Encouragement for Teachers - Teach 4 the Heart

Pin it for later

This article may contain affiliate links. This means that if you purchase a resource after clicking the link, Teach 4 the Heart may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for helping support Teach 4 the Heart in this way.

The post Hope for the Anxious Teacher: Getting to the Root of Anxiety appeared first on Teach 4 the Heart.

This Little Light of Mine: Shining for Christ in the Classroom

Alexx Seipp — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 09:00:00 +0000

I don't have to tell you that our world is getting darker. Truth is neglected, confusion abounds, and the future feels uncertain. But rather than shrinking back in fear, this is the time to stand and SHINE!

Whether you're in a public school or Christian school, you have the incredible opportunity to shine for Christ & impact students with the light of His love.
Join us in this series as we explore what it looks like to let our little light shine in the classroom - and what we need to make that happen.

This Little Light of Mine: Shining for Christ in the Classroom
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#3: Tackling the Distractors that Keep Us from Shining

#4: Fostering Healthy Relationships in Your Classroom

Learn more & purchase an All-Access Pass at a special Podcast Listener rate!

#1: Fueling Your Mission as a Teacher

from SERIES: This Little Light of Mine: Shining for Christ in the Classroom

Most teachers feel discouraged at some point in their careers. Some teachers maybe even feel discouraged daily. Truth: our jobs are difficult and overwhelming. So, even though the idea of shining for Christ sounds good in theory, executing it in real life may feel impossible.

In the latest podcast episode, Linda invites us to make some mindset shifts concerning work, where our focus lies, and how we view discouragement. Plus, you'll learn how focusing on the reason we are here (and why we teach) can change EVERYTHING.

If you want to feel seen in your struggles, shine consistently for Christ, and make a difference in your school, then this podcast has the strategies you need. Listen in today!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Pray & Plan

Join us at the Rise Up Summit

Join us to discover anew the hope that is found in Christ as well as practical solutions to navigate specific challenges that occur when teaching in a confused world with an All-Access Pass to our online teaching conference! Whether you're in a public or Christian school, you will be encouraged to rise up and shine a light in your classroom.

This Little Light of Mine: Shining for Christ in the Classroom
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#3: Tackling the Distractors that Keep Us from Shining

#4: Fostering Healthy Relationships in Your Classroom

#2: The Foundation You Need to Shine

from SERIES: This Little Light of Mine: Shining for Christ in the Classroom

Do you have a passion to reach others for Christ? Developing your credibility where He's placed you can have an immensely powerful eternal impact! When you're good at your job, you increase your credibility... which God can and will use for eternal benefits!

Listen to this week's podcast for ideas on how to improve your foundational teaching skills for His benefit, and at the same time avoid some common traps.

If you find it hard to strike a balance between being complacent with your level of teaching expertise and striving toward unattainable perfection, this episode's for you. Listen now to hear Linda's perspective on seeking and finding that balance while increasing your workplace credibility!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Winning the Battle Against Student Empathy

How to Reduce Disruptions without Yelling, Begging, or Bribing

This Little Light of Mine: Shining for Christ in the Classroom
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#3: Tackling the Distractors that Keep Us from Shining

#4: Fostering Healthy Relationships in Your Classroom

#3: Tackling the Distractors that Keep Us from Shining

from SERIES: This Little Light of Mine: Shining for Christ in the Classroom

What keeps us from shining God's light in our classroom? For teachers, some common reasons are stress, overwhelm, and discouragement. In this podcast episode, we will look at how to combat these obstacles with both spiritual and practical tools.

Be inspired and equipped as we explore four essential questions to strengthen our spiritual foundation, hear practical tips to reduce our stress and overwhelm, and gain a renewed perspective that God is on this mission with us. Listen now!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Overcoming Anxiety: Examining its Roots and Shoots and Ways to Make it Leave

How to Reduce Disruptions without Yelling, Begging, or Bribing

Fieldstone Counseling

5 Time-Saving Practices to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed

Reclaim Your Time 101

FREE WEBINAR: 5 TIME-SAVING PRACTICES TO STOP FEELING OVERWHELMED

I firmly believe you can be an amazing teacher and do it in a reasonable amount of time. Let me show you HOW in this free training.

Watch the training now!

This Little Light of Mine: Shining for Christ in the Classroom
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#3: Tackling the Distractors that Keep Us from Shining

#4: Fostering Healthy Relationships in Your Classroom

#4: Fostering Healthy Relationships in Your Classroom

from SERIES: This Little Light of Mine: Shining for Christ in the Classroom

Even though God created us for relationships, that does not mean having relationships is easy. In fact, building connections with our students is some of the hardest work we ever do.

This podcast episode is a great chance to look at the way the gospel not only reconciles us to God, but also allows us to be reconciled to one another. Using the framework of the gospel, the fruits of the spirit, and practical teaching techniques, Linda will walk you through how to build deeper relationships with your students.

Want to live out your mission to shine the light of Christ in your school? Listen in for practical ideas and the encouragement you need to keep going!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

A Relational Response to Racism

3 Powerful Words to Build Relationships & Shine for Christ

Beyond Classroom Management

This Little Light of Mine: Shining for Christ in the Classroom
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#3: Tackling the Distractors that Keep Us from Shining

#4: Fostering Healthy Relationships in Your Classroom

from SERIES: This Little Light of Mine: Shining for Christ in the Classroom

Discouragement can be hard to overcome if you feel like the eternal impact you're having on your students is minimal. This can be particularly true for teachers in public schools, but can be a struggle for those in private schools as well.

Whether you're in a private school and are able to openly help students seek, find, and grow in Christ or in a public school where you need to represent Christ to your students without speaking His name, this is your highest calling as a Christian teacher.

If you're like many Christians, you might tend to think you've only made an eternal impact if you've helped someone move from unsaved to saved. Listen to this week's podcast episode to hear Linda explain why this is a limited understanding of the impact you have on your students' spiritual lives.

Be encouraged as you listen to this episode and start to gain a more complete picture of the fruit you're producing as a Christian & how God's using you daily in your students lives for their spiritual benefit...even in a public school. Listen now.

This diagram is explained in the episode. Image credit: https://pjtibayan.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/trellis-and-the-vine-application-move-every-member-to-maturity/

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Religious Liberties Handout

Christian Educators Website

This Little Light of Mine: Shining for Christ in the Classroom
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#3: Tackling the Distractors that Keep Us from Shining

#4: Fostering Healthy Relationships in Your Classroom

susbcribe to the podcast

To be notified via email when the next Teach4theHeart podcast episode is released, sign up here.

You can also subscribe to the Teach 4 the Heart podcast in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app.

Herzog Foundation

This podcast is brought to you in partnership with the Herzog Foundation, which supports Christian education in a variety of ways. One way I highly recommend is their leadership trainings. They offer free, in-person trainings to Christian school leaders on a variety of important topics like donor development, marketing and enrollment, strategic planning, culture building, and more.

Not only are the trainings free, but lodging and meals are also covered by the Herzog Foundation. That means your school's only cost is airfare to get to the event. I've heard first-hand from people who have attended these events telling me that they are fantastic! If you're at a Christian school, check them out at herzogfoundation.com/events and be sure to recommend them to your admins.

spread the word!

