Angela Watson's Truth for Teachers

What happens when even looking at your to-do list makes you want to shut down? How do you get yourself re-energized when basic adulting feels like too much? I've found it empowering to have a menu of choices — or a toolbox — I can go to when I experience those feelings. It's a collection of strategies I can pick from which have worked in the past, so I can choose whichever one feels easiest to me at the time. In this episode, I'm sharing 8 approaches that work for me: Give yourself permission to stop doing and thinking Choose self-comfort or self-care Get out of your head and regain perspective Tap into your vision, legacy, and long term goals Dump the stress by planning and batching tasks Eliminate tasks and go back to basics Ease your way into productivity mode with quick wins Tackle the task that's creating the most anxiety Click here to read the transcript and participate in the discussion or, join our new podcast Facebook group here to connect with other teachers and discuss the Truth for Teachers' podcast episodes.

The best way to help students be more empathetic and self-aware is for us to first develop these qualities in ourselves. Dr. Ilana Nankin has created wellness, yoga, and mindfulness resources specifically for teachers through her organization called Breathe for Change. Ilana is spearheading a movement of educators who want to embody principles of wellness and healthy socio-emotional development in order to teach those things to students authentically. Listen in as she shares how teachers can get support in establishing or deepening practices of yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and other tools for well-being and carry those practices into the classroom. Share your thoughts on the episode and collaborate with other listeners in our NEW private group on Facebook! Click here to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/truthforteachers/. You can also leave a comment on the blog post/transcript for this episode here:http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/breathe-for-change-teacher-wellness/.

Your worldview shapes your classroom management and curriculum choices, whether consciously or not. Let's examine and question the belief that "neutral" is the only ethical position for us to take, and interrogate whether being neutral is even possible in certain contexts. To be true advocates for our students and have strong, authentic relationships with them, we have to fully embrace and support their identities, and be willing to take a stand when they are discriminated against, bullied, or marginalized. Click here to get recommendations for anti-bias and anti-racism resources, including books, podcasts, free curriculum materials, and more. Share your thoughts on the episode and collaborate with other listeners in our NEW private group on Facebook! Click here to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/truthforteachers/. You can also leave a comment on the blog post/transcript for this episode here: http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/neutral-politics-in-the-classroom/.

What if being your best in the classroom didn't mean changing yourself or "fixing" things that are wrong with you? What if you didn't need gimmicks to hook students into your lessons, and the key to engagement was more about being interested rather than interesting? Join educational consultant and author Dr. Gravity Goldberg as she shares what it means to "teach like yourself." We'll explore how to go from predicting failure to building on success, and tap into your personal power in the classroom. Share your thoughts on the episode and collaborate with other listeners in our NEW private group on Facebook! Click here to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/truthforteachers/. You can also leave a comment on the blog post/transcript for this episode:http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/authentic-teaching/

Our automatic reactions — the things we say to kids without even realizing the words are coming out of our mouths — are usually things we've heard from other adults. Often our parents or our teachers said those things to us. We can make a conscious choice to change the script by examining the ineffective and unhelpful things we say to kids. In this episode, I'm sharing 5 of the phrases I'm most embarrassed about using in my classroom, and what was more effective for me to say instead. Share your thoughts on the episode and collaborate with other listeners in our NEW private group on Facebook! Click here to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/truthforteachers/ You can also leave a comment on the blog post/transcript for this episode here: https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/unhelpful-things-teachers-say/

Workshop-style teaching generally has four basic parts: an opening, mini-lesson, work time, and debriefing. You can use the workshop model with ANY age of students and ANY subject area. My guest today is going to do a deep dive into an ELA or reading workshop model. This is most commonly used in grades 1-5 but kindergarten can also follow the model, and it works well at the secondary level. A lot of what we discuss should be helpful no matter what subject you're using it for: How to keep a mini-lesson mini What the other kids are doing while you're conferencing with students or teaching small groups How to assess and take grades on what students are doing during the workshop. Listen for practical advice from Jen Bengel, the owner and creator of Out of This World Literacy™️. She has spent 10 years in public schools as an elementary teacher and a literacy coach, and has spent the last 7 years as a full-time curriculum developer and professional developer. Jen trained under Irene Fountas at Lesley University and specializes in creating literacy curriculum and provides online professional development for teachers. Share your thoughts on the episode and collaborate with other listeners in our NEW private group on Facebook! Click here to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/truthforteachers/. You can also leave a comment on the blog post/transcript for this episode: http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/the-workshop-model-jen-bengel/. To get the freebie from Jen Bengel mentioned in the episode, click here: freefromjen.com.

The new school year is a fresh start, and the perfect time to let go of old stories and thought patterns that aren't serving you well. You can examine the stories you're telling yourself to see if they're really true, and decide if the stories you're choosing are making your work feel more or less stressful. In this episode, you'll learn how to train yourself to differentiate between the facts and the story you're telling yourself about the facts. When you get locked into one story, practice asking yourself, "What else might be true about this situation? What might be happening that I haven't considered yet?" Through this process, you can choose the stories that help you rather than discourage you. Share your thoughts on the episode and collaborate with other listeners in our NEW private group on Facebook! Click here to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/truthforteachers/. You can also leave a comment on the blog post/transcript for this episode here: http://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/change-the-story-you-tell-yourself/.

In the last episode of our self-development summer podcast series, we're talking about living with PURPOSE. This is not just about the things you want to do or accomplish. Living with purpose is also about recognizing and appreciating what you've already done, and making time for just being, rather than always rushing forward to accomplish the Next Big Thing. If you missed our special summer series emails, it's not too late to get them. I'll send you one written message to go with each of the 4 podcast episodes. The emails are designed to be short, powerful reminders to help you make the most of your summer break. Just click here to sign up: https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/summer-2019-series/ And if you want to participate in the NEW Truth for Teachers Podcast Community on Facebook, join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/truthforteachers/members/

We're taking a break from school-related topics as we continue our special summer series. These 4 episodes in June and July are designed to be a short time together for us to reflect, think deeply, and go big picture. In this episode, we're talking about AUTHENTICITY. Is it time to get real with yourself that there are certain things you're just not going to pressure yourself to do? Are you conforming to outside expectations about what's most important, or determining those things for yourself? Make sure you sign up for the special summer series emails! There's one written message to go with each of the 4 podcast episodes. The emails are designed to be short, powerful reminders to help you make the most of your summer break. Just click here to sign up: https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/summer-2019-series/ Also: there are just a few more days to join the 40 Hour Teacher Workweek Club. It's a great community of teachers who are focused on what matters most, and you'll get all the resources and support you need for living and teaching with intentionality. Last chance is July 15th! Sign up here: 40htw.com.

"There can't be any large-scale revolution until there's a personal revolution, on an individual level. It's got to happen inside first." --Jim Morrison Take a break this summer from thinking about work, and let's do some big picture reflection on life together. In part two of this summer series, we're talking about ALIGNMENT, and what it means to live in alignment with what you really believe and who you really are. We'll talk about doing our part (imperfectly) to make the world the place we believe it should be. Make sure you sign up for the special summer series emails! There's one written message to go with each of the 4 podcast episodes. The emails are designed to be short, powerful reminders to help you make the most of your summer break. Just click here to sign up: https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/summer-2019-series/ Also: the 40 Hour Teacher Workweek Club is open for early bird access (with early bird bonuses) from now through June 30th! Learn more or sign up here: 40htw.com.