This post was prepared by NCEA’s Educational Resources Manager, Andrea Kopp.
As the school year begins, teachers and students begin the task of establishing routines, getting to know each other and rebuilding the stamina to make it through the school day. It is a tremendous blessing and great responsibility to ensure the spiritual, social and academic development of a group of young people. It is easy to be excited and energized at the beginning of a school year, but after the smell of fresh pencils subsides and the crayons start to break, the daily grind can become draining. Here are some tips to help delay the drain and maintain that beginning-of-the-year enthusiasm.
- Make Time for Reflection: Taking some quiet time to think about the things you can do better, as well as giving thanks for the things that went well, can help you de-stress at the end of the day and open yourself up to listening to the Holy Spirit.
- Get Out of your Room: If it’s one of those days where the coffee isn’t helping, take an on-campus field trip and teach outdoors or in a different space. The exercise and the change of scenery may be exactly what you need to feel energized.
- Make time for Prayer: Scheduling prayer time can help you build it into your daily routine. If you get into a prayer rut, try some new things. If you don’t really know how to get started, ask your pastor or a colleague in your Religious Education department for some ideas.
- Schedule Time Off: This can mean forcing yourself to use those personal days you never get to or just making block of time on the weekend that you honor as non-work time. You deserve some time to take care of yourself.
- Professional Development: Learning what is new in your field and getting some new tools in your teaching toolbox can be fun and invigorating. Look for local offerings as well as NCEA events and resources at ncea.org.
- Connect with Colleagues: Take advantage of the treasure of educational experience in your school building. Most of the time, other educators are happy to help with advice, positive solutions or at least a sympathetic ear. Choose someone you don’t normally get to connect with, so you can get a fresh perspective.
- Use Your Gifts: Don’t be afraid to step up and take leadership of a project or committee. You have valuable input and perspective. If you take on a project you are good at, or passionate about, it will help your school and not feel like a chore.
- Invite Feedback: It doesn’t matter how long you have been teaching, there are always new things to learn. A fresh observer may offer insights that make you see things in a new way.
- Go To Mass: If you work and worship in the same place, sometimes Sunday can feel a lot like Monday. Try a different parish in your local area once in a while. If you aren’t a parishioner, try going to your school parish for a change of scenery. Worshipping in a new and different environment can help you get out of auto-pilot and refocus on the Lord.
- Grow in Your Faith: No matter your level of religious formation, you can always grow in faith. Look for offerings from your church or diocese for Adult Faith Formation programs or see if others in your school are interested in some discussion or faith sharing activities.
- Use Technology: There are so many great teaching tools, apps and websites geared just for educators. Pick one or two a year to become proficient in. Finding one that is a good fit for you, can make your life easier and change the way you plan, teach and communicate with parents.
- Shadow: Commit to spending one of your planning periods observing another teacher or staff member. You may just learn a new trick or reinforce the things you are doing. Make sure you give them some advance notice so you get the most of your experience.
- Expand your Circle: NCEA is here to help! Connect with other professionals in the field by on live tweeting with #CatholicEdChat on Saturday mornings at 9:00am EST.
- Proclaim the good news of your Classroom: Are you doing something exciting or innovative? Share it with other Catholic schools through NCEA Notes.
- Become a Contributor: If you created a great lesson or unit, we would love to see your content and help inspire other educators. Knowing you are contributing to the field can help motivate you to always be your best. If you have materials to share, please contact the Professional Development Team at [email protected].
As NCEA continues toward its new vision, more resources will be available directly to teachers to help you grow professionally and spiritually. Please keep checking our website, NCEAtalk blog and follow us on social media to stay connected with other Catholic educators. We at NCEA are continually praying for you and your students.