Did you find this series helpful? Bless your fellow teachers by sharing this post directly (just copy the URL) or by clicking one of the buttons to automatically share on social media.

0 shares

#1: Does Discontentment Mean I'm in the Wrong Place?

Pin it for later

The post This Little Light of Mine: Shining for Christ in the Classroom appeared first on Teach 4 the Heart.

Teach without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Faith & Wisdom

Alexx Seipp — Mon, 10 Jul 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Do you ever feel overwhelmed, anxious, or unqualified as a teacher? You are not alone.

Join us on this podcast series as we explore common fears that teachers face and share scriptural truths and practical steps to help you banish your anxieties and approach this year with confidence and faith.

Teach Without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Fear and Wisdom
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#7: Standing Strong Amidst the Fear of Cancel Culture

#8: What if Death or Disaster Happens at my School?

#1: Does Discontentment Mean I'm in the Wrong Place?

from SERIES: Teach Without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Fear and Wisdom

As the summer slips through our fingers, have you had moments of anxiety creep up about next year? Okay, let's be honest. Some of us have been filled with absolute dread. Does that dread and your unhappiness mean that you are not where God wants you to be?

Today's episode is the first part of a brand-new series dealing with fear. And let's face it, the thought of not being where God wants us can be terrifying.

No matter how you are feeling this summer, if you listen to this podcast, you will learn strategies to deduce whether your struggles are a sign to go or a way to grow in your faith.

When we are facing hard times, it can be tempting to think, "I need to get out of here." But, the Bible speaks of hard times as times that refine and grow us as well.

Romans 5:3-5 says, "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

For more, listen to the full episode here.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Pray & Plan

PRAY AND PLAN

Our Pray & Plan is a great way to keep focused on scripture in the midst of anxieties around teaching. We can help you organize your spiritual, home, and classroom life with our planner created for Christian educators. Pray & Plan integrates practical planning with your spiritual walk to help you teach each day in partnership with the Holy Spirit.

Check it out now here.

Teach Without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Fear and Wisdom
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#1: Does Discontentment Mean I'm in the Wrong Place?

#7: Standing Strong Amidst the Fear of Cancel Culture

#8: What if Death or Disaster Happens at my School?

#2: How to Stop Fearing Classroom Behavior Issues

from SERIES: Teach Without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Fear and Wisdom

Have your back-to-school nightmares started yet? I can vividly remember dreams about my students literally climbing up the walls while my administrator observes. Ahhhhh!

Classroom management is one of the most stressful issues for teachers! It can feel so out of your control, but you have more influence than you realize (both on HOW your class behaves AND your fears around it).

On this week's podcast episode, we tackle fears about student misbehavior both from a Biblical and a practical perspective. You will find out why a classroom management plan will help you stop being scared of student behavior, be encouraged to create your own plan, and learn to face these fears head-on, knowing you aren't alone! Listen now here.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Back-to-School Classroom Management & Motivation Training

Classroom Management 101

JOIN US IN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT 101

In Classroom Management 101, you'll implement a classroom management plan that works so you can stop being frustrated by student misbehavior & actually enjoy teaching again!

Teach Without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Fear and Wisdom
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#1: Does Discontentment Mean I'm in the Wrong Place?

#7: Standing Strong Amidst the Fear of Cancel Culture

#8: What if Death or Disaster Happens at my School?

#3: Navigating Parent-Teacher Communication

from SERIES: Teach Without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Fear and Wisdom

Be honest...like many teachers, you're more afraid of communicating with ONE parent than you are teaching THIRTY students, aren't you?

This week’s podcast (all about how to overcome the fear of interacting with parents) is just what you need! Using the fear framework, I’ll be diving into five super practical ways to move past the intimidation factor when it comes to parent communication.

Listen now to get prepared to meet families this fall!

God wants us to seek to please Him - not be afraid of people and what they think.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Prayer Challenge

JOIN US IN THE PRAYER CHALLENGE

The challenge is simple. We're committing to pray every day - for as little or as long as you'd like.

Each day, we will ask God to work in our students' lives, in our lives, and in our classrooms (no matter what form them take).

We will pray for strength, wisdom, and endurance. We will pour out our hearts to God and find in Him a strong refuge.

The challenge starts Sunday. Click to join us.

Teach Without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Fear and Wisdom
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#1: Does Discontentment Mean I'm in the Wrong Place?

#7: Standing Strong Amidst the Fear of Cancel Culture

#8: What if Death or Disaster Happens at my School?

#4: Am I Even Making a Difference?

from SERIES: Teach Without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Fear and Wisdom

As a teacher you pour so much of your heart and life into your students, but sometimes it just feels like all your effort isn't making a difference.

That can be incredibly demoralizing, but in this episode you'll learn how to develop a different perspective that can free you from these fears.

Listen now to learn how to let go of persistent concerns about the impact you do or don't have in your students' lives - a mindset shift that will bring you so much peace!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Classroom Management 101

Rise Up Christian Educators Summit

Join us at the Rise Up Summit

Join us to discover anew the hope that is found in Christ as well as practical solutions to navigate specific challenges that occur when teaching in a confused world with our free online teaching conference! Whether you're in a public or Christian school, you will be encouraged to rise up and shine a light in your classroom.

Teach Without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Fear and Wisdom
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#1: Does Discontentment Mean I'm in the Wrong Place?

#7: Standing Strong Amidst the Fear of Cancel Culture

#8: What if Death or Disaster Happens at my School?

#5: Winning the Battle Against Student Apathy

from SERIES: Teach Without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Fear and Wisdom

Are you one of the many teachers who have noticed less motivation and more apathy in students since the pandemic? Are you worried about this trend continuing into the next school year?

You're not alone and we can help! In this week's podcast, Linda interviews author Dave Stuart Jr., who shares the 5 key beliefs students need to cultivate in order to care about their learning and persist when it gets challenging.

He also shares ideas for helping students who need to build these beliefs! By implementing these strategies, you will lower your anxiety for next school year and understand the framework behind student motivation.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Article: Moments of Genuine Connection

Book: The Will to Learn: Cultivating Student Motivation Without Losing Your Own

Conference: Register for the Rise Up Summit

Join us at the Rise Up Summit

Teach Without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Fear and Wisdom
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#1: Does Discontentment Mean I'm in the Wrong Place?

#7: Standing Strong Amidst the Fear of Cancel Culture

#8: What if Death or Disaster Happens at my School?

#6: Can I Be a Teacher AND Have a Life?

from SERIES: Teach Without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Fear and Wisdom

Do you find that your heavy workload as a teacher is keeping you from enjoying other parts of your life? Are you so busy and exhausted that you worry you will burn out sooner rather than later?

In this episode, we will learn to combat the many fears that may be keeping us too busy and too overscheduled. We will also take a good look at how to allow God to direct our steps so we can find peace in our planning, prioritizing, delegating, and maybe even deleting (gasp!) some of our tasks from our overflowing to-do lists.

Find freedom from the insanity that plagues so many of us by learning to create space to enjoy both your career and your life. Listen now!

