#6thchat is used to chat, collaborate, and grow with other sixth grade educators from around the globe. Each session we discuss a topic voted on by #6thchat participants. It's a great way to help grow your PLN and share ideas with others.
Welcome to #6thchat. Introduce yourself, where you teach, and what subjects! I am Kristin and teach ELA and SS. I will be moderating tonight's chat. I teach in Lansing, Michigan.
My name is Kayla. I am a pre - service math 4-8 teacher. I will be graduating next semester!! I am always looking for innovating ways to teach mathematics to students. #6thchat#edfb4338
A1) I feel tired for sure...kind of a bone-achingly tired. The teacher train is gaining some speed in a downhill fashion and so I have to consciously pump the brakes (and I am not good at that). #6thchat
Hi everyone! Michelle from Saskatchewan, Canada jumping in tonight. I am principal of a K-8 school and I teach grade 6 ELA, social and health. #6thchat
A1) Man, I am tired today too!
Headachy tired after today.
I feel like it should be Friday but it is only Tuesday. This year, on the whole, I have felt inspired and raring to go...but today...not so much. #6thchat
A1 Right now I feel stressed since it is the long stretch to the end of the semester so lots of tests to study for. Genuinely I am happy though and excited to begin students teaching next semester. #6thchat#edfb4338
A1) At this moment, I genuinely feel exhausted. I regularly monitor my life, choices, sleep, diet, exercise, and balance. I think the busyness is catching up on me. #6thchat
Michelle, I feel the same. Is it age? Or just the busyness of the year catching up on us? I sleep 9 hours a night, so mine is not lack of sleep. #6thchat
A2) Self-care includes several spokes in the well-being wheelhouse: spiritual/mindfulness; physical conditioning (cardio/strength); nutritional; rest/sleep/rejuvenation; fun/social (hobbies). A person who's committed to self-care prioritizes & intentionally plans them. #6thchat
A1) I am eager to get started with student teaching in January. This week I've done well with checking up on myself with constant self care, journaling, and reflection especially after being sick last week! #6thchat
A2) #6thchat Self-care is about taking care of your whole self and not just focused on your teaching life or others. Exercising, eating right, fun, quiet along with the work.
I ask myself the same question. It has been an exceptionally busy year so far and I think she might have something to do with it, I just don’t like to admit it. Ha, ha. #6thchat
Great list!!! Overall balance is key.
Sometimes (often times) hard to do when we are so focusing on provide the best educational experiences for our students. And make time for our families. #6thchat
A2) Self care is paying attention to your well being mentally and physically. A person committed to self care spends time reflecting on how they are feeling and takes time to themselves when needed. #6thchat
It will be so important that you take care of yourself when you student teach. It's easy to get overwhelmed and miss the moments of joy in the day. Take time to pause and enjoy the journey. #6thchat
A3) Always tough but when I am successful, I actually find ways to create time/space in my days by habit stacking (learned a lot in this https://t.co/EDsDuxlFCp ) On Sun afternoon I meal prep & clothes prep for the week so I don't have to think about these time drains. #6thchat
Yes, balance. So easy to say and yet sometime challenging to achieve. I think it's okay to say, "I'm not having a great day, week, or month..." It's okay to recognize balance is off, but it's not okay to let it stay that way for too long. #6thchat
A3: Try to keep the work @ work and home @ home. Keep updated Google Calendar and Google Keep notes to keep track of what is done and needs to be done
#6thchat
Yes, balance. So easy to say and yet sometime challenging to achieve. I think it's okay to say, "I'm not having a great day, week, or month..." It's okay to recognize balance is off, but it's not okay to let it stay that way for too long. #6thchat
A3 I have worked hard to make peace with the fact I will never be done my list. I leave school a bit earlier most days and do not bring my laptop home. #6thchat
A3 I am a scheduler and write down everything that I need to do for the week in order to keep myself organized. This helps me find some me time in order to relax and unstress after a stressful day. #6thchat#edfb4338
A3) #6thchat I struggle with a balance but I am getting better. I often tip to the work side. But, I have my workouts scheduled and I am trying to do less on the weekend. I make sure I have at least one whole day when I do nothing school related.
A3) I actually started the year making a balance pact. I thought through where and when I had problems and made myself guidelines. TBH, I haven't been 100% successful, but I have something concrete to go back to. #6thchat
Hi everyone! I am a student teacher attending Cedarville University. A2) I believe this topic of self-care and healthy balance is very important for teachers to model for their students, especially at the middle school level #6thchat
A4) Being unorganized or not thinking ahead typically can de-rail me. It's important to stay on my own track; also, saying "yes" to too many things w/o thinking about the time it may take from other activities I might enjoy. #6thchat
A2: I think self-care means understanding that if you don't take care of yourself, you won't be able to be the best person you can for everyone around you. I think self-care involves setting boundaries for yourself and sticking too them. For me, plenty of sleep! #6thchat
A4 I think when the to do list starts piling up. It can be easy to convince myself to stay at school instead of going to the track or going home early. #6thchat
A3: I started using a bullet journal and I find that the lists are very useful and calming for me. When I am able to check things off I am more productive and don't feel like I have a million things going that I'm going to forget about. #6thchat
A3: Also, as mentioned, I go to bed on time, even if it means leaving something ungraded or unplanned. I am way more productive in the morning and also I need to be well rested to have the patience to enjoy middle school kids all day long! #6thchat
A4: With teaching, there is just always more that could be planned, organized, analyzed, etc. And I enjoy doing it, so it's not that it's bad. Just sometimes not balanced! But I like that I can "free read" and feel like that's also useful for work! #6thchat
Part of it is that we love our jobs so sometimes working is "fun" to us, but we do need to keep that in check as well. I mean, sometimes I just have to do the laundry...#6thchat
I wish I had your organization skills! I have friends who use planners and are highly organized. I can barely keep my google calendar up to date. #6thchat
A5) I really need to do some pleasure reading. I want two full days to binge read a mystery. On a lounge chair. With service. I don't need a view. : ) #6thchat
I am terrible with digital reminders. I typically have a planner with a calendar in it for school stuff, and a second for my house and bills I have to pay. I have actually started building my own calendars from scratch that way it is more cost efficient. #6thchat#edfb4338
A5) #6thchat I would like more time for pleasure reading. There are so many books on my list for me, but I tend to read books that I will use in my class. I also want to learn to play the piano, but it hasn't fit into my schedule yet.
