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What to Do When You Are Overwhelmed: 6 Steps To Help You Get Back in Control

January 30, 2018 by Inspired Together Teachers 2 Comments

It happens to every teacher- you have too much to do and are struggling with how to get it all done. Some days you become so paralyzed that you are unable to choose what to do next and the next thing you know you’re surfing Facebook and watching kid president videos.

Procrastination is a common sign of overwhelm. Feelings of defeat and despair can show up too, as any new teacher who has spent a lunch hour crying in the car can attest.

How do you take action when you are so overwhelmed that you can’t focus? How do you choose from the many projects and goals you want and need to accomplish?

Here are 6 steps to take when you feel overwhelmed:

Stay in the moment.

When you are overwhelmed you are often living in the future. For example, conferences are coming up and you need to finish grades, you need to order the supplies for the science unit, and you need to prepare comments for an upcoming IEP meeting. The students will be in your room in five minutes. Before you know it, you are hyperventilating.

Take a breath and return to the moment. What do you need to do right now?

Overwhelm is often about a false timeline. Our heads tell us everything must be done right this minute. Ask yourself, what time constraints do I believe exist? Which deadlines are real and which are self-imposed?

2. Make a list.

Sometimes it helps to make list of everything you need to do. This is especially true if your worries keep you up at night.

Grab all those sticky notes and small pieces of paper where you have jotted notes and put them on one master list. This will help by getting things off your mind and onto paper and lessen the chance that you will forget.

Once your list is written down, prioritize the “need to-do” versus the “should do” items on the list. We all have a list of things it would be nice to do or that we would like to do. Those things can stay on the list, but they have a lower priority than the things that you must do. Turning in grades is a priority, color coding, labeling and alphabetizing your binders is a “nice to-do” item. Those can wait.

Assign due dates to priorities. Then schedule them into your planning periods.

If you have many large projects, break them down into smaller steps. It also helps to chunk like items together, for example making all the phone calls after school or gathering all the materials you need in the morning before school.

If you get overwhelmed by the enormity of your master to-do list, the next step is for you.

3. Take action on one small thing.

Even baby steps will help to thwart inertia. Just pick one small thing and do it. Then pick another small thing and do that. If you keep doing small things, eventually you will finish projects.

Go ahead and check off things once you have finished them; it will make you feel accomplished and let you see your progress!

4. Clear some space.

If your physical space is out of control, clearing some space can help you focus. Pick a corner of your desk and clear it off. Return things to their proper place. Toss the broken pens.

If your classroom is a mess, enlist your students in helping you pick it up. Together you can accomplish a lot of cleaning and organization in a few minutes. Look around at things that need to be cleaned up or organized and give each student one small thing to do.

Clearing your space often helps to clear your mind and make you feel better.

5. Consider outsourcing some of your tasks.

Many of us fall into the trap of believing that we, personally, have to do everything. In reality, you can probably outsource some of the things on your to-do list. Which items would be better done by someone else? Could you enlist the help of a classroom associate or a parent volunteer? Could another teacher, school counselor, or principal help you with a student challenge you are facing? Could you enlist students to do more of the routine classroom chores?

A bulletin board designed and put up by students might not be as polished as the one you were planning, but the students will have ownership and may even prefer their bulletin board to yours.

6. Understand that you are doing the best you can.

We’ve all worried that we are not good enough or that we don’t have what it takes. We struggle because we have a lack of experience, knowledge or skill.

In the beginning, you won’t have the ability to handle everything smoothly. You won’t have everything figured out ahead of time.

It’s okay. We build strength and skill by being in the game and by taking action. We gain knowledge, experience and skill as a teacher by doing the job, not by thinking about it or wishing for it or obsessively worrying. Our strength comes after we do things.

You are good enough. You will get better. Believe it because it is true.

We understand the drive for growth and the pull of perfection. However, you will feel less overwhelmed when you realize that we don’t go into something strong and talented, we gain strength and talent by doing, trying, and learning.