God models for us a balance of hard work AND rest. That model of rest can free us from working when we would otherwise be exhausted, stressed, and desperate for a break.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Full course: Reclaim Your Time 101

FREE Training: 5 Time-Saving Practices to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed

Podcast Series: Balance

Join Reclaim Your Time 101

Designed for teachers, Reclaim Your Time 101 is your step-by-step plan to reduce stress & establish balance. In this program, you will cut 3-10 hours off your workweek without sacrificing your effectiveness so you can stop feeling stressed and preserve time and energy for your family and personal life.

PLUS - We know your plate is already full, so we've designed this course to be fast & flexible - and to work with your schedule.

Learn More about Reclaim Your Time 101

Teach Without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Fear and Wisdom
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#1: Does Discontentment Mean I'm in the Wrong Place?

#7: Standing Strong Amidst the Fear of Cancel Culture

#8: What if Death or Disaster Happens at my School?

#7: Standing Strong Amidst the Fear of Cancel Culture

from SERIES: Teach Without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Fear and Wisdom

In an increasingly "cancel culture," it can feel scary to disagree with whatever the approved cultural narrative is at any given time.

This may bring up a lot of fear for you- what if I face a situation where my faith goes against the approved cultural narrative?

One area this is showing up more and more commonly for teachers is with students who are claiming to be transgender.

What used to be a rare instance is now shockingly common - and many of us are facing pressure to affirm students' choices in this area without question - and in some cases to even overtly teach unBiblical viewpoints.

In today's podcast episode, Linda applies the 3 part framework to dealing with these anxieties as a Christian. Listen in to feel less alone in these struggles, reassured that God is in control, and better prepared to face these situations.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Podcast episode: How to Navigate Gender Identity as a Christian Teacher

Podcast episode: How to Navigate Gender Identity as a Christian Teacher (Part 2)

Free online teaching conference: Rise Up Christian Educators Summit

Join us at the Rise Up Summit

Join us for a free online teaching conference for Christian educators! Whether you teach at a private or public school, this long weekend will uplift your heart & equip you to fulfill your mission by the power of God's grace.

Teach Without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Fear and Wisdom
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#1: Does Discontentment Mean I'm in the Wrong Place?

#7: Standing Strong Amidst the Fear of Cancel Culture

#8: What if Death or Disaster Happens at my School?

from SERIES: Teach Without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Fear and Wisdom

Lately, do you find yourself worried about what kind of nightmarish tragedy could happen next at your school? Tragedies in schools are more common now than ever, which makes the fear of them more realistic and prevalent.

In this episode, we will first address that you are not alone as you face these concerns. Then, you can gain strength through the tips & solutions shared in our 3 part-framework for handling fear.

If you need peace, hope, and some practical ways to relinquish control regarding these concerns, you will find it here. Listen now.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8

Reminding ourselves of what is TRUE & then choosing to TRUST God is much more helpful than worrying about what could happen.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Free online teaching conference: Rise Up Christian Educators Summit

Join us at the Rise Up Summit

Teach Without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Fear and Wisdom
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#1: Does Discontentment Mean I'm in the Wrong Place?

#7: Standing Strong Amidst the Fear of Cancel Culture

#8: What if Death or Disaster Happens at my School?

subscribe to the podcast

To be notified via email when the next Teach4theHeart podcast episode is released, sign up here.

You can also subscribe to the Teach 4 the Heart podcast in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app.

spread the word!

Did you find this series helpful? Bless your fellow teachers by sharing this post directly (just copy the URL) or by clicking one of the buttons to automatically share on social media.

0 shares

#1: How to Finish Strong, Even if You Don't Think You Can

Pin it for later

The post Teach without Fear: Conquering our Anxieties with Faith & Wisdom appeared first on Teach 4 the Heart.

Finish Strong: Strategies for Making the Final Weeks Count

Alexx Seipp — Mon, 08 May 2023 09:00:00 +0000

As teachers, we often feel so overwhelmed in the final weeks of school that our only goal is to simply make it to summer break.

But if we only survive, we’re missing huge opportunities the final weeks bring. The good news is that we don't need a lot of time to make the last weeks count - just a bit of intentionality.

Join us we explore how we can make a final impact on our students, pack up in an organized way, reflect helpfully, and prepare ourselves for a refreshing summer break.

Finish Strong: Strategies for Making the Final Weeks Count
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

Teacher Appreciation Bundle

#1: How to Finish Strong, Even if You Don't Think You Can

from SERIES: Finish Strong: Strategies for Making the Final Weeks Count

Congratulations on making it this far into the school year! I want to encourage you to finish strong and make these weeks count.

When I was 16 weeks pregnant, I ran a marathon. I didn’t discover I was pregnant until halfway through my training, but I got medical approval to run anyway. I had this idea that I was going to cross the finish line with my arms held high in victory! I wish I had a video of me crossing because the reality is I barely made it across that finish line and I collapsed in the grass at the end. My husband said I looked miserable. I was glad I accomplished it, but I barely made it.

Maybe you feel that way. Maybe you’re thinking, “I don’t know if I can cross that finish line. I feel like I’m barely surviving.” Do not feel guilty if you’re just putting one foot in front of the other, but I do want to give you some things to think about these last few weeks of school.

Why do these last weeks of school matter?

1. These last weeks are an opportunity to make a final impact on your students. You’ve spent so much time with them, you know them better now than ever. You have built a relationship. Keep your eyes open for opportunities to guide them, to leave them with those last few words of wisdom, to inspire them. They’ll listen better now because of your shared history.

2. This is a great time to reflect. What has gone right this year? What has gone wrong? Make some written notes about it, so you will remember them next year and can make any changes (and remember what you want to do again!).

3. Make a plan for how to use your summer wisely. Sometimes the summer flies by and you don’t know where the time went! You had things you wanted to accomplish, but didn’t get to them. Now is the time to really consider what you want to do before next school year, but also be sure to plan some time for rest and relaxation as well!

If this sounds overwhelming to you and you’re one of those teachers we talked to above who feels like they’re barely surviving, you’ll want to listen to the full episode above where Linda provides encouragement and truth from God’s Word to help you keep going!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Jesus, Strong and Kind Song

Finish Strong: Strategies for Making the Final Weeks Count
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#1: How to Finish Strong, Even if You Don't Think You Can

End-of-the-Year Project Ideas

#2: Making a Final Impact on our Students

from SERIES: Finish Strong: Strategies for Making the Final Weeks Count

Here it comes, ready or not!

The end of the year is fast approaching and you have limited time left with your students, so let’s make the most of it!

Be intentional with how you spend your time, both academically and relationally.

Academics: Take a moment and see where you are in your scope and sequence.

- If you’re behind schedule, don’t just keep doing the next lesson because it’s the next lesson. At this point, you know you’re going to run out of time to teach everything, so intentionally think through what the most important lessons are and prioritize them.

- If you’ve done an amazing job staying on track, or even getting ahead of schedule, don’t let your students think you’ll be wrapping up early for the year. They’ll check out and you’ll have a mess on your hands! Have a plan with engaging academic activities so they’ll be excited to learn up till the end.

Relationships: Pray and keep your eyes open for how God wants to bless His children through you.

- God isn’t done using you in the lives of your students! In your last few weeks with them, intentionally speak love, truth, and encouragement into their lives. Ask God to help you shine His light to the students He’s given you this year.

