Category: teacher self-care

Linda Markley

The I.N.P.U.T. Affect

Can do's, communication, Essential questions, i am enough, Intention, Introspection, Learning Lessons, making connections, Maslow before Blooms, Podcasting, Purpose, Resources, Sincerity, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, teacher behavior, teacher choices, teacher mental health, teacher resources, teacher self-care, teacher support, teacher well-being, Wholehearted teaching

Before you become too focused on whether or not I misspelled “affect” and that I really meant, “effect”, I will let you know that I fully intended to write “Affect” with an “A”.

The etymology of the word affect is from ad “to” + facere (past participle factus) “to make, do”.(etymonliine.com)

We use the word “effect” more to describe the result of something that affected us and our environment…the result of an action that was taken.

Actions DO have an effect on our affect…or is it the other way around?

The proverbial “chicken or egg first” enigma!

As an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) and a language teacher, I have had many opportunities to study and experience first hand what I call the “INPUT” Affect.

Input is what we take from our outside environment and put into our inside environment.

In language terms, “input” is used to describe the words we take in and how we then interpret them based on our own personal values, meaning, experiences, etc.

This “input” can affect how we see ourselves and how we interact (take action) with the world around us and the world within us.

Just a little more context and information…in language terms, there are three modes of communication. The first, and most important one, is the interpretive mode. It powers up the other two modes of communication (interpersonal – two way exchange with another person, and presentational – one way communication).

Early in my career, I realized how important the interpretive mode was to effective communication and to motivating my students to take risks to use the language in personal and meaningful ways.

Then, I created an acronym for the word INPUT to help explain, retain and guide language teachers on their pedagogical decisions for lesson planning so that they could help their students have a more powerful language learning experience. 

(Of course I did because that is a staple in education and learning, right, to create an acronym! Lol!)

I have made this acronym the picture for this blog post to better explain what I mean by INPUT in terms of our personal, everyday lives.

Let me explain it a little more.

(more…)

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Linda Markley

Mind Your Vowels and Consonants

calling to make a difference, Can do's, communication, creating community, Introspection, making connections, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, teacher choices, teacher mental health, teacher self-care, teacher well-being, teachers as role models, Wholehearted teaching

In the last blog post, I talked about teacher behavior in the classroom.

To follow up, I would like to offer up some guidance on how to perhaps become more aware of our behaviors and in turn, make more powerful choices for better, more desired outcomes.

You have probably heard the idiom “mind your p’s and q’s”, right?

So, where did it come from?

In jolly old England, many people, especially working men, would escape to the pub after work to de-stress and forget about their problems.

Many wives would tell them: “Now, if you go to the pub after work, mind your p’s and q’s” (probably because they were not in agreement with their husbands going to the pub).

They didn’t want their husbands drinking in excess until drunk and out of control. 

In England, beer is served in pints or quarts, thus the p’s and the q’s.

The wives were advising (warning?) their husbands to pay attention and be aware of their choice of size and quantity of beer they were consuming.

Well, I thought to myself, what could I come up with the help teachers/people remember the choices they have and to “mind them” (aka pay attention and be aware of our options and choices)?

Mind your vowels and consonants.

Vowels = A E I O U 

So, now we would have:  AFFIRM, ENGAGE, INVITE, OPTIMIZE, UNITE for the steps in our relationship building process with others to produce more harmonious and agreeable results?

AFFIRM the other person’s existence, beliefs, similarities, differences…who they are, but also to learn more about who we are

ENGAGE them in conversation and activities that give them, and you, permission to be curious, explore and learn more toward greater acceptance

INVITE them to join you and Venn Diagram what you have discovered and shared with each other so that you can harmonize your interpersonal interactions

OPTIMIZE the strengths in each other to be able to support, inspire and celebrate each other and see your place in the bigger picture of things (humanity)

UNITE and collaborate and grow together for the greater good of everyone whose lives you touch in order to bring hope to others  

Vowels are the connectors to consonants. The word “consonant” is from Latin, meaning “one sound”. 

