4 One thing I miss about being a teacher is that our DRE leads a beautiful prayer meeting for teachers on Tuesday mornings. I’m outside greeting students at that time, which, I suppose, is another form of prayer. #CatholicEdChat
I kinda miss teaching Religion. There would be this MOMENT, when I would take a class of 25 Ss to the chapel, and we would sit there in silence with our thoughts and God, and it was pure bliss. It was always the best. #catholicedchat
Last year I let my ed reading take precedence over my normal history and fiction. That was not a good idea. Balance for me involves fiction #CatholicEdChat
A4- as the classroom leader, I try very hard to start each class period with prayer. It brings balance, it settles the Ss and gets them ready to focus. Which is why @McClainJustin new book is a real treasure! #catholicedchat
A5 My personal passion is to focus on being the best God has created me to be. This can get very overwhelming and I need my prayer and reflection time to help me find peace with the gifts I’d like to possess but don’t. #CatholicEdChat
A5 I feel like my passion is my work right now. And I’m okay with that. I get to make a difference every day. I’llfinish that novel/screenplay when I retire. #CatholicEdChat
A5: I love to write, read, and SING! In a building, I would sing with the choir. Last year, I sang at our Alternative School graduation, on the last day with students. Writing #BalanceLAP stoked back my flame for writing, and now this is what I do most days. #CatholicEdChat
Q6: Growing professionally is one way a balanced educator thrives. What are your professional focus areas and how do you make time in your day to accomplish them? #CatholicEdChat
Yes, and it’s awesome! There are different versions of the Examen for different prayer needs. I’ve used the “I’m drained!” one a lot this past year. 😂😂😂
#catholicedchat
A5: I felt God calling me to lead Faith Formation in different ways this past year, so one of my personal passions is youth ministry (both in my parish YG and in archdiocesan retreats). And I started a Bible study for young adults in my parish too. ❤️ both. #CatholicEdChat
Q6: Growing professionally is one way a balanced educator thrives. What are your professional focus areas and how do you make time in your day to accomplish them? #CatholicEdChat
I’ve listened to On Being and heard about @Johnodonohue - had gotten his book Anam Cara many years ago - since hearing him on podcast have read all of his books #CatholicEdchat
Only my choir teacher knew. It was a gift to the teacher and students there. Never wanted to take the stage, but I gave a part of me to that smaller group. Will never regret it! #CatholicEdchat
A5) Reading and writing! This may be the most bizarre thing that you hear today (and perhaps some of you are as equally bizarre), but writing [non-fiction] relaxes me like no other hobby. It allows me to put all of my thoughts and additional interests onto paper. #CatholicEdChat
A6 I like to read education books/magazines, attend various forms of PD and chats, like this one, and @voxer with my PLN. It is hard to make time to do this during the day and I need to create an appointment time for this. #CatholicEdChat
A6. This chat, of course, and I’m two classes away from my second masters and principal license. Those classes have been amazing for my professional growth. #CatholicEdChat
A2- It would be positional right now as wifi down for 3 days so playing catch up- so a little out of balance right now, but working to add some balance back in! #CatholicEdChat
A6: Professional Focus Areas = blogging and tweeting more lately. In my classroom, I’m focusing on making flipped classroom learning experience for my Ss the best it can be. #CatholicEdChat
A5- My personal passions are photography= I've been making my son's soccer games a priority- they boys love to see their photos and I scrapbook AWAY from home 2x a year with friends! #CatholicEdChat
My personal passion is books that uplift the soul! You all know I have a Catholic TV show now about books, right? 😊 I interview Catholic authors on a show that airs Thursday nights on @ShalomWorldTV. Watch online at https://t.co/ZBsH3HoX59. #catholicedchat
A6) Ensuring that I live according to the sacramental life that I laud to my students. If I am teaching that the Eucharist is the most important of the seven sacraments, I had better endeavor to attend daily Mass whenever possible. #CatholicEdChat
Q6: Growing professionally is one way a balanced educator thrives. What are your professional focus areas and how do you make time in your day to accomplish them? #CatholicEdChat
A6: making sure the great stories of my Ss are told to their parents...Ps need to be involved in the education process. Using social media is my go to for that! Plus it builds my awesome PLN!! #catholicedchat
Q7: A large part of our identity is tied to the positions we hold. Which aspects of your current position takes most of your time, and which areas do you plan to focus for growth? #CatholicEdChat
A6- I'm soaking up lots of information about Leadership right now- @voxer book study groups to listen on the commute and reading at night- which helps professionally and personally! This is in 3 of my quadrants! #CatholicEdChat
Q7: A large part of our identity is tied to the positions we hold. Which aspects of your current position takes most of your time, and which areas do you plan to focus for growth? #CatholicEdChat
A6- I have two new Ts on my MS team so I try to devote time each week to helping them w/ resources or give encouragement. We have this little joke "the water is this high and my head is here" - "I won't let you drown; not on my watch!" #CatholicEdChat
A7 Tough question. The most time is spent putting out fires, real or imaginary. My growth, to find more ways to be proactive in my position. #CatholicEdChat
As a fellow writer (of both fiction and nonfiction), I totally get this! Will be working on writing some Gospel reflections for @CatholicMomCom this weekend.