Want some specific ideas for projects (both academic and relational) that you can do during the last few weeks of school? Listen to the full podcast now!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

PRAY AND PLAN

As you reflect on how planning out your schedule went this year, start thinking about next school year! We can help you organize your spiritual, home, and classroom life with our planner created for Christian educators. Pray & Plan integrates practical planning with your spiritual walk to help you teach each day in partnership with the Holy Spirit.

Check it out now here.

Finish Strong: Strategies for Making the Final Weeks Count
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#1: How to Finish Strong, Even if You Don't Think You Can

#3: How to Close Down Your Classroom Like a Pro

from SERIES: Finish Strong: Strategies for Making the Final Weeks Count

When you think of closing out your classroom at the end of the year, do you immediately have visions of total chaos? Loose papers flying everywhere, trash cans overflowing with ripped-up bulletin board displays, stubby pencils on the floor, and students attempting to shove the entire contents of their desks into their backpacks to take home… what a mess!

The good news is that cleaning up your classroom doesn’t have to be chaotic if you take the right approach! Here's some advice to help you with these tasks:

1. DON’T pack up the visible parts of your classroom too early! If you start taking down your bulletin boards a month before school ends, it will signal to your students that the year is over and they will start to lose focus.

2. DO start cleaning out your desk, cabinets, and computer files ahead of time so that you can discreetly get some things accomplished without derailing your class.

3. DO enlist your students to help. On one of the last days of school, try giving your class some engaging independent work and having pairs of students work on cleaning tasks one at a time to avoid chaos. (Thanks to Angela Watson for this great advice!)

You don’t need to be overwhelmed by all that needs to be done. Just try your best to do what you can and every little bit will help you get off on the right foot next year. Here's some advice from Kelly Jackson from The Simply Organized Teacher on organizing as you pack up:

1. DO your cleaning and organizing a little at a time, as you have time. Try tackling one drawer at lunch time and another the next day.

2. DO find some bins that you can label “donate” or “trash” etc. so that you have a spot for everything you need to organize or get rid of. (You may find it motivating to give yourself a goal of how many items you will get rid of!)

3. DON'T forget about the unseen parts of your classroom, like cabinets and drawers. Neglecting those spots will cause you to come back in the fall to an unexpected mess!

4. DO create zones in your classroom and put “like” things together in the same zone. For example, put all of your teaching reading materials in one location rather than all over the classroom.

If you’re interested in hearing more about closing out and organizing your classroom you can listen to the entire podcast episode here.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

A Simple System for Deconstructing your Classroom in Just One Day

TEACH4THEHEART+

Looking for more teaching tips? Members receive unlimited access to our four most popular courses PLUS access to mentors, exclusive resources, and much more! Become a member here.

Finish Strong: Strategies for Making the Final Weeks Count
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#1: How to Finish Strong, Even if You Don't Think You Can

Your Smooth-Running Classroom

#4: A Simple Key to Future Success

from SERIES: Finish Strong: Strategies for Making the Final Weeks Count

Do you want to start your summer break with clarity and the freedom to enjoy the sand and sunshine from day one? Then, schedule a small block of time to reflect on this school year.

Reflection will allow you to clear your mind from all the details you would otherwise try to hold onto until next fall.

Reflection can be simple, inspiring, and be the catalyst you need to improve your classroom.

Use these 4 easy steps.

STEP ONE: Let's start by celebrating the things that went really well this year!
-Did you connect well with certain students?
-Did you master the art of a clean desk?
-Were you on time more than 90% of the days?
Write these things down. Thank God for these wins! And use them to help plan for next year.

STEP TWO: Now, let's make some notes of things you want to change.
-Is there a new procedure you want to implement? -Was there a daily struggle in your classroom? -What inspiring ideas do you have?

STEP THREE: Identify the root cause of last year's biggest pain point. Try asking: -Why this was an issue? Ask why a couple times if needed. Some themes that come to mind are: organization, classroom management, time management, personal attitude, anxiety, or student behavior.

STEP FOUR: Make a plan for what needs to change.
Remember: This is about reflecting and not solving your issues right away. So, while step four can involve naming the solution, it will then involve planning time in the future where you implement the solution. On the other hand, this step could also mean planning time to brainstorm solutions themselves. This is not about fixing everything now! Instead, it's about assuring there is time on your calendar designated to handling the problem.

These four steps will not solve all your problems for next year within the 20-30 minute reflection time.

But, following this process allows you peace of mind as you begin your summer.
You have identified your issues, and made time and space to deal with them in the future.

Plus, you have recorded several things that worked well to keep you motivated AND to draw inspiration from as you brainstorm solutions for next year.

Listen to today's podcast to get more clarity on these reflection steps and their benefits. Then, when you are done, clear your mind for summer vacation by using this in-depth reflection template. Click here to get yours.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

All-New Classroom Management 101

Reclaim Your Time 101

Teach Uplifted

Beyond Classroom Management

In-Depth Reflection Questions

JOIN YOUR SMOOTH-RUNNING CLASS

Are you tired of all the distractions? If you've ever stood in front of your class desperately trying to regain your students' attention while they talk, run around, get in fights, and generally ignore you, you know it is not fun.

But it doesn't have to be this way! We'll help you design a plan that works so you can create a smooth-running class where students respect each other - and you!

Join Your Smooth-Running Class this summer!

Finish Strong: Strategies for Making the Final Weeks Count
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#1: How to Finish Strong, Even if You Don't Think You Can

Your Smooth-Running Classroom

from SERIES: Finish Strong: Strategies for Making the Final Weeks Count

This summer, let's make sure you get the things done that you need to, but also have plenty of time to rest and have fun!

Let's start with planning an ideal week. We suggest theming your days so they are similar each week.

Here's an example:

-Monday: AM - Household chores | PM - Library and errands
-Tuesday: Beach or Park
-Wednesday: AM - Lunch with a friend | PM - PD course during kid's youth group time
-Thursday: AM - Laundry, reading & rest | PM - Family night
-Friday: AM- Groceries | PM - Project day

This schedule is very loose but key priorities are addressed.
(In the podcast we refer to them as level 1 priorities).
-Family time
-Reading books over the summer
-Completing a professional development course

There are some level 2 priorities set as well:
-Decluttering the closet, kitchen, and storage area in the basement
-Seeing friends on a weekly basis
-Getting outside on a regular basis

Other priorities such as household chores & rest are addressed as well.

By sharing the schedule with family and friends, these goals are more likely to be a reality!

Let's review how you can formulate your ideal week schedule, too!

STEP 1: CONSIDER
What's important to you this summer? What do you REALLY want to experience, do, or feel? Make sure to consider personal, relationship, professional, health, spiritual & other kinds of areas.

STEP 2: PRIORITIZE IT
Of the things you deemed important, you will need to rank them. Remember, if everything is important, then nothing is.

STEP 3: SCHEDULE IT
Schedule time for these things NOW. Even if you're not exactly sure what you'll do, get it on the calendar. Get your most important things on the calendar first!

STEP 4: SHARE IT
Be sure to share your goals to cement them in your own mind & provide a bit of accountability.

Listen to this podcast for more information on the 4 steps, so you can create your own ideal week schedule & plan a wonderful summer vacation for you and your family. Enjoy your summer!

