The Struggle is Real!
One of my biggest struggles as a former school teacher and now online teacher has been managing my stress levels. With a multitude of activities to be responsible for comes an overwhelming feeling that bubbles up. I know I’m not alone in this.
There are so many details to being a teacher that you have to get right. Every step and every minute of the day is spent trying to get everything as perfect as possible, especially when implementing all the details of a carefully constructed lesson.
I cannot tell you how many days I came from school and felt physically and mentally exhausted. I spent the evening recovering after a long day of work with little room to think about anything else.
Process Your Days in Stress-Relieving Ways
After years of contemplating and processing my own experiences as a teacher. I came to realize early this year that I could make a book, specifically a planner to help teachers process their days in creative and stress-relieving ways.
Doodling
After much thought and consideration, drawing was something that I wanted to integrate into this planner. Drawing had always been a relaxing activity for me and when I taught my classes, I loved integrating drawings as a way of processing new information for my students and reinforcing older information learned.
By adding pages specifically dedicated to doodling/drawing for mental breaks and brainstorming sessions, mindfulness and creative moments were a quick reach away.
I also wanted a fun and relaxing cover on the planner that would integrate images of nature with doodles. I wanted it to be inviting to all teachers so they would be excited to add their plans and feel relaxed and inspired each day.
Reflective Writing
Pages were also added for teacher meeting notes. I realized that not one planner I’ve ever used had specific pages dedicated to each of the essential meetings teachers have on a monthly and weekly basis.
Reflection notes were also added at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. Providing these pages creates a meaningful planning experience and allows you to see your evolution as a teacher as you progress through the school year.
Multiple Planners to Fit Your Teacher Needs
The planner I had in mind quickly turned into multiple planners. I quickly realized that teacher needs are varied and planner needs also need to adapt and evolve along with them. I invite you to take a quick view inside the current planners I have created below:
You can easily plan out your daily routine in your style! You can find them on Amazon in paperback now and Lulu.com/shop for their spiral-bound versions. I would love to hear your feedback if you give them a try.
If you are interested in other teacher resources check out my TpT materials here!
