7 IDEAS MOTIVACIONALES PARA EMPEZAR BIEN EL AÑO ESCOLAR

No importa que año enseñes, cuantos años lleves enseñando o donde enseñes; ¡empezar un nuevo año escolar siempre nos pone de nervios! ¿Cierto? Ni toda la experiencia del mundo puede quitarnos ese sentimiento, así que aquí comparto una lista de vigorosas ideas para empezar con el pie derecho:

DESCANSA:

Es bien importante que como maestros nos desconectemos y encontremos tranquilidad al salir del trabajo. Los veranos y las vacaciones son excelentes momentos para descansar pero es importante descansar también durante el tiempo que damos clases. Estos días, la profesión educativa exige demasiado y tenemos muchos roles; tan pronto como entramos a la escuela somos padres, psicólogos, consejeros, árbitros, alimentadores, proveedores, ¡ah y educadores también! Ja. Atendemos a tantas personas en un día que a veces es casi imposible dejar todo eso en el salón de clases. Es por esta razón que debemos encontrar un lugar relajante o un hobby reconfortante que nos permita atendernos a nosotros mismos diariamente o al menos una vez a la semana. 

MANTEN UNA ACTITUD POSITIVA:

Sí, la montaña es muy alta… ¡pero la vista será hermosa! Habrá muchos problemas, múltiples quehaceres, documentación, calificaciones y mucho más. Sera muy fácil desmotivarse si no contienes y alimentas tu grandeza interna. Trata de encontrar soluciones, no problemas. ¡Recuerda respirar y tomar un día a la vez! Intenta no pasarles tu estrés a otras personas ni culparlas de tus problemas. Esto podría crear una atmosfera muy negativa a tu alrededor. En vez de eso, disminuye la mitad de tus problemas con un organizador que te permita distribuir la carga y tus labores escolares a lo largo de la semana. No gastes toda tu energía enfocándote en otras personas, mejor enfócate en ti y recuerda mantener tu objetivo [la hermosa vista] en mente.

PLANEA CON TIEMPO

Planear tus lecciones con tiempo te dará cierta tranquilidad. Al principio es muy difícil entrar en modo de planeación, especialmente si es tu primer año como maestra, pero una vez que le agarras el hilo, se va facilitando bastante. ¿La recompensa? Estar preparado para tus estudiantes no tiene precio. Es muy útil planear con tu equipo aunque no siempre es fácil debido a la mezcla de personalidades tales como la maestra veterana, la negativa, la muy positiva, la llena de ideas, la que no tiene muchas ideas, la motivada de más, la que no está motivada para nada, la que no le importa o la que solo quiere hacer las cosas a su manera, etc… pero la verdad es que todo mundo se beneficia de compartir ideas, recursos y planear juntos. Trata de ser la persona que encuentre el punto intermedio para planear con todos.

COMUNICATE CON TU EQUIPO:

Tu equipo se convertirá en tu segunda familia, te guste o no. No podrás escoger con quien vas a trabajar pero aun así los verás todos los días. Aprende a conocer a las personas con las que trabajas, una buena  forma de lograr este [imposible] objetivo es comer el almuerzo con tu equipo; no con algunos de ellos sino de ser posible con todos. Esto te ayudará a conocer a los miembros del equipo en un ámbito personal y profesional. Es CLAVE respetar las diferencias y hablar de las dificultades así como pedir o proporcionar ayuda (estar disponible), compartir acontecimientos diarios y ser receptivos, comparte ideas cuando puedas sin criticar… pero lo más importante es ESCUCHAR. Algunas veces lo único que necesitamos es a alguien que nos escuche, ¿cierto? Ser un buen escucha siempre será apreciado. ;-)

NO TE TOMES NADA PERSONAL:

Por mucho que “¡tienes que estar aquí a tiempo!” suene como algo personal, es mejor no tomarlo de esa manera. Mi madre siempre me dijo que uno no va al trabajo a hacer amigos sino a trabajar. Esta frase se me quedó bien grabada, es muy cierta [aunque debo admitir que he hecho buenas amistades en el trabajo, ¡mi esposo es uno de ellos!] La verdad es que en todo ambiente de trabajo siempre hay personas que van a estar en desacuerdo con tu estilo laboral, tus opiniones y todas tus ideas; pero si dejamos que esto nos afecte puede ser sumamente abrumador. En vez de sentirte vencido o dolido a tal grado de no querer abrir la boca nunca más, piensa que evitar personas negativas es muy diferente a desprenderse de los sentimientos personales de sus opiniones. Ten confianza en ti misma, haz preguntas que te guíen a entender su perspectiva y te lleven a mejorar en lugar de crear resentimientos. Recuerda que lo más importante es lo que tú piensas de tu estilo de enseñanza… ¡Crece y brilla colega!