#catholicedchat
A6. Twitter PLNs, signing up for email newsletters from good sources, reading articles that peak my interest, finding authors/bloggers/speakers that resonate with my vision #CatholicEdChat
I would love to be on @ShalomWorldTV; I have never done television, only radio (although I have a face for radio and a voice for silence)! #CatholicEdChat
In reply to
@BarbInNebraska, @AJCattapan, @ShalomWorldTV, @ShalomWorldTV
Q3 “Self care is not selfish; being healthy allows us to be more selfless.” Name one way you prioritize taking care of yourself so that you can pour more into others. #CatholicEdChat
A7- TASKS- emails, NEASC, decision making are sucking up all of my time... I'm focusing on being a better Leader/COACH and do the work that really matters and helping my T's be the best they can be #CatholicEdChat
A7: planning...there’s so much I want to do with my Ss that I don’t know how to make it all happen. Refocusing and prioritizing all aspects of my life is what is needed. #catholicedchat
A7) Grading takes a lot of my time. I need to be more efficient and faster, while making sure that my feedback is likewise meaningful, which is of ultimate significance to everyone involved. #CatholicEdChat
Call to Action: Share one space you will focus upon intentionally to grow in your personal, professional, positional, or passions in life. Come back to #BalanceLAP throughout the year to share growth and gain new tips and strategies! #CatholicEdChat
Q7 There are so many things that pull me in so many directions that I miss the instructional leadership part of my job. Gotta work on this! #CatholicEdChat
#catholicedchat A6 and 7 focus on reading about being a spiritual and servant leader. In my position I need to learn to take time to devote to my relationships with Ss and Ts.
Call to Action: Share one space you will focus upon intentionally to grow in your personal, professional, positional, or passions in life. Come back to #BalanceLAP throughout the year to share growth and gain new tips and strategies! #CatholicEdChat
A7: Planning lessons. It takes a LOT of time learning MS science before being able to teach it in a hands-on interactive and engaging way. #CatholicEdChat
A7. Tasks and people (mostly adult) issues. Decision fatigue is a real thing. Trying to move forward, and making sure others are coming along (culture shifts). #CatholicEdChat
A7- I'm teaching something new this year (7/8 SS) and I really ❤️ it but as everyone knows the first year teaching something, one is truly "reinventing the wheel" #CatholicEdChat
Call to Action: Share one space you will focus upon intentionally to grow in your personal, professional, positional, or passions in life. Come back to #BalanceLAP throughout the year to share growth and gain new tips and strategies! #CatholicEdChat
A3 I have made fitness a priority this year. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends for quite a while. Fitting 1 more thing in seemed impossible, but making time for this has helped with stress and feeling stronger all around. #CatholicEdChat
A7. I used to really worry about retirement because who would I be then ? One day, a calm came over me, and I identified myself as a learner. I can be a learner always. #catholicedchat
