Read each short article, what is your biggest take away and why, and then post all three of your responses. by Aisha B. Ortega

abortega — 2025-08-27 20:23:44 UTC

2025-08-29 03:41:02 UTC

I've found that veteran teachers love answering any questions I have as a newbie, and I plan to collect another mentor (or best friend) each week.

Utilizing key phases will be key when working with parents. I like to get to school early - but yes, I should get into the habit of photocopying the night before...Or better yet, the week before!

2025-08-29 03:43:50 UTC

I'm looking for liberation in a weekly prep schedule. Save lots of time and energy for teaching!

2025-08-29 03:46:57 UTC

Definitely going for the social time and sticking to it. Also hoarding glue sticks is great with high school students as well.

2025-08-29 03:48:13 UTC

Spend less money, scavenge more--this is a mantra!

2025-08-29 03:51:01 UTC

This schedule looks like a dream! I might be able to prepare copies and materials in one hour, but I don't believe any of these other tasks can be completed within a one-hour prep period. Give me a break!

– Monday: IEP Paperwork (one week)
– Tuesday: Collaborate with Gen Ed Teachers and Staff (2-4 days)
– Wednesday: Lesson Plan for upcoming weeks (1 full day)
– Thursday: Copies and Material Prep for upcoming week
– Friday: Catch Up/Miscellaneous

2025-08-29 04:10:21 UTC

"I would be the first teacher in the state’s history to have a standardized testing average of 0%." -probably me.

The biggest takeaway from this was to do fewer tasks that the kids should do themselves. Most of my students lack organizational skills. They should be the ones tidying up, wiping down the desks, and emptying their backpacks on Friday (crumbs and all), and reorganizing them for the weekend.

Veronica

vtayo1 — 2025-08-29 04:29:58 UTC

My biggest takeaway is to record the good stuff. We need to give ourselves some grace when things get tough. Having a record is a great confidence booster. Work life balance and organization are essential because we can easily wear out. Our body goes overload on stress and it breaks our immunity down. Ginger tea with cinnamon is my go to defense for my body.

Veronica

vtayo1 — 2025-08-29 04:40:37 UTC

I’ve created a weekly schedule in the past, but I found that I don’t always stick to my weekly plan. I have to modify my plan or skip it completely. I find that when I plan at least 2 days ahead, I can accomplish the majority of the task. I agree with delegating tasks and setting boundaries. This year I am lucky to have a seasoned para, so I lean on her to help me with my caseload. Getting a planner is a must for me to get organized and set boundaries. I’ve used my phone calendar in the past, but it is not as effective as having the planner on my desk. In my planner I can jot down commitments & tasks rather than having a calendar and a task list.

Veronica

vtayo1 — 2025-08-29 04:58:14 UTC

In my first year of teaching, I didn’t know how to set boundaries consistently. One thing I’ve learned is that I need to follow through when I set boundaries. I also needed to learn how to reframe my statements. Instead of giving my students a hard no, I should say “I appreciate______, but now is not a good time.” Also, doing too many things for the general ed students can be cumbersome, and I’ve learned to not spoonfeed them. However with special ed students, I feel more empathetic so I find myself doing more. I need to borrow the author’s comments, “What have you tried so far?” “I know this is hard, but if I just give you the answer, you’ll miss out on the best feeling in the world. I know you can do this.”

Jess

2025-08-29 14:43:15 UTC

1. Never hesitate to ask; the answer that takes you 15 minutes to find online may take someone else only 2 minutes to explain.

2. Make time for yourself, whether it’s going to the gym or reading a book.

Jess

2025-08-29 14:56:23 UTC

I began the school year by building a yearly schedule broken down by marking periods, helping me see what I needed to prepare for each week.

Jess

2025-08-29 15:02:38 UTC

Establishing boundaries is crucial.

Even though we are flexible, it doesn’t mean our expectations can be ignored.

Eliseo

evillegas3_1 — 2025-08-31 05:36:16 UTC

I noticed that the majority of the suggestions in this article center around doing what you can to stay prepared and limiting potential issues. Things like printing copies the day prior, meal prepping nutritious food, and having phrases ready help minimize chaos.

