Don't Miss Out!

Now, the thing or event you are celebrating may be truly deep and meaningful such as our country claiming and then subsequently claiming independence from England or as simple as having the day off. Even if you are essential worker and needed on July 4th to work, you can celebrate a calmer work environment with fewer customers and clients to hassle you, the positive attitude around you, or simply revel in the decorations and change in the every day routine. Little things and small celebrations go a long way in maintaining our positive mental space and our ability to keep on keeping on.

The same concept is true with our school work. First, let’s look at a typical day teaching for me last year (and really every year I have taught):

- I have to be at school by 7:30, but I try for 7:00 to make sure I have time to grade last minute items, check email if possible, and organize my materials for the day.

- Students arrive to Advisory at 7:45 – 8:00.

- The rest of the day is spent in class teaching with passing periods for me to literally pass and take my cart to my next classroom.

- When I have a “prep” time to lesson plan, copy, and grade, that is ALL I can get done. Even that takes me the last 30 minutes of school or more to complete before the next day starts it all over again.

Do you see time for celebrations for my own tasks? They are hidden, but they are there! Since my time is so divided up, I had to design a task list that broke down each task into the smallest pieces. I can get those pieces done (reasonable) in my prep time. If I wrote “Lesson plan for next week”, I could get it done but sacrifice grading and timely feedback for my students. When I write “make advisory slides”, I CAN get that done on one day, cross it off, and celebrate knowing I am making progress and not stuck in a slump.

What about students? And parents? You can do the same thing!

Make task lists at home or school for things that need to get done. Here are some examples:

- Pack lunch in backpack (or lunch money)

- Return lunch bag where you need to so it can be refilled the next day (my mom was a stickler and would not use our lunch bag the next day if we had not given it back to her the night before)

- Put on clothes and shoes

- Make it to the bus/car on time

- Tell a joke or sing a happy song on the bus/in the car

- Ask someone how their day is going

- Be ready for your first class (this is TWO tasks: put away your coat and backpack and get out your materials; break this into two tasks if you need more small celebrations)

- Track how many times you look away from the teacher/board/your desk. Think about what distracts you the most and try to change that.

- Get excited about learning by finding ONE thing to ask a question over each day (to your parents or teacher)

What other small or big tasks do you do throughout a school day? Which ones above are “new” or more of a challenge out of your routine?

Email me at punnymathteacher@gmail.com what your favorite way to celebrate is!