The start of the new school year is always exciting! A fresh start with new classes. Some of the first things that you are likely to do with a new class is to create a calm and welcoming environment and to establish clear expectations. This not only helps the children you teach but also you as the teacher. Having clear expectations and a nurturing environment helps everyone. You may have been visualising how you would like things to be and ideas about how to make your class fully engaged. You may have thought about how you are going to create class expectations that the class feel ownership for. Having the expectations set out and then being consistent with them will help everyone to feel safer and learn.
But have you considered the best way to look after yourself? Have you thought about what you need to ensure that you have nurturing expectations for yourself? Things that you know that if you do them consistently you feel better in yourself. Looking after your own wellbeing is one of the main priorities at the start of an academic year. It is easy to get swept along with all the things you think you should be doing. If, however, you don’t take time to consider your own self-care then everything else becomes a bit harder.
I’m not advocating having a huge unrealistic plan of what you hope to include in your self-care, I’m talking about starting small. Thinking about small, easy things that you can include into your day that help you feel nurtured. What one thing can you try to do each day that would help you to know you have done something that looks after you? Maybe it’s walking the dog before work, listening to your favourite podcast or playlist while getting ready, or maybe it’s taking time to stop and fully enjoy a cup of tea while it is hot and not doing anything else at the same time. It maybe you would prefer to prioritise exercise in your day, having a relaxing bath or finding time to read a chapter of your book. All these things are small things that you can try and if you do them you know you will feel better that day for making time for them.
Building small self-care acts into your day and recognizing that you have made time to do this can be hugely beneficial to how we view our day. Making time for things that we enjoy and that relax us can help us to enjoy our teaching even more. What are you going to ensure you include in your day?
To find out more about self-care for teachers visit my YouTube channel Michelle Auton - YouTube, or my website MichelleAuton.com
If you are struggling with your wellbeing please speak to your mentor, someone in school you trust, or your doctor. You can also get help from the Samaritans by calling 116 123 or from Education support by calling 08000 562 561.
Comentarios