Monday, January 28, 2013

Small Changes

I have been struggling with my blood pressure lately and the new medication isn't working.  My husband suggested that we take the salt shaker off the table. 

What I heard him say was I needed to go through all the cupboards and throw out all the high sodium food and completely change the way we cook and eat.  I panicked.  (I think my blood pressure may have risen.)

My husband reminded me that he suggested just one small change.  I didn't have to redesign my life all at once.

I am learning not to do this in my teaching.  We would adopt a new curriculum or I would see something in someone else's classroom, and I used to feel pressure to throw everything out and start over. 

Now with Pinterest and teacher blogs the amount of great ideas is overwhelming. I want to be a teacher that is constantly improving, but I need to remember to pace myself. 

I have been teaching for twenty-two years and I want to keep teaching awhile longer.  This is a marathon, not a sprint.

What's one small change you would like to try in your teaching this week?
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2 comments:

  1. If you figure out how to do this, please let me know! I've taught for 19 years, and I need to make it to 25. I am just overwhelmed every day. I'm very organized, and I've taught the same grade level, but I need to pace, too. I wish there was an elixir ...

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    Replies
    1. Dear Kristi,
      I understand feeling overwhelmed. I am there so often. I have to watch what I say to myself, because I can make myself even more stressed.
      No matter what I am doing, I could always do something else to help this child more or reach that child instead. Human needs and wants are insatiable, and I am just one person.
      This is the purpose of my post: I need to focus on one small piece at a time to stay sane. I know that I want to improve all the time, but I will do better focusing on the step I take right now instead of the miles ahead.
      Hang in there. You are not alone.
      Mary

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