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

All-New Classroom Management 101

Reclaim Your Time 101

Teach Uplifted

Beyond Classroom Management

Teachers in the Word Bible Studies

Finish Strong: Strategies for Making the Final Weeks Count
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#1: How to Finish Strong, Even if You Don't Think You Can

Join Your Smooth-Running Class this summer!

JOIN YOUR SMOOTH-RUNNING CLASS

But it doesn't have to be this way! We'll help you design a plan that works so you can create a smooth-running class where students respect each other - and you!

subscribe to the podcast

To be notified via email when the next Teach4theHeart podcast episode is released, sign up here.

You can also subscribe to the Teach 4 the Heart podcast in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app.

spread the word!

Did you find this series helpful? Bless your fellow teachers by sharing this post directly (just copy the URL) or by clicking one of the buttons to automatically share on social media.

0 shares

#1: When You're Not Sure You Can Keep Teaching

Pin it for later

The post Finish Strong: Strategies for Making the Final Weeks Count appeared first on Teach 4 the Heart.

Banish Discouragement & Love Teaching Again

Alexx Seipp — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 09:58:00 +0000

Does teaching feel discouraging lately?

What do we do when the frustration and discouragement is so strong that we're not sure we can keep going much longer?

In this special two-week miniseries, we'll first explore how we can find resilience and encouragement in our faithful God. We'll then consider the practical side, seeking out wise solutions to solve the issues that we can.

So join us as we seek God and seek solutions to banish discouragement and maybe even get to the point where we love teaching again.

Banish Discouragement & Love Teaching Again
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#2: How to Be a Problem Solver

#1: When You're Not Sure You Can Keep Teaching

from SERIES: Banish Discouragement & Love Teaching Again

February's always a challenging month for teachers - but for many of you, the frustration & discouragement goes even beyond that.

You may be seriously questioning if you should keep being a teacher or if you should look for another career. You might even be wondering if you can make it to May!

What do you do when you feel so discouraged? Pastor & author David Platt shares this advice (and much more) in this week's podcast:

1. Press into God:

Know you're not alone. He is with you and He's called you here. You couldn’t do life without Christ before these challenges, now that they’ve come, you need Him more than ever! Press into Christ's joy and His strength. You can’t do it without him.

2. Be in relationship with other educators:

Other Christian educators remind you you’re not alone. When tough issues come up and you’re not sure how to navigate them according to your faith, Christian educators can provide wisdom.

3. Know it’s not easy:

God has not called us to be comfortable, so what does faithfulness look like? It looks like walking into hard things. It looks like perseverance. God is better than being comfortable. He is better than anything in the world, so use these challenges to drive you closer to Jesus. He doesn’t promise it will be easy, but He DOES promise we can do all things through Him.

So what if you’ve considered the advice above and are not sure if you should continue teaching or not?

There are 3 things we should do when trying to discern the will of God in making that decision. To hear the three steps, listen to the full podcast episode above.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

David Platt's Website: Radical

David Platt's Book: Radical

Love Teaching Again Challenge

Don't miss this FREE challenge!

Take five simple but powerful actions so you can rekindle your love of teaching.

Banish Discouragement & Love Teaching Again
CHECK OUT THE FULL SERIES:

table of contents

#1: When You're Not Sure You Can Keep Teaching

#2: How to Be a Problem Solver

from SERIES: Banish Discouragement & Love Teaching Again

If we want to improve our situation, we must be willing to seek out solutions.

In the second podcast episode of this series, we learn 3 key steps to seeking out solutions:

1. Identify the problem. (We need to know what problem we are solving!)
2. Pray about it. (God truly is the best problem solver. Truly.)
3. Seek out solutions.

Many times, God allows the wisdom of other people to guide us to answers. Yet, when people suggest solutions to us, it can be very difficult to accept their recommendations. Why?

Well, we assume they don't know how hard our situation is.
Sometimes we wish their suggestion was easier to implement.
Other times, we just don't like the advice we have received.

Here are two ways you can make the most of advice when it is given to you:

First: Allow yourself only one "Yeah, but."

How many times have you responded to advice with a "yeah, but..."?
Yeah, but my class is bigger than yours.
Yeah, but my admin does things differently.
Yeah but we don't use that curriculum.
Yeah, but that will not work in my situation...

Don't miss out on a workable solution by dismissing great advice with a "yeah, but..."

Second: Instead of saying, "This will never work for me," switch your focus to "HOW can this work for me?"

When people share their experiences, not everything will line up exactly. (That is where we often start to "Yeah, but...").

Instead of automatically dismissing the entire piece of advice, get creative and see if you can find a way to apply part of the idea to your problem.

Solutions are key to improving our situation. Our mindset about solutions and advice are pivotal too.

When we pray about our issues, we can expect the Lord to show up with help.

And when we have people willing to stand beside us and offer us advice and encouragement, it is our job to be thankful for them and then to find what's workable for us in the advice that was given.

For more ideas on seeking solutions in the classroom (and to learn how our new program Teach 4 the Heart + can help you with that!) listen to episode 2 of the podcast series Banish Discouragement & Love Teaching Again.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Teach4theHeart +

Christian Teachers' Lounge Facebook Group

JOIN US IN TEACH4THEHEART+

Members receive unlimited access to our four most popular courses PLUS access to mentors, exclusive resources, and much more!

Find out more aboutTeach4theHeart+

Banish Discouragement & Love Teaching Again
CHECK OUT THE FULL SERIES:

table of contents

#1: When You're Not Sure You Can Keep Teaching

#2: How to Be a Problem Solver

Don't miss this FREE challenge!

Take five simple but powerful actions so you can rekindle your love of teaching.

subscribe to the podcast

To be notified via email when the next Teach4theHeart podcast episode is released, sign up here.

You can also subscribe to the Teach 4 the Heart podcast in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app.

spread the word!

Did you find this series helpful? Bless your fellow teachers by sharing this post directly (just copy the URL) or by clicking one of the buttons to automatically share on social media.

0 shares

Pin it for later

The post Banish Discouragement & Love Teaching Again appeared first on Teach 4 the Heart.

Responding to Teaching Challenges with Faith & Hope

Linda Kardamis — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0000

From behavior issues to unmotivated students, from unrealistic expectations to overflowing to-do lists, teaching challenges abound - especially now!

About the best advice the world's giving these days is, "believe you're enough" and "make time for self-care." #NotThatHelpful

But, praise God, He's given us the anchor our souls truly need. His Word is full of rich promises, wise guidance, and, most importantly - a right view of Him.

Join us in this series as we explore how we can respond to teaching challenges with faith and hope. We'll consider both how we should be thinking Biblically to have hope in these challenges as well practical day-to-day steps we can take to overcome them.

Responding to Teaching Challenges with Faith & Hope
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#1: How Do We Actually Trust God in Challenges?

from SERIES: Responding to Teaching Challenges with Faith & Hope

When we’re facing real struggles in teaching (and in life), it’s so easy to worry and stress.

But this is NOT how God would have us live.

God would have us trust Him instead.

But sometimes that’s easier said than done, right?

How exactly do we trust God when we’re in the middle of something difficult?

1. Remember God is in control

Sometimes things feel out of control - but God is ALWAYS in control. That's more than a pat answer - it's absolute truth.

God is not unaware. God is not surprised. God is not worried. He can intervene at any moment (He likely already is).