AYUDENSE UNOS A OTROS:

¡Da una mano! Algunas veces los maestros no pedimos ayuda pero cuando lo hacemos, realmente estamos tratando de acercarnos a alguien que nos dé ideas, nos comparta recursos o nos enseñe a hacer algo y es muy probable que estemos fuera de nuestra zona de confort. Dar u ofrecer 15 minutos de tu tiempo no mata, así que si ves a alguien que necesite ayuda por favor sé esta persona que lleve el legado de la docencia a un buen lugar. Te darás cuenta que los maestros somos muy buenos en regresar favores. De vez en cuando, cuando tengo un poco de tiempo en las manos, le pregunto a mis compañeros si necesitan ayuda con algo y la verdad esto nunca le ha molestado a nadie. Claro, tambien es importante pedir ayuda cuando lo necesites, habra maestros felices de compartir lo que saben contigo, no lo dudes. 

SÉ FLEXIBLE: 

Esto podría ser extremadamente difícil; especialmente cuando hay una práctica de incendio en medio de tu sesión de planeación o tu examen de unidad; sin embargo lo que es aún más difícil es tratar de controlar lo que no se puede cambiar. ¡Te va a cansar! Vuelve a clases después de la práctica de incendios y ponte de acuerdo con tus compañeros o tus estudiantes, quizás lo único que necesites es dar tiempo extra a los chicos para terminar lo que estaban haciendo. ;-)

A pesar de todo, ser un buen companero de equipo es importante en estos dias. ¡Trae lo mejor de ti y ven preparado a dar lo mejor de ti!

Por favor comparte en los comentarios, que otros consejos te ayudan a mantenerte positivo en el trabajo. 

7 MOTIVATIONAL IDEAS FOR A GREAT SCHOOL YEAR

No matter what grade you teach, how many years you have been teaching or where do you teach; starting a new school year could always be nerve-wracking! Do you agree? Not even all experience in the world can stop that feeling. So here is a list of powerful ideas to get  you started with the right foot:

REST:

It is important that we as teachers disconnect and find some tranquility after work. Summers and breaks are a great way to do it but it's important that we rest during school days as well. These days, being a teacher is VERY demanding and we wear a tremendous amount of hats; as soon as we enter the school building we become parents, psychologists, counselors, referees, feeders, suppliers, oh and teachers too ha! We give attention to so many people all day that sometimes it's just plain hard to leave all that in your classroom. So that's why it is important that you find a relaxing place or a comforting hobby to give attention to yourself on a daily or at least weekly basis.

KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE:

Yes the mountain is high... but the view will be gorgeous! There will be problems, multiple tasks, paper work, grades and so much more. It will be easy to become unmotivated if you don't keep your inner greatness together. Try to find solutions, not problems. Remember to breath and take one day at a time! Try not to take your stress on other people, don't point fingers or blame someone else about your struggles. This will create a very negative atmosphere around you. Instead, get yourself a planner and try to distribute your load and prioritize your tasks throughout the week. Don't waste your time focusing on other people, focus on yourself and remember: keep your goal [the gorgeous view] in mind!

PLAN AHEAD: 

Planning for your lessons will give you so much peace of mind. At first it is hard to get into planning mode, especially if you are a first year teacher; but once you get the hang of it, it gets easier an easier. The reward? Being prepared for the students is a priceless thing! It is very useful to plan with your team although it's not always easy, there will be all kinds of teacher personalities: the veteran, the negative, the very positive, the full of ideas, the not-many-ideas, the overly motivated, the unmotivated, the careless, the my-way-only, etc., but the truth is everybody benefits from sharing ideas and planning together! Be the bigger person and try to find the common ground.

COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR TEAM: 

Your team will be like your second family, whether you like it or not. You won't be able to choose who you work with, however you'll see them every day. Learn to know the people you work with, a great way to tackle this [impossible] idea is to eat lunch with your team, not two of them or some of them but ALL of them. This will allow you to know your teammates in a personal and professional level. It is KEY to respect differences and talk about your struggles, reach out for help (and be reachable), share happenings and be receptive, share ideas when you can without criticizing... but no matter what, always LISTEN. Sometimes that's all we need, someone who listens to us, right? it will be appreciated. =) 

DON'T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONAL: 

As much as "you need to be here on time!" may sound personal, it is better to don't take it to your heart. My mother always told me that we don't go to work to make friends but to actually do our job. This statement stuck in my head... It is so true [although I have to admit that I've made good friends at work, my husband is one of them lol]!. The truth is, in every work environment there is always people who will disagree with your style, your opinion and ALL your ideas; but if you let them affect you, it could be extremely overwhelming. So instead of feeling defeated, like no positive words will ever come out of your mouth again; keep in mind that avoiding negative people and a detaching your personal feelings from a situation or people’s opinions, are two different things. Be confident about yourself, ask questions about their perspective that could lead towards improvement not grudges, and more importantly, remember that what really matters is what you think about your instruction and how you feel about it. Grow and shine my friend!

HELP EACH OTHER: 

Lend a hand! Sometimes teachers won't ask for help but when we do, we are really reaching out and are probably out of our comfort zones. Lending 15 minutes of your time won't kill you, so if you see someone in need please be that person who carries the teaching legacy to a good place. You will find out that teachers are very good at returning favors. Occasionally, when I have some time in my hands, I ask my teammates if they need help with anything, it has never hurt anyone.

BE FLEXIBLE: 

This could be extremely difficult, especially when there is a fire drill in the middle of your planning session or your unit test; however it is way more challenging to try to control what you can't change. It will wear you out! Come back after the fire drill and make arrangements with your partner teacher or your students, maybe all you need to do is simply give kids extra time to finish what they were doing. 

All in all, being a good teammate matters a lot this days. Bring your best you and be ready to dive your best!  Please share and comment below what other ideas work for you that help you enjoy your school year. 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A GOOD STUDENT? AN INTRODUCTION TO THE RULES

This week went waaay smoother than I thought it would be. I had been warned that this year I would have some behavior problems so I armed myself up with some discipline introduction lessons and it seems like it has paid off so far!

To start with, I want to mention that this year I did NOT start with the rules of the classroom and I saw some smiling faces and relief... say what?? Instead, I started with a reflection on what being a good student is and what being a bad student looks like. You know? I realized that some kiddos are used to hear the term BE GOOD and for them it's all that matter when it comes down to being a good student, BUT... do they know what the term BE GOOD means? No they don't! At least some of them don't! I was shocked! So in our behavior reflection, we actually differentiated the actions between a good and a bad student. 

First I started with the book "David Goes to School" by David Shannon, most of my students were familiar with this book from kinder and first grade , then we talked about what actions made David a bad student and what consequences he had or could have had. After that it was very clear what a bad student looked like so we started thinking about what do good students do, for that I used my own activity in spanish REGLAS Y COMPORTAMIENTO from TPT where students had to cut and paste phrases that defined what a good student is, has, knows and never does. I noticed that my activity felt a little too long so if you use it make sure to cut it down if you want, (or it could have been that feeling at the beginning of the school year where it feels like students work in slow motion ha!). 

While my students were working I passed around their seats and gave them a laminated sentence to add to our anchor chart later on. When my students finished, we sat in the rug and took turns to classify our sentences into Bad Students and Good Students. Each student had a chance to add their own sentence. The Good Student side of the chart had obviously more sentences and it was amazing to see their faces when they realized that being a good student isn't easy, they seemed overwhelmed and asked me if they had to do ALL THAT to be good, I said NO! at least not all in one day but I also explained that they should aim for those behaviors on a daily basis; they got excited as they realized that some of those things they knew how to do already. 

The next day we did "Letters to David" We used some writing to give good advice to David on how to be a good student. They came up beauuuuuutiful! and I already have some projects up on the bulletin board. 

The next day was all about the rules, we played the game "Guess The Rule" and they were all sharing ideas on what they thought would be a good rule and if I had it in my hand, then I would post it in the wall behind me. We also talked about the rewards and the consequences of our classroom and we decided we were going to practice how to be a good student before starting using Classdojo. I convinced them that their behavior was their decision, you should have seen their cute little faces! You could see in their eyes that they were ready to take the world! We also talked about Classdojo and how we will use it in the classroom, how it was important for their parents to log in to see not only their bad behaviors but also their good behaviors. 

I loved how this activity turned out and to be honest I think my students did too!