Vowels allow us to make utterances, create words and communicate to others our needs, desires, hopes, dreams, affirmations, inspirations, and so on.  

So, if we apply our vowels in all our relationships, we can create one sound together…harmonize…and bring sweet music to the world.

Just think of the power teachers have to bring sweet music into the hearts of children when they create their classroom culture on the relationship “vowels” (like the A E I O U above) and also create connections to a community of “one sound” that will harmonize greater understandings of peace, love, joy, grace, compassion, respect, validation and belonging into this world.

AFFIRM

ENGAGE

INVITE

OPTIMIZE

UNITE 

A E I O U

You can do it too!

 

Image credit:

“Alphabet 20” by Leo Reynolds is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

 

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Linda Markley

Teacher Behavior

calling to make a difference, Essential questions, Intention, Introspection, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, teacher behavior, teacher choices, teacher mental health, teacher self-care, teacher struggles, teacher support, teacher vulnerability, teacher well-being, teachers as role models, Wholehearted teaching

I have always been a big cheerleader and supporter of teachers.

That is why I founded The Spirit of Teaching and my podcast, Teacher Tales.

However, in the past year or so, I have been losing faith and hope as I witness more and more inappropriate behaviors on the part of some teachers…

…in fact, too many teachers!

Let me explain and give some examples. (more…)

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Linda Markley

Summertime FUN!

Essential questions, Joy, Maslow before Blooms, Spirit of teaching, teacher burnout, teacher mental health, teacher self-care, teacher support, teacher well-being

Do you remember the Beach Boys song entitled “Fun, Fun, Fun”?

You can refresh your memory here, and you don’t have to own a T-Bird to relate!

There are a lot of teacher conferences that happen over the summer, and my social media feed has been full of posts from teachers having “fun, fun, fun” at these conferences.

Summer is for fun, and I hope that everyone is finding something that they enjoy and find fun to do.

The word for fun in Spanish is “divertido”, related to the words “divert” and “diversion”.

The etymology of fun is from the Old English word fun meaning “to cheat or trick”.

So, to have fun means…

…to do something that is a diversion from the ordinary or from what we normally do.

…to do something that diverts our attention from our troubles, sorrows, preoccupations, etc. and directs us more toward things that will relieve us of these burdens.

…to do something that cheats time and tricks our minds into a state of bliss and mindful musings.

What is fun to one person may not be fun to another.

So, what are some things we can do to have fun?

(more…)

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Linda Markley

Teacher Mental Health

professional development, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, teacher burnout, teacher mental health, teacher resources, teacher self-care, teacher struggles, teacher support, teacher vulnerability, teacher well-being, Wholehearted teaching

As a long-time attendee of teacher conferences, I can say that the topic of teacher mental health was never a topic for a session of professional development.

This has certainly changed in the past decade, especially after the pandemic!

The number and variety of sessions on teacher mental health and well-being as well as teacher burnout has increased tremendously and, quite frankly, are quite well-attended at conferences.

I,  myself, present often these days on this very topic, and as a result, have gathered quite a bit of research on the topic.

  • 21% of teachers report poor mental health (American Federation of Teachers) 
  • 75% of teachers experience stress (Education Support) 
  • 41% of teachers experience anxiety (American Psychological Association) 
  • 44% of teachers report feeling burnt out (National Center for Education Statistics) 
  • 25-74% of teachers experience clinically significant burnout (ResearchGate) 
  • Teachers are more likely to experience burnout than other professions
  • 68% of teachers feel overwhelmed by their job (NEA) 
  • 48% of teachers are dissatisfied with their job (EdWeek Research Center) 
  • 55% of teachers plan to leave the profession earlier than expected due to burnout (Education WalkThrough) 
  • Teacher mental health has been declining in recent years 
  • The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues among teachers 
  • Younger teachers are more likely to experience mental health problems 

And it is just getting worse by the day.