In the busy schools and classrooms of today, you are bound to feel overwhelmed from time-to-time. We hope that you can use some of these strategies to feel less burdened and more in control.

Good luck!

Do you feel overwhelmed ? What do you do to get yourself back on track and stay productive? We would love to hear your ideas in the comments below.

13 Inspiring Teacher Movies for your Binge-Watching Pleasure

December 19, 2017 by Inspired Together Teachers 4 Comments

Teacher movies have a reputation for being syrupy, predictable, and clichéd. A typical plot is that of an idealistic young teacher who takes on a class of unruly students and “saves” them by using tough love and encouragement. These are often feel good movies designed to evoke strong emotions and be inspiring.

Teaching is a difficult job, and at times, we all need some inspiration. Teacher movies offer inspiration, but if you watch carefully, you will also learn things about the importance of building relationships, effective teaching strategies, and how to manage accountability while holding high standards.

We offer 13 of our favorite teacher movies for your binge-watching pleasure:

Dead Poet’s Society

Robin Williams is genius in his portrayal of a prep school teacher Mr. Keating, who is out to inspire his students to think and live differently. Watch this to see what a passionate teacher looks and acts like. This movie was nominated for many awards and won an Academy Award for Best Screenwriting. Carpe Diem!

Stand and Deliver

A math teacher is a struggling school manages to inspire his apathetic students to math greatness by giving them both skills and desire to achieve. Tragically, the students, who are mostly poor and Latino, are accused of cheating. Mr. Escalante is a master at getting attention. Watch the scene where he slices an apple with a cleaver or when he connects mathematical principals to the Mayan heritage of the students. You’ll learn how to make learning relevant and be inspired to connect with students.

Mr. Holland’s Opus

Richard Dreyfus stars as Mr. Holland, a wannabe composer who takes a job as a music teacher. The job is more difficult than he imagined, and he is often frustrated and feels ineffective. All teachers have these feelings. Based on a true story, this movie is a testament to the power of a teacher to affect students in powerful ways and reminds us that we, too, may be affecting our students in ways we don’t even know about.

Dangerous Minds

Dangerous Minds is another movie based on a true story. LouAnne Johnson is an ex-marine who takes on a class full of troubled high school students and manages to both bribe and inspire them into achieving. Her real method, however is building connections with students, which is the ultimate strategy to win them over.

Freedom Writers

Also based on a true story, idealistic new teacher Ms. Gruell takes a job in inner-city Los Angeles. A fish out of water, the pearl wearing Gruell does not immediately connect with her highly diverse, at-risk students. When she begins to discuss racism, they gradually open up. This leads to a writing project which helps to change the student’s lives. Though the world may try to beat the idealism out of you, this movie teaches you to hold fast to your dreams.

School of Rock

This is an unusual choice, since character Dewey Finn, played by Jack Black, is not a real teacher. In addition to being entertaining, it is the story of a surprisingly effective teacher. Finn, who does not always use ethical methods, turns his fourth- grade classroom in a rock band. He uses some good teaching techniques and demonstrates a clear understanding of how to motivate students. His best strategy is to understand who his students are and to use their strengths to help them find success.

Lean On Me

Morgan Freeman stars as Joe Clarke, a tough guy principal who takes on a gang and violence ridden New York City school. His methods are unorthodox; he wanders the halls with a baseball bat and instantly expels troublemakers. He manages to raise standards and ultimately, turn around the school. The message here is that we CAN change things in education that aren’t working.

To Sir With Love

This classic 1967 movie stars the superb Sidney Poitier as a black engineer forced by discrimination to take a job as a teacher in London’s rough East End. At first he is both shocked and appalled at the behavior he sees. He challenges the students to act more respectfully, which accounts for his new title as “Sir.” Gradually, he wins them over and changes how they see themselves and their future.