Eliseo

evillegas3_1 — 2025-08-31 05:43:15 UTC

I would really like to work on my delegation. I always find myself trying to take on every little responsibility in the classroom myself. My work schedule is currently segmented between class 1st period and a prep period for 2nd, following that pattern to give me 4 teaching periods and 3 prep periods. I appreciate this schedule giving me breaks throughout the day to use to plan ahead and digest things that come up in between the school day.

Eliseo

evillegas3_1 — 2025-08-31 05:45:32 UTC

This article reinforces that I need to make sure I ask for help when I need it. I want avoid letting things accumulate to the point of me having to ask for clarification when it is too late.

Jackson

2025-08-31 19:22:13 UTC

The idea of writing down the good things that happen over the course of a day really resonated with me. These last couple weeks have been insanely stressful and while venting about challenges and stressors with loved ones is helpful, I've found that I feel better when I share a moment that was positive, even if the bulk of the day was overwhelming.

Jackson Sublett

2025-08-31 19:25:25 UTC

Delegation of tasks and routines and having a weekly prep schedule would both help so much. It feels like there is always work that can be done which makes it really hard to relax and get a good nights rest, but having a schedule and being able to pass some other responsibilities to paras in the class would be a god send.

2025-08-31 19:29:46 UTC

"Instead of one giant list, I separated it into three columns; what had to get done that day, by the end of the week, and when I had time." This is a game changer of an idea, I'm still working on getting comfortable with not having time to get everything done in a day. Having things linger has been a major source of anxiety, but this feels like a healthier solution.

Shannon

sdmoran2_1 — 2025-09-03 13:49:44 UTC

I loved the tip to find an unofficial mentor teacher to learn from. I also think it would be valuable to find teachers in different departments so you always have a pulse on what is going on in the school and can ask for help from people of different specialties.

Shannon

sdmoran2_1 — 2025-09-03 13:51:01 UTC

Delegating weekly tasks is an area I would like to work on. I do a relatively good job setting boundaries for working outside of work, but I anticipate that will get harder this year while I am starting the USF program in addition to working full time.

Shannon

sdmoran2_1 — 2025-09-03 13:53:53 UTC

The idea of harmful teacher narratives was interesting. I can also fall victim to the idea that a great teacher takes on responsibilities and time outside of the work day, but I anticipate that it could lead to burnout. I have taken on a few extracurricular positions at the school and am already realizing I need to minimize the time spent with them so I have energy to perform in the classroom.

Rachel

2025-09-10 17:21:13 UTC

I found that finding an unofficial mentor at my school site has been key. I share a classroom with two other SPED teachers and they have very kindly taken me under their wings. They let me ask them all the questions and make sure to support me whenever they have the time. I also liked how the article mentioned to record the good stuff. I need to start doing this.

Rachel

2025-09-10 17:22:51 UTC

I need to work on setting clear work boundaries. I am finding myself working a lot outside of work hours to stay on top of the work load but then burning out by the weekend. What has helped is coming early in the morning for additional prep time but then leaving on time.

Rachel

2025-09-10 17:25:07 UTC

It felt validating to read that it's okay to leave your to do list unfinished. I write to do lists everyday at work and feel like I can never accomplish it all. I am doing what I can when I can but it is good to know I am not alone. I feel like I am working two jobs 1) as a teacher 2) as a case manager and being a student myself so the to do list is endless.

Rebecca

rgillum2 — 2025-09-15 04:46:22 UTC

I do a few of these already, but I do need to get better about meal planning for the weekdays and I love the idea of having a notebook to write down the positives. I'm really good at ruminating on the hard stuff, and having something to remind me of the good stuff would be good for my overall mental health

Rebecca

rgillum2 — 2025-09-15 04:48:13 UTC

I like the weekly prep schedule, I love to do lists, so I think that would be helpful. I also need to get better at delegating tasks (like having the students clean the room, since they make the mess)

Rebecca

rgillum2 — 2025-09-15 04:49:51 UTC

The one thing on that list that I know I do, and have done and would love to do less of is worry to much. Having anxiety makes that both worse and harder not to do, but I worry about everything, and then I over think it.