The all-powerful Creator sees and knows, and He is in control. Yes, even of this. (Matthew 10:29-31)

2. Remember God's goodness

Often the situation we are facing does not seem good. It's awful.

We must remind ourselves that while our world is severely broken by the curse of sin, our God is good and works everything together for good for those who love God. (Rom. 8:28).

God looks beyond the now and sees not just our lives, but all of eternity. He knows that what we need most is more of Him - and He often works through difficult things to show us more of Himself and draw us closer to Him.

So we need to remind ourselves - we have a good Father. He is good and His heart is for our good - even when it doesn't feel like it.

3. Surrender to God's plan

When we remember that God is in control and that He is good and loving, we're on our way to peace - but one more step is vital.

As long as we're holding on so tightly to the outcome that we want, we will not have peace.

We have to surrender.

We have to take a look at the possible outcomes - the one we want, the one we don't want, and everything in-between. And then say, “God, this is outcome I want. I pray for it. But I choose your will above all, and if your plan is different than mine, may your will be done.”

This isn't easy. But it's so necessary. And so freeing.

And the God of hope fills our heart with His peace, giving us the strength we need day by day.

These are just a few thoughts explored in this week's episode. Be sure to listen to the full episode here.

Responding to Teaching Challenges with Faith & Hope
CHECK OUT THE FULL SERIES:

table of contents

#2: Why Do We Face So Many Challenges & Trials?

from SERIES: Responding to Teaching Challenges with Faith & Hope

What on earth are we supposed to think when we’re faced with something really hard?

From “big things” like a cancer diagnosis or school shooting, to day-to-day relationship struggles, or that 5th period class that feels like it will be the death of you – how are we as believers to understand the suffering & struggles we face?

As always, Scripture is incredibly helpful. Let’s consider its overarching storyline…

In the beginning, God created a perfect world. There was no suffering, work was joy, and relationships had no strain. It was paradise.

But sin has brought so much brokenness. God’s perfect world is horribly marred by suffering.

When we see this suffering and think, "This isn't right. This shouldn't be happening," our response is RIGHT. None of this is how God designed the world to be. This is not "good." It is part of the devastating consequence of sin, and we’re right to mourn.

But praise God, He has not left us alone.

He sent Jesus to join us in our brokenness. He experienced pain, hunger, betrayal, and loss. He was misunderstood and mistreated. He was abandoned and forsaken. He suffered even to the point of death.

Our God understands suffering.

But He does more than just understand. He uses our suffering to bring us closer to Him and make us more like Christ.

God is redeeming every tear, every trial.

Nothing is wasted.

And the best news is that this is not the end of the story. This world is temporary – the messy middle.

One day God will restore everything.

He will make a perfect world with no sin, no sorrow, no brokenness, no suffering, no sickness, no death.

God will wipe away every tear, and we will live together with Him in perfect harmony without sin and without its curse.

So how should we view suffering?

We recognize that God created a good world but that sin has massively marred it. We mourn when sin and its curse bring pain and sorrow, but we look with hope to Christ who suffered and died for us, who has redeemed our lives, who walks with us through each moment, and is working in our hearts for our good & for His glory. And we look forward to the day when there will be no more suffering and every wrong will be made right.

These are just a few thoughts explored in this week's episode. Be sure to listen to the full episode here.

Responding to Teaching Challenges with Faith & Hope
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#3: Finding Worth in the Right Places

from SERIES: Responding to Teaching Challenges with Faith & Hope

Where we find our worth can make all the difference between loving teaching and despising it.

Let me explain...

When we find our worth and identity in anything other than Christ, our worth is shaky - dependent on our performance or people's perspective of us.

Consider what makes you feel like you have worth.

Is it knowing you're a good teacher? When others acknowledge or praise you? When students respect you or do well academically? When you can tell you make a difference? Is it based on how hard you work? Or whether you have a life outside of school?

These are such shaky foundations for our worth. When things are going well, we feel great!

But what happens when things aren't going well?

As Christians, we have a much more firm foundation for our worth.

In Christ, we are….
God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved (Col 3:12)
Members of God’s household (Ephesians 2:19)
Declared righteous (2 Cor. 5:21)
Citizens of heaven (Phil 3:20)
Accepted & brought near (Eph. 2:13)
God’s children (John 1:12)
Free from sin & servants of God (Romans 6:22)
His ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20)

And all of these are unconditional. This is who we are regardless of what people think, how good of a job we're doing, or what's going on.

When we ground our worth in CHRIST, our worth is fixed, our confidence secure, and we are free to face challenges without the extra baggage.

Wondering how we stop finding our worth in our performance and be firm in our worth in Christ? Listen to the full podcast episode above.

Responding to Teaching Challenges with Faith & Hope
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

#4: Speaking Truth to Our Souls

from SERIES: Responding to Teaching Challenges with Faith & Hope

Teachers, did you know we're being lied to on a regular basis?

Who is lying to us?

Our greatest enemy, the father of lies himself - Satan.

Satan continually lies to us about who we are, who God is, and what God says about us.

He's a jerk who wants to steal our joy, steal our peace, and keep us from living the full life God has called us to.

He wants us confused, frustrated, and discouraged - barely hanging on with hardly anything left to give to the students God has placed in our care.

The lies come in all shapes and sizes - targeted perfectly at our biggest weaknesses.

But, Praise God, He has provided us a weapon against these lies - the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

God's Word is alive and powerful, able to correct our thinking and restore our hope in God, giving us light even in the darkest moments and enabling us to fulfill the calling He has given us.

We have to fight back these lies with the truth of Scripture, reminding ourselves on a regular basis of who God is, what He has promised us, and who we are in Him.

I love Ellie Holcomb's song Fighting Words. The lyrics are amazing. Here's the chorus:
I will fight the lies with the truth,
Keep my eyes fixed on You
I will sing the truth into the dark
I will use my fighting words.

On our podcast, Ellie Holcomb joins us to share how we can use Scripture to fight back Satan's lies and find hope in Christ, even when teaching is tough. Listen to this amazing conversation above.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Fighting Words by Ellie Holcomb

Sounding Joy by Ellie Holcomb

"Fighting Words" song

Responding to Teaching Challenges with Faith & Hope
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

Free Training: How to Reduce Disruptions without Yelling, Begging, or Bribing

#5: Does Trusting God Mean We Sit & Wait?

Do you ever struggle with the tension between trusting God & taking action?

Take a situation that you're worried about. You decide to trust God with it and ask God to help. Does that mean you should just sit back and not take any action, just waiting for Him to work?

Um, no.

Or at least, not usually.

Sometimes God DOES impress on our hearts to be still and wait on Him, but it's more rare than common for waiting on God to absolve us from taking any action at all.

The Bible offers many examples of believers who trusted God WHILE taking wise action. Consider Abraham climbing the mountain to offer Isaac, even as he trusted that God would intervene.

Or Esther who fasted and prayed and then put on her royal robes and went into the king, trusting her fate to God despite never having received any explicit direction from Him.

Both Abraham and Esther took the next step that was in front of them, looking to God in each moment, and trusting Him to reveal the next step in His time.

And that's what we should do, too.

Do you have a situation that is confusing or frustrating? Pray about it. Ask God to intervene. Ask Him for guidance.

And then consider - What next step should you take?