Goodbye Mr. Chips

This is another classic movie, which won Robert Donant an Academy Award in 1939 for best actor, beating out Clarke Gable in Gone With the Wind. The film is about an aging headmaster who tells the story of his teaching career through flashbacks from his past. The delight in this movie is watching Mr. Chips transform from a young, ineffective teacher, into a master educator. If you study how he changed as he learned through the years you will have a guide from an excellent mentor.

Music of the Heart

Meryl Streep stars as a middle-aged woman who takes a job as a music teacher in Harlem when her husband abandons her. With no experience, she struggles in the job, but hangs in there and keeps trying. She gradually has a positive effect on her students and on the school community. The teacher who perseveres wins, which teaches us that you can get better at your job and ultimately, make a difference.

Front of the Class

This is the story of a young boy with Tourette’s Syndrome. He is tortured and bullied as a child, but refuses to let his condition hold him down. He ultimately becomes a successful teacher. This movie will help you understand Tourette’s syndrome as you root for the underdog. By the time he gets a teaching job, you believe that he will accomplish anything he sets his mind to, including being an effective teacher.

The Ron Clark Story

This is the true story of Clark, who is now leads his own school and has written extensively about education. Clarke leaves his successful job in a suburban school in North Carolina and heads for New York City where he hopes to tackles the challenges of the inner city and raise test scores despite all odds. This movie will lead you to challenge yourself rather than accept mediocrity and complacency.

Akeelah and the Bee

This is a story about the power of education in transforming a life. Akeelah is a bright but unmotivated eleven-year-old. Akeelah’s environment, with its low expectations, gangs and apathy towards education threatens to destroy her. Faced with detentions for her many absences, she gets involved with a spelling bee and wins. She is sent to train with an English professor, whose methods involve deeply understanding your content and believing in your inner power.

We hope you relax and enjoy some of these teacher movies over your break from school. Also, we’d love to hear your favorite teacher movies. What teacher movies do you recommend? Just let us know in the comments below.

Happy watching,

Do you want some more teacher inspiration? Fill out the form below and get a list of 25 Books with Inspiring Teachers!

How to Engage Students the Week Before Break

December 12, 2017 by Inspired Together Teachers 2 Comments

It is the week before a school vacation and student energy is running high. Just when the students are excited for the holidays and sometimes unable to contain their enthusiasm, you are probably feeling exhausted and ready for your own well -deserved break. How can you possibly hope to engage students in meaningful activities?

You can make the most of a fun and exciting time of year without sacrificing classroom management or giving up on learning goals. Here are some things to consider:

Remind students of classroom rules and behavior expectations.

You’ve worked hard to establish a classroom where all students can learn. This is NOT the time to ignore your classroom procedures and rules.

Beginning teachers often make one of two mistakes during times of high student energy such as before holidays and vacations, during special weeks such as homecoming, or before special school events.

One mistake is to suddenly clamp down, and become a dictator. Teachers who resort to this method often demand silence. They try to contain student energy by giving lots of work- often in the form of unengaging worksheets. They tighten up on management, giving an increased number of time-outs, detentions, checkmarks or red lights. These teachers try to maintain order through control. Unfortunately, it often sucks the life blood out of both the teacher and the students.

Another rookie mistake is to go to the other extreme and lighten up on rules and procedures. It is often easier to look the other way, and relax expectations rather than challenge unwanted behaviors. This can quickly lead to an out of control and unproductive classroom.

Fortunately, there is a happy medium. Remind students of the rules and expectations. Explain that you understand that they are excited and you are excited too. You want to be able to do some special and fun activities with them. You know they will enjoy the activities and learn a lot too, but you are going to need their cooperation. After they agree, you can move on to explain the activity.

Plan Extremely Engaging Activities

This is the time to pull out all the stops and use your best, most fun and engaging activities. You can easily teach standards and engage students with activities such as the following:

Introduce a lesson on states of matter by playing music from the movie Frozen. Then conduct experiments with ice, snow and water.

Have students work with a partner, choose a country from anywhere in the world, and research holiday traditions in that country. Have them prepare a book, poster or oral presentation.