The mental health of teachers is declining. The Spirit of Teaching is committed and dedicated to helping teachers with the struggles and the challenges that they face every day in the classroom.

Here is how we are helping. (more…)

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Linda Markley

Bring Your A-Game

calling to make a difference, Can do's, i am enough, overwhelmed, Purpose, Spirit of teaching, teacher self-care, teacher vulnerability, Wholehearted teaching

Teaching is demanding, difficult and overwhelming at times.

As we explored in the last blog post, teachers are “in the arena” all the time.

So, how do we “stay in the game” let alone “bring our A-game” in such trying, demanding times?

The term “bring your A-Game” originated in the mid twentieth century and was used mostly to describe athletes.  

According to an online idioms dictionary: 

“It refers to bringing maximum effort, focus and undeniable commitment.

It is an encouragement to do your best…no excuses.

When you bring your A-Game, it means that

you are leaving nothing on the field, court, home or work center.

You are giving it your all.”

Let’s explore this and put it all into perspective.  (more…)

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Linda Markley

Daring Greatly!

calling to make a difference, Can do's, creating community, i am enough, Learning Lessons, Maslow before Blooms, Purpose, Spirit of teaching, Strategies, teacher hero, teacher self-care, teacher vulnerability, Wholehearted teaching

The most influential quote by Teddy Roosevelt for me is the following:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again… who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

Yes, go ahead…read it again…and again…and again!

Print it onto a poster. Hang on a wall. 

Put it on your desk in a picture frame.

Put it in your lesson plans every.single.day!

It is powerful!  And inspiring!

Teacher are in the arena not only during school hours, but also after school hours.

How can we manage this and not feel like we are a target or 
like we are going into battle or part of a public “spectacle”?

(more…)

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Linda Markley

Overwhelmed?

communication, creating community, i am enough, Introspection, Maslow before Blooms, overwhelmed, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, teacher self-care

I am hearing this word used more and MORE these days to answer the question, “How are you doing?”

I get it, especially for teachers!

The word “overwhelm” comes from a combination of the Old English word ofer meaning “beyond, past or more than” and the Middle English word whelmen meaning “to turn upside down”. (etymonline.com)

In the 15th Century, the word “overwhelm” came to be used to mean “to submerge completely” and probably was used to describe boats and other sea-going vessels that were “washed over and overset by a big wave”. (etymonline.com)

As always, word origins and etymology helps us gain insights and make connections that can possibly help us with solving problems and finding solutions!

Yay for the power of language!

But here is also a graphic, “picture”, that will help use see how the feelings and subsequent use of the word “overwhelmed” to describe these feelings has grown over time.

Amazing, huh, but not surprising given our current culture of technology, the internet, social media, etc.

Another way to help people understand a concept is to use a metaphor or analogy to which people can relate.

So, using the imagery of a boat sailing along on calm seas, and all of a sudden, a big wave comes and washes over it and the boat is now submerged, off course and struggling to “right itself” can be a powerful metaphor for the teacher to understand how they are feeling and, subsequently, how to manage the “vast ocean and rough seas” of teaching.

On any given day of the school year, teachers feel submerged and like they are drowning in an ocean of paperwork, emails, parent and admin demands, challenges of not having enough resources or support to do their jobs, not being appreciated enough and being criticized too much (sometimes quite viciously and inhumanely by parents).

Every day becomes an emotional roller coaster ride for teachers in the classroom.

And as in the real world, these roller coasters are becoming higher, more complicated and more scary to endure for more than a few minutes.

This submerged, drowning feeling like they are all alone in a little boat in a vast ocean of rough weather, rough seas and no help in sight is causing many teachers to send up an S.O.S. signal of despair, disappointment and disillusionment.

Other teachers are just jumping ship altogether.