Often we feel confused or stressed because we can't see the complete path out of the problem. But we normally DO know at least one or two things we should do - or have someone we know we should talk to.

So take that next step, even if you don't know what comes after it, trusting that God will make your path clear as you walk it with Him.

We're so excited to be exploring what it looks like to rely on God AND take wise action in this week's podcast. Listen to the full episode here for more specific examples, questions we can ask when we don't know the next step, and the key mindset shift we need to keep us from worrying about what will happen.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Serenity Prayer

Responding to Teaching Challenges with Faith & Hope
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS SERIES:

table of contents

does your heart crave even more?

The next series will be coming soon!

Make sure you sign up for the Teach 4 the Heart Podcast so that you don't miss an episode! This free resource is one way you can receive Gospel pep talks and practical teaching tips that are guaranteed to be grounded in a Biblical worldview. Oh, and it's totally FREE!

You can also subscribe to the Teach 4 the Heart podcast in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app.

Thanks to Our Sponsor: Lifeplus

LifePlus is a group of Pre K – 12 international schools located in China and the United Arab Emirates. The schools are Cognia- accredited with instruction in English at all grade levels.

Part of a global community, LifePlus is deeply committed to the peoples and cultures they serve. Holistic education helps students grow into servant leaders of outstanding character, competence and calling.

LifePlus offers qualified educators competitive salary packages including paid housing. To learn more, go to LifePlus Worldwide .

spread the word!

Did you find this series helpful? Bless your fellow teachers by sharing this post directly (just copy the URL) or by clicking one of the buttons to automatically share on social media.

0 shares

Pin it for later

The post Responding to Teaching Challenges with Faith & Hope appeared first on Teach 4 the Heart.

Overcoming Anxiety as a Christian Teacher

Linda Kardamis — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 09:00:00 +0000

As teachers, we can so easily be overwhelmed by anxiety and stress. Join us as Crystal Kershaw shares Scriptural principles and practical strategies to help us overcome anxiety and teach with a sense of God's presence and peace.

listen here:

Rise Up Christian Educators Summit

Highlights:

We encourage you to listen to the whole episode above. Here's how the episode breaks down:

Anxiety is a normal part of life experience in the world we live in. (3:40)
Learning to deal with our anxiety is learning to be dependent on Christ.
- Turn to Christ
- Pray through the situation
- Go do what you can (4:20)
Try to understand exactly what you're feeling because it manifests in different ways for different people.
- What's going on in my body?
- What's going on in my mind?
- What's going on with my emotions? (5:25)
It's helpful to pray, "God, please show me the next step." Anxiety tries to trap us. (8:08)
Two lessons we can learn from the Israelites wandering the desert:
- God is with us.
- God is trustworthy. (12:03)
Practical applications:
- Place altar stones in your classroom to remind yourself how God has been faithful.
- Visualize yourself in your classroom the way that you want it to be. (13:43)
Lessons we can learn from Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane:
- Access your community (He asked the disciples to pray).
- Put into words what you're facing.
- Surrender to God. (16:45)
Identify if your anxiety has a sin root and if so, confess. (22:04)
An emotion wheel is a great thing to have in your classroom to help identify more specific emotions. (23:05)
Some other helpful techniques:
- Be transparent with others
- Box breathing
- Breathing with a prayer
- Visualize the most calming image of Jesus you have (25:50)

resources mentioned:

Emotions Word Wheel

Fieldstone Counseling

find more hope

This content comes from the 2021 Rise Up Summit. For more like this, you can catch the Rise Up Summit vision and see dates for the next Summit by visiting the Rise UP site. This free online weekend event hosts sessions designed to bring you real teaching solutions, Biblical encouragement and connection with fellow educators.

This is a free event but you must be registered to attend. Sign up today!

spread the word!

Did you find this post helpful? Clue in your fellow teachers by sharing the post directly (just copy the URL) or by clicking one of the buttons to automatically share on social media.

0 shares

Pin for later

The post Overcoming Anxiety as a Christian Teacher appeared first on Teach 4 the Heart.

How to Process Tragedy

Linda Kardamis — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 10:00:00 +0000

Tragedies are all around us - from school shootings to natural disasters, car crashes to cancer - it's inevitable that tragedy will strike our schools and our personal lives. As believers, how do we make sense of these tragedies? Let's talk about it.

Thank you to Poverty Encounter for sponsoring this podcast episode!

listen here:

Transformed Through Trials Sermon

Making sense of tragedy

As believers, how do we make sense of these tragedies - and, as necessary, how do we walk through them with our students?

Well, these are loaded questions, and I certainly don't have all the answers, but I do have some thoughts that have been helping me as we've walked through a recent tragedy. I pray they'll be helpful to you, too.

1. It's right to grieve and be sad.

Having joy in Christ doesn't mean we don't grieve. The Psalms are full of Lament recorded for us as examples. Jesus wept at Lazarus' grave. And we are called as Christ's body to "weep with those who weep." Feeling sad when a tragedy occurs is not wrong.

2. There's nothing natural about death and tragedy.

These were not supposed to be part of our original reality. Sin brought them into our world, and it makes sense that we feel with our whole being that this isn't right - because it's not right. God did not design this world with death and tragedy in it. He has yet to fulfill his promise to make it all right - but He will.

3. Suffering is part of this fallen world and should be expected.

Part of our struggle to make sense of tragedy comes from the "American Dream" - the belief that life should be easy and wonderful and exactly what we want it to be. The Bible paints a very different picture.

The Bible makes it clear we will face trials, tribulations, and tragedies. Although we're grieved, we shouldn't be shocked. It's grievous and awful, but suffering is, tragically, part of living in this sin-cursed world, and understanding this can be quite helpful.

4. Trying to understand why isn't always helpful.

We might struggle to understand why God allowed this to happen. The reality is that we cannot understand, and trying to see the “why” is often not helpful. Sometimes we can find a reason or good from the situation, but sometimes none of it makes sense. We must choose to rest in the promise that God will redeem even this, that He will use it for good, even when we don't understand how that's remotely possible.

Romans 8:28-29 (NIV) says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters."

These verses show us that God uses tragedy in our lives to make us more like Christ. We can rest in the truth that God is going to use this.

5. We need an eternal perspective.

When we look at today, we cannot imagine how this could possibly be used for good. But when we consider how eternity is before us, we can trust that God is working at His purposes that will last for eternity, calling people to Himself and transforming us into the image of Christ. We must raise our eyes from the here and now and turn them toward eternity. Often what God is doing is for eternity, even if it’s really difficult now.

2 Cor 4:17-18 (ESV) says, "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

I want to share one of the best sermons I’ve ever heard on tragedy and suffering. You can watch it here.

6. Jesus suffered.

Jesus is "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." He lost a friend (Lazarus), a father (Joseph), was betrayed (Judas), misunderstood, was literally killed, and so much more. We have a Saviour and a friend who suffered greatly - who understands what we're going through. God didn’t spare Jesus suffering even before the cross. He isn’t asking us to walk through anything that His Son didn’t walk through. Jesus is our friend who understands.

The lyrics to this hymn from 1908 remind us that Jesus has been there.