Another idea is to take a holiday tradition and research its origins. Where did Candy Canes come from? Why do we hang stockings by the fire? Why is the dreidel a classic holiday game?

Read a classic holiday poem, story or song such as The 12 Days of Christmas or O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi. Have students rewrite the song or story with a modern twist. What would replace a partridge in a pear tree in the modern version?

Have students work in small groups to practice and present Readers Theatre presentations of holiday poems. Another idea is to use a script of a classic holiday story. The Christmas Truce tells the story of a true historical event that happened during the first world war. It is available as a free Readers Theatre script for grades 4-8. Many other scripts are available on line.

Have students create original math problems using the content you have been working on and infusing the problems with holiday words, themes or stories. Collect them and make a math review activity using the students’ math problems.

As a class, write “Write Around Stories.” Review the parts of a story. Then, each student takes out a sheet of paper and writes the opening sentences for a dramatic adventure story. When the timer rings, students pass on their story to the person sitting next to them. They then add the next part of the story. Keep the timer buzzing and the papers moving. Announce that time is up and return all papers to their original owners. Students then read the stories and write the ending. They can also edit and revise. Allow time to read the stories orally in small groups.

Use this time to continue to build classroom community.

Ask a holiday related question such as “what is your favorite holiday tradition?” as you take attendance.

As a class, work together to create cards and/or gifts for others. This might include parents and siblings, school workers and bus drivers, nursing home residents or a local homeless shelter.

Make a project of creating a special class celebration. Have every student bring in an item to make “Stone Soup.” Measure, chop and cook something together. Allow students to work on “committees” to create invitations, musical playlists, decorations, placemats and games for your celebration. Student presentations can make excellent entertainment. Spice it up by adding a microphone and sound system.

Create a tree of learning. Build a large tree out of craft paper and attach it to a bulletin board or use an artificial Christmas tree. Have students create ornaments out of construction paper. Each ornament is labeled with key ideas they have learned this year.

You likely have fond memories of special activities and celebrations you had in your years of school. Now, as teachers, you have a chance to create these special memories for the students you teach. The week before a vacation can be a fun and productive week if you take your curriculum, add a bit of spice and engage students in fun and memorable activities.

Good luck!

Do you want more engaging activities? Check out our post 4 Great Active Learning Strategies for All Content Areas.

4 Great Active Learning Strategies for All Content Areas

November 28, 2017 by Inspired Together Teachers 7 Comments

Are you using active learning strategies in your classroom? It is no great secret that students who are actively engaged in learning learn more and create fewer behavior management problems.

We love active learning strategies that can be used in any curriculum area and across different grade levels. Here are four of our favorite active learning strategies. Each strategy can be completed in 10-15 minutes.

Walk the Walls

This strategy works as a strategy to get students ready to learn new content or as a way to review what they have read or discussed. It is a good warm-up and generally takes 10-15 minutes.

Determine a set of 6-8 questions related to the day’s lesson. For example:

Which mammals have you seen in person? (3^rd grade science)

Why do you think slaves joined the confederate army? (9^th grade US History)

How do you think you would have reacted to finding an abused dog? (5^th grade reading)

What are some different ways to great someone in Spanish (1^st year Spanish)

Gather 6-8 large pieces of paper. Place one question on each sheet. Place the sheets on the walls around the room.

Instruct students to take a marker or pen and walk around the room quietly writing their answers on each sheet. When time is up, discuss their answers.

Speed Dating (or for elementary students “Line Learning”)

Prepare a list of questions for discussion. The questions can help to introduce new content or review previously learned content.

Have students stand in two lines, facing each other.

Set a time limit, such as one minute. Determine which line will talk first and which line will listen. Ask a question. Students have one minute to talk about the answer with the person facing them. Then reverse speakers. For the next question, have one row move one place to the right so that each person is facing a new partner. The person on the end goes to the other end of the line. Repeat.

So What, Who Cares? What Does This Have to Do with Me?