So. what can we do to help teachers “right their boats” (a boating expression used to describe the process/action of turning the boat right side up after it has capsized)?

But more importantly, what can teachers do to not get overwhelmed and capsize?

How can they navigate the rough seas of teaching for more “smooth sailing” ahead?

Warning: there is a big wave of sailing metaphors ahead, but don’t jump ship yet! Read on… (more…)

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Linda Markley

Are You Listening?

calling to make a difference, communication, creating community, Learning Lessons, making connections, Maslow before Blooms, Passion, Podcasting, professional development, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Teacher Appreciation, teacher hero, teacher self-care, teacher vulnerability, Wholehearted teaching

Along with all of the resources provided by the Spirit of Teaching, I have also been doing a podcast called Teacher Tales.

The purpose of the podcast is to let teachers share their stories or “tales” of teaching with the hope that their stories, insights, words of wisdom and experiences will serve as lessons as well as sources of inspiration to other teachers.

It is also a form of advocacy and legacy-building effort for the profession as these stories serve as insights to what it is really like to be a teacher. The public often has a skewed viewpoint, and the podcast can help those who are not teachers see things more clearly and realistically.

As each podcast guest teacher shares their story, a theme of main ideas and some really inspiring lessons seem to come through for the listener.

For example, in Teacher Tales Episode #5, I talk to Meredith, a dear friend and fellow conference “junkie”. Meredith is an amazing teacher and human being whose positive energy, authenticity and sense of humor lifts you up and takes you away on a magic carpet ride to a “whole new world” of teaching (a little Aladdin-style), but at the same time she reminds teachers to stay real and set one priority in this moment that will help us find balance and sustainability in what we do.

It is a little like reminding us that wherever we go, Abu is always along for the ride. You remember Abu, right? That mischievous little monkey who is a kleptomaniac, gets frustrated rather easily and hates to be made a fool of. At the same time, Abu is loyal, unselfish, big-hearted, empathic and benevolent.

Hmmmm, sounds like a metaphor for teaching. As teachers, we want to take those students on that magic carpet ride of learning. We want to help them see the world in a whole new perspective that will uplift their efforts and their view of themselves.

However, we also need to remember Abu is always with us on that journey.

What, you say? How is that? (more…)

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Linda Markley

Teacher Inosculation

calling to make a difference, Can do's, communication, creating community, Learning Lessons, making connections, Purpose, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, teacher self-care, teacher vulnerability, Wholehearted teaching

I came across an article recently entitled “Nature’s Eternal Embrace: The Extraordinary Bond of Inosculation” by Hasan Jasim. 

You can read the article here.

I have found myself longing to be outside in the healing context of Mother Nature.

But alas, it has been so hot, buggy and uncomfortable to spend more than five minutes outside. So, I have found myself hibernating and somewhat isolating in reading things and also in my thoughts.

First of all, it reminds me of how we do this as teachers in our classrooms.

For whatever reasons, we isolate in our classrooms with “our kids” and don’t get outside much to interact with our colleagues or teammates.

I witnessed the danger of this firsthand when a first year teacher in my school struggled to adjust to all the demands of teaching, and isolated herself in her classroom. She was afraid to get help because she felt she would be judged as not enough or incompetent.

After three months, she had a nervous breakdown and had to leave the profession.

This had a HUGE IMPACT on me.

I felt I had not done my part as a “seasoned veteran teacher” to help her.

Small things such as…

Stop by her classroom and see how she was doing.

Ask her how I could support her in her new teacher role.

Encourage, inspire and uplift her…just listen and offer hugs and words of affirmation.

Something, somehow to let her know she was not alone and that we had ALL been there (and maybe some of us still were!)

I decided I needed to do something to help connect with these new teachers and build a supportive school community…as much for the newbies as for those of us who were perhaps struggling with burnout and our own form of isolation.

