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Building relationships with the students are very important. Students will try harder in the classroom when they have a positive relationship with their teachers. A.T.

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This year has been different and challenging. Through the challenges. You must. Rely on God, keep the Faith. Believe in yourself. e confident in who you are and never lose yourself. 

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This year has been different and challenging. Through the challenges. You must. Rely on God, keep the Faith. Believe in yourself. e confident in who you are and never lose yourself. 

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Thomas

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This year has been about transition...new school, team, staff, expectations, procedures, the list goes on.  With the help of amazingly supportive and understanding administration and teammates, it has been very smooth.  I am thankful the door was open for me to come into the Laurel Hill family.  I also appreciate the self-care initiative because it has helped me feel okay about leaving things for later and taking time for myself and my family.  I look forward with great anticipation to what the rest of the year holds for me and my babies!
H. Clark

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This year has taught me to try to take a few moments for myself so that I can be a better teacher for my students.  Juggling daily tasking between home and work can be overwhelming at times, but at the end of the day knowing that I have helped shaped the lives of others is the best reward of all.

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This is year has been challenging, but in a good way.  I feel I have grown professionally because I am working with more teachers.  I really don't know how I would have done it without a partner.

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I feel it is very important to have self care throughout every day.  No matter how you want to administer self care, everyone needs to find a way to clear their minds.  This year has been challenging with all the changes that took place.  Changes are still being made and it is very hard to get organized in my usual way.  I do believe that with time, everything will work out.

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I feel it is very important to have self care throughout every day.  No matter how you want to administer self care, everyone needs to find a way to clear their minds.  This year has been challenging with all the changes that took place.  Changes are still being made and it is very hard to get organized in my usual way.  I do believe that with time, everything will work out.

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This year has been challenging. I want to get to know my students and understand what makes them unique, but it has been hard. I try to remember that they have a lot going on in their lives too and I need to remember that when teaching or just talking to my students. We all have a great deal to learn from one another and I am excited to see what the future holds.

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This year thus far has taught me so much! I'm learning about patience and self care. Through this type of learning I truly believe it will help me be a better teacher.  I'm super excited about what the remaining of the school year holds for me and my students whom I love soooooo much!

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My aha moment is how important it is to take time for self-care. Teaching is challenging and exhausting! I have found if I take one day/week at a time I am less overwhelmed and then not as stressed.

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I do love my job, but this has been a challenging year. I think between the merger, bigger school, more students, hurricanes, etc., it has taken me longer to get in the swing of things. There are lots of days that are overwhelming, but very rewarding as well. I think I need to concentrate more on self-care. I have to admit that I spend lots of time at home trying to keep my head above water at school. I have to learn that if it doesn't get done that it is okay. I need to spend time doing things for me. That is hard to remember because I spend so much time worrying about and taking care of others, adults and kids. I am very grateful to have a supportive administration and team to be there when I need a reminder that without self-care, I cannot take care of others. :)

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This year has been quite challenging. Not only trying to meet the needs of the students, but trying to learn all of the things that make Laurel Hill so unique.  Sometimes, it can be overwhelming. However, the task has become easier with a wonderful supportive administrative staff and grade level team.  The emphasis on self care has been phenomenal.  It has reminded me to take the time to take care of me so that I can better meet the needs of my students.
CHAMBERS

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Trying to address all of students unique and individual needs can be a very daunting task. When you put all the pieces in place to facilitate learning for all learners and they are "on fire" during instruction and you are excited about teaching and you just know that they are "getting it" and then you assess them and it's not there????? Well I must say it is hard to remember that it is not about you and you are doing the best with what you have. Sometimes the term "cement shoes" takes on a different meaning. Cement shoes will keep you from falling or floating out with the tide but what happens if you are wearing cement shoes when the water goes over your head?
That is when your co workers and teammates can rescue you!

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I absolutely enjoy my job. Since one day I’ll be teach I want to maximize my knowledge of planning and preparing for students. I want to be able to offer my support to my team. I feel as if I can do more but I’m very appreciative of how well the school flows. Everybody do their part and if there is something missing, it don’t remain missing long before somebody has filled the void. I love Laurel Hill!

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I am trying to learn more about the kids that I spend most of my day with. I spend more time with my students than my own children most days and I want to make a difference. My cement shoes have made me who I am as an educator but I can change, grow, and learn. The only way I can continue to make a difference is to be a different educator. I am up for the challenge😀

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Being the teacher of your own classroom is so much different than having experiences in other settings. This being my first year teaching I often feel overwhelmed with everything that we have to incorporate in lessons and daily schedules. Using exercises that provide mindfulness in my classroom help me make it through the day and helps me regulate the children in my classroom while regulating myself. I can use mindfulness practices to ensure that we are all on the same page and ready to learn.
SL

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As a first year teacher, i am learning my own triggers, but also trying to figure out my own students' triggers. We all come from different places, so no one is going to react to a situation the same way. With this being said, I have been also working on being more of a thermostat instead of a thermometer. I would like to be able to regulate my classroom better, instead of just reacting to what is going on at that time. This is something that I will continue to work on.
CL

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I have been learning a lot about self care this year. Self care has been hard for me but I am working on it. I also am more aware of my triggers and working on ways to avoid getting sucked in. Building a rapport with my students is most important to me. Without a good rapport with the kids, very little will get accomplished. I have been using mindfulness activities in my room.  I feel that the mindfulness activities help my kids and they help me. Self regulation has been key this year. TP

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This year has brought about challenges. As hard as I try to practice “self care” it is still hard because I try to make others happy and put them before myself. However, I am working on this process.

