The students have said their goodbyes, you’ve cleaned out or organized your classroom materials, and readied your space for summer cleaning. You’ve made it through this school year, and although the song, “My Way” has the connotations of finality, you know the next year will be here before you know it. You might be jumping into more professional development and learning opportunities for the summer, or perhaps, you are moving into a different career. But right now, in this specific time and space, you deserve an opportunity to stop for a few minutes, rest, and reflect on the challenges and accomplishments of this year.
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Topics: Social Emotional Learning, Courses, mindfulness, Culturally Responsive Teaching, Equity, Teaching with Equity
Reignite Your JOY for Teaching & Learning:
Read MoreTopics: Teaching Wellness & Inspiration, educator wellness, mindfulness, Mental Health Awareness, Happiness, Self-Care, Digital Resources, teacher resources, Monthly Resource Round-up, Reignite Your Joy
Originally Posted by Barb Istas, a former member of our Curriculum and Instruction team and current Learners Edge course evaluator on February 21, 2018, and revised by Susanne Leslie on February 25, 2022.
Read MoreTopics: Teaching Wellness & Inspiration, educator wellness, anxiety, mindfulness, Mental Health Awareness, Self-Care
Let’s cut straight to the chase. This year has been hard. Not just navigating a new reading curriculum hard, adjusting to a new administrator hard, or even dealing with a few needy parents hard. This year, for many educators, has been utterly exhausting, out of control, a five-alarm level of burnout!
Read MoreTopics: Teaching Wellness & Inspiration, educator wellness, Teacher Burnout, mindfulness, Mental Health Awareness, Happiness, Self-Care
Topics: Teaching Wellness & Inspiration, educator wellness, Teacher Burnout, Courses, mindfulness, Happiness, Self-Care
Living in the moment, not through a screen
“Ok, Mom. If we are going to Itasca, I don’t want anyone on their phones. Phones stay off and put away.”
This is rich, I think. My 8-year-old son, who is constantly sneaking screen time, is laying down the law on screens. We are getting ready for our annual visit to Itasca State Park with my side of the family. It’s where the Mississippi begins! It’s a childhood favorite of mine- a place I cherish and want my kids to know and love, too.
“Well, I think you are right in your idea,” I say carefully, wanting him to know I am supporting him. “Remember that we will need our phones to get a hold of each other, because we are staying in separate parts of the park.”
He considers this. “Yeah, good point.”
“But I think what you are getting at is that you don’t want to see us all staring at our phones. We should be where we are.”
“Exactly, Mom. Like, we are in nature! Breathe! Look around! You don’t just sit there staring at a screen!”
Aside from wishing I was recording the conversation to use in later situations, I appreciate his thoughts about this. He’s right.
Read MoreTopics: Technology, mindfulness
Be Your Best YOU This Summer!
It is finally here! You made it! Summer, sunshine, and freedom! It’s time to celebrate the end of a successful school year and the beginning of a well-deserved break. You now have the opportunity to stop, breathe and rejuvenate. Doing so decreases the likelihood of burnout and increases your educator resilience so you can continue to make a difference in the lives of your students!
Lucky for you, summer is my favorite season, so here are my top ten tips for letting your summer soul shine!
Read MoreTopics: mindfulness, Summer Vacation
Blended Learning: The Best of Both Worlds
Bert & Ernie.
Peanut butter & jelly.
Coffee & cream.
What do these perfect pairings have in common?
- They work well together.
- They complement one another.
Just like these well-known perfect pairings, we have our own “perfect pairings” at Learners Edge that come in the form of our Blended Learning courses, which are taken without leaving the comfort of your home, kitchen, or coffee shop.
Intrigued?
Here’s how they work!
Read MoreTopics: educator wellness, mindfulness, Blended Learning
At Learners Edge, driving down education costs and driving up accessibility is at the core of what we do. We are on a mission to help educators boost their teaching practices and maximize their salaries through graduate-level courses. It’s a win/win for educators and their students. We are top-rated by tens of thousands of teachers for the quality of our asynchronous, self-paced, online courses. New courses are introduced every two months, so teachers always have something current to learn.
