How many days are left before winter break? I see this question ALL the time on social media. Teachers are counting down to that magic time of year when they get a break.
Our mission here at Online Teacher Coach is to support and serve teachers. We've been there. We have been there. I remember being at my wit's end in the final days leading up to winter break. Grabbing at straws just to find lesson plans that will give me 5 minutes of peace.
Here are 3 tips for teacher survival of the last week of school:
Give yourself some grace!
I definitely include myself in this category. When a lesson doesn’t go as well as I had hoped... when a student I’ve been working with acts out... when a parent sends an angry email…I blame myself. Hard. So many of us do. After a long, challenging day, it’s just too easy for teachers to take responsibility for everything that went wrong. Forgive yourself. Nobody is perfect. Give yourself permission to take a break from the things that reinforce the idea that unless you’re doing everything perfectly and loving every second of teaching you aren’t good enough.
Make students do the work!
Yes, you heard me right. Take a step back and put students in charge of their own learning.
One of the most important 21st-century skills students need is "agency", or the power to influence their own learning. Assign a project. Have students create their own quizzes. Give them options on how to demonstrate their learning and indulge in another cup of hot cocoa while they work.
Find free lesson plans!
There are so many ways to grab alternate lesson plans. Let's face it, we all get bored with our routine. That's why we opened a Teachers Pay Teachers store but you can just reach out if you need anything! (We have over 5500 lesson plans in our repository!) Email us! onlineteachercoach@gmail.com
Here is how to find FREE resources on Teachers Pay Teachers:
Go to www.teacherspayteachers.com and input keywords in the search.
Scroll down on the left-hand side and choose "free" in the price category.
Voilà- FREE teaching resources ready for you!
If you happen to be a foreign language teacher, our Teacher's Pay Teacher's Store is filled with great lesson plans on grammar, culture (TinTin, Le Petit Nicolas, Astérix),
Online Teacher Coach follows the 80/20 rule. Give out FREE 80% of our lesson plans and offer 20% for purchase. That's why we are sending teachers free resources.
Feel free to share with your teacher colleagues because, again, our mission is to support and serve.
Please be well. Take care of yourself and drink more coffee!
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