Great strategy. I like how you compartmentalize. I have a daughter in grad school. I love watching her organize her planner. She's very ritualistic about it. The good think about digital is the reminder pings. #6thchat
A6) Asking how they feel (how do they genuinely feel)? I think that it's important to not "assume" a colleague is feeling overwhelmed as everyone has different levels of tolerance. But, having conversations and helping them to be more intentional w/their time. #6thchat
We are the same here. I also need to just walk away from the TV when my husband has it on as I get swept into something I'm not really interested in and could use my time better. #6thchat
A6) Great question! My partner and I started the year with a commitment to balance. If we see either one off track, we remind each other. We also go off campus for lunch once in a while just to have a break. An accountability partner really helps. #6thchat
I do love @Planboard. I have a planner that is paper that I get the basics in, the lists, etc. I use my online Planboard to get all my links, documents, etc in one spot. Love how quickly I can access everything. The paper is sketch and Planboard is the complete picture. #6thchat
A7) I meal prep on Sundays making lots of chicken, cutting up fruits/veggies. I ensure I bring healthy meals for lunch and snacks so that I do not get derailed from my nutritional goals. #6thchat
Exactly! It's working really well. The important thing is that we trust each other. We're all in for kids but we know that we have to take care of ourselves as well. #6thchat
Yes. Have you started student-teaching yet? I had one last year. There were days when I could tell she was exhausted. I'd have her teach a lesson then send her home to sleep. Yep, sleep. It's ok to give ourselves TLC. #6thchat
A7) #6thchat I do all my shopping on the weekend & have an outline of what I will make for the week. I sometimes get derailed when I forget to thaw something & I am famished when I get home. I sometimes forget to bring snacks to school too. I need to do better in this area.
I have a hard time eating healthy and exercising right now because I am in school that I have to drive over an hour to get to so I can't go home to eat lunch. I have been going to Wal-Mart and getting a sub for lunch. I figured this is better than eating out all the time #6thchat
A7) Meal prepping on Sunday helps but having someone keep me accountable and giving me constant affirmation for making it to the gym or eating healthy helps tremendously! (Thanks Mom!) #6thchat
A8) Planning to send surprise notes to friends and family that I haven't seen in awhile. Since "snail" mail is so unused these days, people actually get excited when they receive a personal note through the mail. #6thchat
A8: I am in charge of our daily broadcast announcements, one thing I can do is to have the Ss I work with on this add a part to recognize a student or staff member that did something cool
#6thchat
A8) #6thchat Just letting people know that you appreciate them and specify what you appreciate that they do. Sometimes these small moments make a big difference to someone.
I am going to be student teaching in January. I am already exhausted and I know student teaching is going to be more work so I am trying to prepare for it as much as I can. #6thchat
A6: Maybe modeling just like we would do with kids. I think especially for new teachers, if we talk to them about what we do to keep ourselves happy, they will get the message that they can make self-care plans too. #6thchat
Being self-aware is a start. You've got a good head on your shoulders. I'll pray that you get a master teacher that you connect with. If you need anything, please reach out. Everyone in this tribe is kind and we all want each other to succeed. #6thchat
A note about next week! #6thchat will be a 3 day #SLOWCHAT. Here are the questions and dates for answers in advance! Consider "scheduling" your tweets and give yourself the gift of inspiring others while saving yourself time. Have a wonderful relaxing Thanksgiving!
Q8) Sending a quick text or phone call to let people know I am thinking about them and asking how they are doing. When life gets busy I forget to check up on the people who mean the most to me! #6thchat
A8 I don't gossip so a lot of people come to me to talk about whats going on in there life and I feel like just being there for them and listening and telling them that they are doing great is typically enough to uplift most people. #6thchat
A7: I don't do very well most of the time. I always bring breakfast and lunch, and sometimes dinner... usually my breakfast is nutritionally sound, sometimes lunch... On a good week I cook on the weekend and have leftovers. #6thchat
Being self-aware is a start. You've got a good head on your shoulders. I'll pray that you get a master teacher that you connect with. If you need anything, please reach out. Everyone in this tribe is kind and we all want each other to succeed. #6thchat
Yes, but luckily no students Monday or Tuesday just conferences. And since I teach an encore (when I teach) it is very unlikely I will get much traffic (which I am fine with)
#6thchat
Thank you everyone for sharing and helping to promote self-care! May you all have a restful and yet productive week! Be mindful. Be kind to yourself. And be grateful! I appreciate all of you! #6thchat
6th grade level or adult? I read the Elly Griffiths mysteries this summer (adult). For 6th, I love the Sammy Keyes mysteries @WendelinVanD and recently read a historical mystery by @Deborahopkinson (The Great Trouble). Also, everything by Christopher Paul Curtis. #6thchat
In reply to
@mrskochheiser, @pjcerullo, @WendelinVanD, @Deborahopkinson