Students like the cheekiness of this title. In reality, it is a discussion tool that allows students to process new information and create relevancy. When students see the relevance of information, they are more likely to pay attention to it and to remember it.

After reading or discussing new content, have students divide into pairs or small groups. Given the topic, have students determine why the topic is important, who is impacted by it, and how the topic connects to their everyday life. Choose several groups to share their insight.

Four Corners

This is an active learning strategy that gets students up and out of their desks or chairs. Create a list of 5 or 6 questions based on your content. Each question should have four possible answers. This activity works best when answers can be personal reactions or responses to the content.

Here is an example from a unit on biomes;

What is your personal experience with deserts?

I have lived in a desert.
I have been on vacation to a desert.
I have read a book about a desert.
I don’t have any personal experiences with a desert.

Read the questions and assign one corner of the room for each answer. Students physically move to the corner of the room that corresponds to their answer. Once students have landed in place, briefly discuss their responses before moving on to the next question.

These active learning strategies are a fun way to get ready to build background knowledge or to process what they have recently learned. We hope you will give them a try!

Happy active learning,

Don’t Freak- Solution Seek

November 21, 2017 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

Do you ever feel like there are so many changes in a day that you can’t keep up? Have behavior management issues got you feeling like you are freaking out? At the end of a day can you think of ways you would have handled a situation differently if you hadn’t let your nerves get the best of you?

We once worked with a young teacher who was fond of using the following phrases when things wouldn’t go as planned with her students, the schedule, or her lessons:

“I’m freaking out” she would say to her colleagues when there were abrupt schedule changes.

“Don’t freak out” she would say to herself when behavior management issues arose.

“I am definitely going to freak out if…” she would say when considering what she would do if her lesson bombed in the classroom.

The ironic thing was that this young teacher was very capable and was an excellent problem solver once she calmed down and moved past her initial “freaking out” instinct.

What she learned, that can be a lesson to all teachers, was that what she really needed to do was recognize her use of the word “freak” as a trigger to “solution seek.”

Like that young teacher, you too can follow these steps to move from “freaking” to “solution-seeking:”

Every time you feel yourself saying, thinking, or feeling that you are “freaking out,” recognize this as a trigger for a mindset change.
Stop, take a deep breath, and re-evaluate the situation.
Say to yourself, “Don’t freak. Solution seek.”
Start considering possible solutions to your dilemma. To determine what solutions you can seek, consider the following:

What aspects of the situation do you have control of?
What aspects of the situation do you not have control of?
What steps can you take immediately that will lead you to a desired response?

Take one actionable step to start working toward a solution.
Continue to work toward the solution until it has been reached.

By recognizing the word “freak” as a trigger, your awareness of your own reaction and emotions will be heightened. By participating in the mental act of solution-seeking, you no longer have the time or energy to freak, as you are focused on the solution and how to attain it.

The teacher we worked with found this method to be extremely effective. Every time she felt that she was freaking, she stopped herself and told herself, “Don’t freak-solution seek.” She was thrilled with the results. She became more calm and in control of her emotions in front of her students. She was able to find solutions that she was not be able to find when she was too busy letting her anxiety get the best of her. She found that the phrase “Don’t freak- solution seek” had many applications beyond the classroom in her daily life and in her interactions with fellow teachers.

Do you ever find yourself in the same situation as the novice teacher? Could your students benefit more from a level-headed solution-seeking teacher than a teacher who is freaking?

Don’t freak. Solution seek.

These four simple words can alter the course of an interaction, a lesson, or a school day.

Who knows…maybe your students could even benefit from using this phrase in the classroom? Maybe this is the motto for your next team meeting? The possibilities are endless when you choose to seek solutions.

Wishing you calmer days and clearer solutions,

Paula and Michele

Do you “freak” when you can’t think of what to say to students? We’ve got you covered. Get our free guide below.

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Walk the Walls

Speed Dating (or for elementary students “Line Learning”)

So What, Who Cares? What Does This Have to Do with Me?

Four Corners

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