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This has been an exciting year in more ways than one. I fe

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Reflection

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This year has been very different but has allowed me to self-reflect and really think about self-care. I have realized that self-care has never been my focus but it is something that has benefited me this year. I feel that I am learning to be more flexible and understanding to not be so hard on myself. I also really liked the analogy of the “cement shoes”. I think that it is so easy to lose who we are as educators because we are constantly surrounded by so many things that we can’t control that can slowly change our attitudes and outlook on the profession and it is important to focus on our foundation and core beliefs that we can always fall back on that remind us why we do what we do everyday.
- Lemmond

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This has been a challenging but rewarding year. I’m learning to do self care and change my words and have a better understanding of the challenges my students maybe facing.

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Staying true to one’s self can be challenging as obstacles are encountered throughout life (and a school day).  Prior to this reading I never thought about writing a personal mission statement.  As noted on page 48, “Our mission statement clarifies our core values, our unifying purpose.”  This is my seventh year teaching and I feel like each school year I have needed to make personal adjustments to meet the demands and responsibilities of being an educator just to meet the needs of the students in my classroom.  Staying true to what I believe in not only serves my inner soul, but also my students.  After reflecting on my teaching experiences and the text information, I now understand that my students, my team, and school family can best be served when my core beliefs represent me staying true to who I am and what my beliefs are… Not giving up on who I am to just to fit into what others think I need to be or should be.
DMG

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One thing I am going to try to remember to practice is the Lazy 8 breathing technique. It is really easy to get sucked into the tornado.  I think this will help me stay calm and think before I react.  I also want to try this before beginning my second block.  They normally come in pretty rowdy.  I think this will help them refocus and be ready to learn.
M. Quick

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I reflected on the wizard of oz analogy. I'm learning my triggers so I don't get swept up in the cyclone of attention seeking behavior. My personal goal is to get to know my students and the motive behind their triggers.

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Looking over the reading, we as adults should remember that we set the tone in our classrooms. It states in the book, "It us our demeanor, our approach, our behaviors, our volume, and our presence that affect how our young people live , breathe, and perform in the classroom".
A Quick

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I have learned to be more mindful of my triggers and to be more understanding of where my students  are coming from in different situations.

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There are several things that I have learned this year. I have learned that building positive relationships has been more crucial than ever before. Combining our two schools was a combination of different cultures, however students are students and they ALL need to know they are loved, respected and that we believe in them all. We have to move beyond any differences to let them know that they are all the same and can all do their best. Students need to know that each child's best is all that we need!

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I think even though there have been many changes this year I still see kids growing in their academic and social being. We are here for their benefit and to fulfill our destiny of being GREAT educators. We are here to help children be as successful as they can be and to feel encouraged in such a dark world. I look at our school as a lighthouse whose light is being polished so that it can guide and be a beacon of hope for the children in this community.

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I am learning this year that my students all have "different"environments in which they come from. In the years past, when working with the same environment there wasn't so much diversity among families. As I take all this in, I am learning to understand each child for the person they are so that I can help them on a personal level despite their environment.
-A. Locklear

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This year has been pretty challenging. No because of the kids, is how this year have started , and how off I have been feeling. I have always loved my students but this year has been different. I am more aware how they live. I feel more empathetic with them. I also understand why they act the way they act.

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I have learned to be less stiff and regimented this year. I try to actually talk to the students at times-not at them. I feel like I have developed relationships with some students and am trying to be more empathetic. I look for ways to connect with them as individuals.
-Jorgensen

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I have been teaching many years and every year is something new. This year has been no different. There have been lots of new things to learn, new things to do and new things to accept, both with my children and with my co-workers. Getting to know others on a personal level is very important. We all struggle with live, and the children in our classes are no different. Stopping to really know them and know who they are inside and outside of the classroom is very important.
Sutherland

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Knowing and being on a personal level with our students is vital. We need to know as much as we can (without getting too personal) to tailor activities to their needs, to create rapport, or simply get to know them better. I’ve learned and am still learning to have more empathy than sympathy. I think it is hard for most of us to imagine the lives of some of our children. Whatever we do in school needs to be able to make a difference in the lives of our children.
McCormick

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This year has been full of changes for us as well as our children. We are truly a blended group with very different perspectives. I have learned it is ok to struggle as long as it’s productive struggle. It’s good for the children to see us struggle too! They learn to persist- to work to be better today than yesterday. Also if today was a bad day- tomorrow gives us a fresh start.

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I have realized that my “cement shoes” are an important part of who I am as a person and educator, but my cement shoes are just mine- others may not share the same core values. It is evident with my group this year that we come from different places and value different things. We were not raised the same way. I have to think about what the students are wearing as their “cement shoes” in order to understand them better and develop a closer relationship with them.
M. Peed

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Being a first year teacher, I have learned so much about what it takes to make a classroom run. I have learned that when something doesn't work it is okay, and to try it a different way. I have had to change my groups a few times. I am in the process of trying different kinds of alternate seating. The classroom can be ever changing, especially in an EC self contained classroom but consistent at the same time. The focus needs to be what is best for the students.
K. Harrison

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I NEED to know more about my students...

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I NEED to know more about my students...

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I want to spend time getting to know my students better.  Just today, one of my students showed me her dad's obituary on the Internet.  She said he was shot by his brother.  This just happened in 2017.  I'm sure that her father's death has affected this student in so many ways.  I just can't imagine, and I had no idea!!!   M. Buhler

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Throughout this year I have been learning to be more empathetic than sympathetic. I think it depends on your relationship with the other person on how you respond. I have found it helpful to realize that if I am not in a close relationship with the other person that words are not as significant as just being "there" can be.      Wilkins