Refreshing Your Mindset

Hey educators! Welcome to today’s mini training. I hope every one of you has had an amazing week at school and thank you for all your hard work as educators. In today’s mini-training we are going to learn how to refresh our mindset for the second semester.

If you are stuck and need to refresh your mindset then I have a FREE mini-training just for you. It will include a guide and videos on how you can refresh and renew your ESL classroom. In this FREE mini-training you will have each video delivered to your inbox.

During the second semester, school starts to kick into overdrive! You have testing, field trips, programs, and are preparing your students to transition smoothly into the next school year. All of these events happening at once can lead to overwhelm and the feeling that there is too much going. It is also easy to slip into teacher survival mode during this time which can sabotage the remainder of your school.

This first happened to me my second year teaching. There were so many requirements such as submitting a data binder, preparing the students and the tech for testing, grading papers, school programs, and the list was endless. I reached a breaking point one of the many nights I was working till 6pm planning lessons for my ELLs. I walked outside and I was the last car in the parking lot. I decided right then and there I needed to do a 360 and it had to start with my mindset.  

One night I was staying till after 6 and when I went out the door I was the LAST car at the school! The LAST car! In that moment, I knew there needed to be a change. When I went home, I stayed up late and drafter a plan. I took a long hard look at myself and what was taking up most of my time. The time winner was lesson plans. I was creating 6 page lesson plans for one lesson. I then started to dig deeper. I asked myself this question: “Why do I need to feel to plan 6 page lessons every day? Can’t I get what I need done in a 1-2 page lesson plan? The underlying discovery was I felt that my ELLs needed 100 scaffolds and supports which was just not true. I also discovered during this reflection that I needed to prioritize my lessons and my tasks.

Here are some strategies to Refresh your Mindset:

1. Take a deep look and reflect on how you are planning your lessons. Is your mindset centered around My ELLs are newcomers or LTELs so I need 1.2 million scaffolds. If so, refresh your mindset. Ask yourself what are some effective supports I can put in place. This is going to save you so much time on your planning.
2. This time of year can be overwhelming with testing, trips, programs, you name it. Consider using a digital or paper planner and prioritize. Also remember it is okay to say NO. Having a planner helps you prioritize and gives you a clear vision of what is coming next.
   • It is important to note that our mindset around these tasks can take us into “I just need to make it through this”.
   • You want your mindset to be I have this task coming up and I am confident that I have it under control.
   • If you don’t have it under control….ITS OKAY! Ask for help or an extension. Remember your mental health is the top priority.
   • Join Reflect & Refresh to renew your classroom and your mindset.
3. My third tip is to keep a reflection journal. Keeping a reflection journal will help you with mindset and getting back on track. It is a great tool to use after lessons.

So educators here are your next steps to refresh your mindset:

1. Refresh your mindset around planning. If you have been overwhelmed with your planning, ask yourself is there a way can be streamlined.
2. Keep a reflection journal to refresh your mindset daily.

How are you refreshing your mindset?