Now, what does all of this backstory mean and how does it connect to Mother Nature, teachers and this new word “inosculation”? (more…)

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Linda Markley

Travel as Teacher

Essential questions, Learning Lessons, making connections, Passion, professional development, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, teacher self-care, Wholehearted teaching

School is out for the summer, and there is a massive movement of people heading out on vacations all over the world…especially teachers!

Travel is one of the greatest teachers there is. 

I never traveled until I was eighteen-years-old, which is hard to believe in this day and age.

No, I didn’t grow up in the Stone Age when travel consisted of putting one foot in front of the other. Ha! 

However, I did travel the Camino de Santiago in Spain, which was one of the greatest and most life changing experiences of my life. 

It was basically putting one foot in front of the other.

BUT…it was also about getting out of my head, out of fear and into faith and believing in myself….that I could figure things out and overcome all obstacles.

I once read that travel does that, and that is why so many people love to travel and do so often. 

It makes us use all our senses to live in the present moment in order to take in all the sights, sounds, sensations, emotions, etc. and to experience life to its fullest.

So, how does that work? 

AND more importantly, do I have to travel far or internationally 

or even physically to have this life experience?

Of course, as a language teacher, I am a big fan of travel internationally in order to experience and learn more about culture and language. 

That kind of travel has taught me a lot, both personally and professionally.

But it is costly, and I have been fortunate enough to take student groups abroad and share this travel with them as a sort of second line of “teacher”.

They learn so much more from these experiences than I could ever have taught them in the classroom and from a book.

A lot of teachers travel during the summer in order to learn and gain more experiences that they can then use as resources and as inspiration for lessons in order to pass this knowledge on to their students and broaden their horizons, so to speak.

But what if one can’t afford to travel far or have no one to go with or no resources to do so?

We can travel in other ways, which clearly is not as effective.

However, and more importantly, perhaps taking advantage of the opportunity to travel in our minds and in our souls…to experience and learn more about ourselves…is the more important lesson and the real teacher.

For example, on the Camino, I met a lady who was really lost in life and miserable. 

One night, in the middle of the night, she came across the movie The Way, which is about the experiences and both the inner and outer landscapes of four pilgrims walking the Camino.

She felt the connection. She longed for similar experiences…to get out into Nature. To walk more. To meet more people. To find herself again.

So, she saved and saved until she was able to finally TRAVEL to Spain and start walking the Camino. It was life-changing, as it was for me.

What about books, especially adventure books that travel to faraway lands or even just travel to our inner dimension and get us in touch with our feelings?

LeVar Burton and Reading Rainbow encouraged children to do this:

Butterfly in the sky
I can go twice as high
Take a look
It’s in a book
A reading rainbow

I can go anywhere
Friends to know
And ways to grow
A reading rainbow

I can be anything
Take a look
It’s in a book
A reading rainbow (A reading rainbow)
A reading rainbow (A reading rainbow, a reading rainbow)           (credit Reading Rainbow)

We can travel in our minds through meditation or yoga or tai chi or forest sound baths and visualizations.  I actually do this with students and teachers in workshops using a scenic picture and asking them to close their eyes and imagine they are there. 

Next, I ask them to describe what they see in the picture and how that makes them feel. Then, we go bigger picture, and we talk about where that place is, how to get there, what would we say when we get there, who would we meet, what would we do?

Check out some of the resources I have here for these kinds of “spirit/soul” travel experiences.

So, this summer, I hope you are able to travel somewhere and somehow in order to tap into your inner and outer landscape of life experiences and grow from there because travel truly is the greatest teacher!

Perhaps you would like to travel to Spain on the Camino by reading my book, Learning Lessons.

It is available on Amazon, B&N, BAM and all other major booksellers. I hope you check it out!

 

Image credit:

“Globe-Map-Suitcase-Travel-1800×2880” by Will Spark is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

 

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Linda Markley

May Days

calling to make a difference, Can do's, i am enough, Intention, Joy, Resources, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, teacher self-care

May is a special month.

