Three Heads

Teacher mental health and workload are, unsurprisingly, hot topics right now. And yet so much of the advice we receive to address these topics is contradictory (you can work only your contractual hours, but also you need lesson plans that are engaging, culturally responsive, and rigorous, but also your students are multiple years below grade level) or even worse, make you feel 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 like you’re doing something wrong by not being able to get it all done in your contractual hours.⁣
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We need to be honest: there are too many expectations placed on us as teachers and we cannot fulfill them all excellently within our contractual hours. It literally cannot be done. None of us are doing it all and walking out the door at 3:30 p.m. Can we be good teachers while still caring for our own health and maintaining relationships? Yes. Can we find a system that will enable us to do all the things a “good” teacher does within our contractual hours? Nope. Not even close.⁣
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So what do we do? Today on the blog (link in bio), Steph’s reflecting on a few podcasts she’s been listening to lately and sharing some advice she found helpful when it comes to setting realistic goals that will allow us to feel good about the work we’re doing without feeling like we have to have it all figured out. ⁣
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Check out the blog (link in bio) and let us know what you think. What decisions are you making about what you prioritize? Are you making the same choices you always have or are you trying something different this year?

🎄It’s Day 1 of our Holiday Challenge! 🎄

Lots of holiday decorations and lights have gone up over the past few days and we are here for it!

Tonight after dinner or on your way home from work (since it’s getting dark so early these days), head out to check out some of the light displays in your neighborhood (or, if yours is a dud, a more festive neighborhood nearby).

We used to work near a major shopping center that goes all out with their decorations and we’re not going to lie, we may have done a few laps around the parking lot—or even gone inside for a glimpse at the tree—on particularly hard days.

Kate and her family love to do this a few times each season. Checking out different neighborhoods each time. A little coffee or hot chocolate and some festive tunes is a great way to spend a Monday night!

Spread the holiday cheer and tag us with a pic your favorite display. Have a friend who should participate in the challenge? Don’t forget to share!

We love to read. We’re English teachers, so it’s not all that surprising. We love curling up with a good book and escaping from reality for a few minutes (or a few hours). The majority of our students, though? They don’t.

It’s raining in Southern California today. The day is practically screaming for a good book and a mug of hot chocolate. While a few of our students share our sentiments, most of them don’t.

A few years ago, we started a gentle campaign to try to win over a few students to the world of reading. We started spending one day a week reading in class, projecting YouTube videos of a relaxing beach scene on warm days and crackling fire on the colder ones. We also started leaning in to popular YA novels. We scoured the Internet and polled our students to find the books that captured their interest and imaginations, and we started making time for First Chapter Fridays. Now we’re sharing our activities with you and your students!

Check out the link in our bio to learn more and sign up to receive access to one First Chapter Friday Nearpod activity or dive right in and sign up to receive five First Chapter Friday Nearpod activities each month.

Nothing for sale. Nothing to buy. Just wanted to share something you can start using in your classroom to help build a community of readers.

📚📖What are you reading right now? Do you love it? Let us know in the comments!