#TeacherFriends Chat: A Charming Giveaway

Many regular readers know my non-teaching time is spent with family, friends, or downstairs in the crafty nook, and that my "summers off" are typically spent creating and crafting to my heart's content.  It's more than a hobby, it's a need to make, do, learn, and often, share.  It's how I wind down from the good and not-so-great stressors that accumulate during the school year.  It's how I relax and re-energize.  It's a ritual, even.

It seemed fitting to create a charm for tomorrow's #TeacherFriends chat: one lucky participant will win it!  Join us (try following along via Tweetdeck.Twitter.com, it's easier) Tuesday evening, June 2, at 7:30 p.m. Kansas time for our "early bird" chat, and stay for our formal chat when we'll share ideas for how to refresh, renew, and re-energize ourselves this summer. There will be additional prizes as well, so make sure to find our link to a Google doc during the chat so you can enter to win.  All teachers and friends of education are welcome to participate, regardless of tweeting experience!

See you soon!

Summer's 3 R's: Refresh, Renew and Re-Energize

For many teachers, summer vacation has started, or is just around the corner.  Family time, naps, professional development, travel, catching up on medical and dental appointments, and ~more~ naps are on many of our agendas.  As we tackle the items on our to-do lists (that we likely postponed during the school year), our pace can closely resemble that of our typical work week.  Add to that the awkward adjustment period of days or even weeks when our internal clocks force us awake at 5:30 each morning, and our transition can feel less than relaxing, delaying the start of our necessary self care.

Non-teachers may think that I'm advocating for undeserved pampering when I mention self care or advocate for a summer version of "the three R's:"  Refresh, Renew, and Re-energize.  It's the often ignored fourth R component of our jobs, relationships, that make the other three so necessary for teachers.

First, some definitions:

re·fresh

rəˈfreSH/

verb

give new strength or energy to; reinvigorate.

re·new

rəˈn(y)o͞o/

verb

resume (an activity) after an interruption.

  re-en·er·gize

   rēˈenərjīz/

    verb

    verb: reenergize

    give fresh vitality, enthusiasm, or impetus to.

Teachers form new relationships with students and families every school year, and continue to grow partnerships with fellow colleagues and other friends of education.  These relationships form the foundation of a safe and nurturing environment, but they can be the source of stress, worry, and even fear for teachers.  Poverty, politics, and performance anxiety can drain teachers of our energy and inspiration, despite the goals we set for ourselves and our students each year.  We often put the needs of others before our own, and forget to replenish our own energy reserves, though it's essential that we do just that: our students should get the best that we have to offer, instead of making do with what's left over.  As it happens, summer vacation, that traditional time for children, families, exploration and memory making, is also the perfect intervention... for teachers.

Dr. Karen Horneffer-Ginter, author of First Cup, Thirsty Spirit: Nourishing the Soul When Life's Just Too Much, shared this infographic over at The Huffington Post, suggesting fifty ways that we can take a break in order to refresh, renew and re-energize ourselves:

This Tuesday, June 2, #TeacherFriends will be chatting about how and why teachers can implement self-care over summer break.  Join us and share your suggestions and ideas regarding meditation, hobbies, exercising, eating healthy, and replenishing your teaching spirit.  Teachers new to Twitter are also invited to join us, taking baby steps with lots of online support and camaraderie as we tweet, retweet, chat, and share. 

Did you notice the hashtag #PRIZES?  Chat participants will have the opportunity to put their names in a hat (actually a Google doc) for several prize drawings!  Since part of my self-care routine involves crafting and creating, I've decided to offer a patriotic soldered charm to one lucky winner:

Join us (in your jammies, if you like!) Tuesday, at 7:30 p.m. Kansas time, for an early bird "practice" chat opportunity.  I'll answer any questions you might have (my favorite color is red, I wear a size 9 shoe, and this will be my 20th year teaching kindergarten), and then get our 3 R's chat underway with Debbie Clement (@KweezleQueen) and friends at 8:00 p.m.

See you soon!

~Michaele~ (@msommerville)

Summer Goal: Learn Something New & A Twitter Chat Invitation

Hello Summer, it's me, Michaele.

Just wanted to let you know that I survived the massive book sort/organization project I undertook last week.  I had shelves full of books in cabinets, multiple versions of fairy tales on the floor, collections strewn across tables, and plenty of books for donation covering my cart:

But now:

That's right: my story books have been sorted by theme, letter focus, AND month, and have been shelved in instructional order.  I'm not OCD, I'm efficient.

Humor me.

I did however, become distracted from parts of today's intended to-do agenda.  Though I managed to get a load of laundry washed and dried, and have kept the kitchen relatively clean through two meal preparations, I didn't make my planned phone calls, nor did I get the last little pile of teacher stuff sorted and put away.

I blame MyCuteGraphics.com, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word.  So should you.

They conspired to make me play and create:

It's pretty plain-Jane, but to quote Nancy Willard and Tomie dePaola, Simple Pictures are Best, especially for my first attempt.  We'll see how long it takes for me to get a good rhythm going in PowerPoint as I create color/cut/sound out/glue pages for my Super Stars' ELA journals this summer.  That's right, my goal to learn something new is already underway.

I'm also interested in learning how to create my own clip art.  How do you like my Eskimo?  I had to make her.  HAD.  TO.

(You know I'm one-half Iñupiat Eskimo, right?)

She's far from perfect, but was so fun to make!

*****

What are your professional goals for the summer?  Participating in a book study?  Brushing up on technology tools?  How about joining me and my #TeacherFriends for a Twitter chat?  We're a friendly bunch, and love to help Twitter newbies learn how to tweet, share with others, and build their PLNs.

I'm looking forward to chatting with you as we share ideas of how we can refresh our minds, renew our commitment to our students, families and colleagues, and re-energize for next fall!  Check back tomorrow to see what prize I'll be sharing with a lucky chat participant.