It is the end of another school year for most.

It is a beginning of the summer break, warmer temps and travel.

May is not just the fifth month of the calendar year, however.

It is also a verb, from the Old English mæg “am able”.

We use the word “may” also to ask permission…an old favorite of teachers everywhere.

Student – “Can I go to the bathroom?”

Teacher – “I don’t know, can you?”

After a confused look or eye roll from the student, the teacher then replies: “Yes, you MAY go to the bathroom”.

So, why am I going on and on about the word “may”?

Because I want to send teachers off into their summer with 
some permissions, abilities and “may days” (as opposed to “may daze”). (more…)

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Linda Markley

The Teacher SPIRIT

calling to make a difference, Can do's, creating community, Essential questions, i am enough, Intention, Introspection, Intuition, Joy, Learning Lessons, making connections, Maslow before Blooms, Passion, Purpose, Resources, Sincerity, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, Strategies, teacher hero, teacher self-care, teacher vulnerability, Wholehearted teaching

Like so many educators today, I left the educational profession because my school “SPIRIT” was suffering.

I didn’t know what that meant at the time or exactly how to describe it because really I was focused on my poor health and inability to walk very far without my legs giving out on me.

I left the profession “broken” both physically and mentally.

I literally had “fallen”, and I could’t get up.

I was lost with no sense or real direction(s).

So, when I walked across Spain on the Camino Francés, with each step I took and each person I met and each experience I had, I learned a lesson.

And these lessons eventually led me back to my true teaching SPIRIT.

I wanted to share the lessons from my journey with others, especially teachers, to somehow help them find their way back to their true SPIRIT.

I founded The Spirit of Teaching, created a website of resources and started a podcast called Teacher Tales in which teachers can tell their stories of teaching and what makes up a true teaching SPIRIT.

Of course being a teacher and in the field of education, I developed an acronym to help remember the qualities and aspirations of a true teaching SPIRIT (which is why it is capitalized and really should have periods in between each letter).

They can be found on this website and shared with others.

Check them out here.  

Print them out and put them in your plan book.

Journal about them.

Post the mantras and “yellow arrow” guides around your classroom, home, office, car, etc.

There are even more resources that can help guide you and keep you on your intended path.

Check them out here.

You also might want to purchase my book Learning Lessons which is a real treasure trove of insight, resources, guidance and activities that you can use to help inspire and guide you back to your own True Self and the teaching SPIRIT in all of us!

Link to purchase Learning Lessons.

 

Photo credit:

created by Linda Markley in Canva

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Linda Markley

C.A.R.E. Packages

calling to make a difference, Can do's, creating community, i am enough, Introspection, Intuition, Joy, Maslow before Blooms, Spirit of teaching, Spirit practices, teacher self-care

As teachers, we know what this time of year means.

The end of the semester race, crunch and sprint.

We kind of get into our flow by October, but by the time November rolls around, we face many hurdles ahead.

  1. Thanksgiving 
  2. Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza
  3. Semester exams 
  4. Semester grades
  5. New Year and Admin visits/evaluations

WHEW! Did I just ramp up your stress level by a million percent?

Not intended, but just a list of the reality teachers face in the months of November and December.

AS IF their plates were not already full or even overflowing with “all the things” teachers have to do, but THEN, to add all the extra things that the holidays bring with them.

Crowded stores, tightening budget, lack of sleep, very limited time/money/sanity/energy…

Overflow of stress from kids and their parents dealing with their own holiday stressors.

All the food, sweets and holiday parties tempting us around every corner.

YIKES!

Sounds like teachers really could use a C.A.R.E. package to rescue them during Nov. and Dec.

So, what can we do to care for teachers during this time?

AND more importantly, what can teachers do to C.A.R.E. for themselves as things crank up during Nov. and Dec.? (more…)

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