7. God Must be our hope

One day, God will make all things right. He will end sin's curse, wipe away every tear, and set up His Kingdom where He'll rule with perfect justice. Until that day, our hope is in Him, in the fact that He is with us, will never leave us, that He understands, that He will get us through each day, will bind our broken hearts, and will one day make us whole. Remembering that our hope must be in Him is incredibly helpful.

If you’re dealing with something difficult right now, seek to walk through it with God. Read the Psalms to see you’re not alone. Remember God is with us.

more about poverty encounter

So many children around the world don’t have the same opportunities due to poverty and lack of resources. What if you could give your students a glimpse into their lives, and provide them a deeper understanding of global poverty?

Poverty Encounter is an education exhibit [created by the ministry of Children’s Hunger Fund], and during COVID they launched virtual tours as a way to provide students all across the country with access to these heart-warming stories. You can book a 60 minute virtual field trip for your class today here.

Thank you to Poverty Encounter for sponsoring this episode!

resources mentioned:

Poverty Encounter

Jesus Passed This Way Before Hymn

spread the word!

Did you find this post helpful? Clue in your fellow teachers by sharing the post directly (just copy the URL) or by clicking one of the buttons to automatically share on social media.

0 shares

Get the free training here.

Pin it for later

NEED HELP REDUCING DISRUPTIONS?

Helping your students with tragedy is extremely difficult if there's chaos in the classroom. Get help restoring order in our FREE training: How to Reduce Disruptions without Yelling, Begging, or Bribing.

The post How to Process Tragedy appeared first on Teach 4 the Heart.

Dear Teacher, Stop Believing in Yourself

Linda Kardamis — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 07:31:17 +0000

The title for this episode might just be throwing you for a loop. We're supposed to believe in ourselves, right!? Kind of, sort of, but maybe not really. Join us to discover why we shouldn't be trusting in our own ability and what (hint: WHO) we should be trusting instead.

listen here:

What does our culture say?

The title of this article may sound strange or controversial- why shouldn’t you believe in yourself? I want to preface this conversation by saying that these things are really nuanced, and what I'm trying to point out is a nuance, but it's a really important nuance. We have to remember as Christians that our culture is looking for solutions outside of Christ, outside of God, outside of His Word. By and large, our culture does not want to acknowledge God, the Bible, or Jesus, so it is looking for answers outside of that.

What our culture comes up with is a very interesting and very confusing combination of truth and error. They are looking for truth and finding pieces of it, but they don't want God's way of doing things to always be part of the answer, so the result is a mess of partial truths, riddled with errors. The biggest error is trying to find the solution without having God, our Creator and Father, being part of that answer.

Today, we're going to talk about this topic of self-reliance. As we go through, remember we are not rejecting out of hand everything that our society says. Some of what they say is good, but some of it is off because they're ignoring God. We're going to be trying to find that nuance- where is the truth, but what are they missing and how should we be viewing these same topics, as Christians. We should be thinking about and viewing these same things through a different lens. When we bring God into the equation, it changes things. That's what we're trying to do.

Self-reliance and growth mindset are super popular right now, and for good reason. There are lots of issues that they help address. We are told to believe in yourself, love yourself, create your best life, believe you can, or just, you can do it. There is a lot of talk about the power of positive thinking, and adding the word “yet” to anything you can't currently do. For example, instead of saying, “I don’t know how to solve this equation,” say, “I don't know how to solve this equation, yet.”

the problem with what our culture thinks

But there is one issue with all of this. It's heavily self-reliant, and, in most cases, it ignores God. Rachel Hollis is a wonderful example of this thinking. Here is just one of her many quotes I could have pulled: "You, and only you, are ultimately responsible for who you become and how happy you are." It's you, me, it's us. We are responsible for ourselves.

Now, if you are a non-believer, I suppose this is about as good of advice as you can get. If you're a non-believer, what you really need is God, but if you don't want to acknowledge God, then all we are left with is ourselves. That's all we have. I just have me; I am the only one I can count on. But ultimately it does not fulfill us, it just doesn't.

The goal is good in trying to encourage people to stop staying stuck in failure and frustration and to instead make better choices by believing what's possible. But when that belief is founded on ourselves, it's pretty shallow and it's not ultimately going to fulfill us. It's going to come crashing down at some point. Think about it- we know ourselves and just how messed up we are. If myself is all I have to rely on, to be honest, that is not going to work out very well. All we can do in this case is have that “fake it ‘til you make it” self-confidence. That can work for a time, but it almost always inevitably comes crashing down at some point because it's not a sure foundation.

By the way, even if it worked, there's a big problem. It puffs you up with pride and helps you think that you don't need God, when God is the ultimate thing that we need the most. It can be counterproductive because when we're trusting in ourselves, we're typically not relying on God, which ultimately leaves us empty because we are created with a need for God. We were created for a relationship with God, that is our soul's deepest need. When we fill up our needs with other things, including self-reliance, we're missing what we truly need most.

what does scripture say?

How should we, as Christians, be thinking? We do have that question of “What happens when I don't know if I can do something? Do I just believe I can't do it?” Well, yes and no. All of our insecurities, frustrations, and fears have their answer in Christ. Our confidence doesn't come from telling ourselves, "I'm amazing, I can do it," and affirming ourselves. It instead comes from our firm belief, which is not made up or propped up, that God is amazing and that God can do anything. We go back to our firm belief that Christ has promised to be enough, that He will work in us and through us, and that His strength is enough to carry us through our weaknesses.

Our confidence is not in our own ability or our own worth. It is in Him and in His worth and all of the things that He makes us. If you are a believer in Christ, God makes you loved, redeemed, sanctified, holy, and declared righteous. You are enabled by His Holy Spirit every day; you are His child. There is so much there. It's not fluff, it's not just made up, it's not put on so that we feel better. It is true, it is the most true thing in the universe. When we meditate on that, it is so powerful. That confidence is not shallow. It doesn't fall apart when we think too much about it. It is a sure and firm foundation.

When it comes to the future, Christ is the answer as well. Rather than just trusting everything will work out, in Christ, we have much more assurance. We can face the reality that things actually might not work out anywhere near what we are hoping. The diagnosis might not be what we want, the result might not be what we want, the situation with the parent might not work out the way we want. Whatever it is, large and small, we can know without a doubt that our loving Heavenly Father holds all of this in His perfectly capable and sovereign hands, that He will be with us through every trial, and that He will redeem even our deepest pain and use it for good. That is a deep well of assurance that we can rest in, even when things are swirling around us. Do you see how much more sure of a foundation trusting in Christ is rather than simply relying on ourselves?

Here it is in a nutshell: When it comes to being a teacher, or anything in life, we do have to believe that we can do it. If I’m thinking, "I'm not sure I can teach this stuff," that is going to create a lot of problems. We do have to have this confidence that we can do it in order to persevere and find the solutions we need to do something. It's almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Think of the phrases, “She believed she could so she did” and “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” There is truth to these things. Remember, the world mixes truth, but they mix it with error because they're ignoring God. There is definitely truth to the fact that we do have to be able to envision something and believe that it's possible in order to work forward towards it.

But here is the key: When we think about needing to believe in ourselves and our abilities, we need to ask, “Why do I believe that?” As a Christian, I'm just propping myself up with self-confidence. I don't believe it because I'm telling myself to believe it. I believe it because my confidence isn't that I will muster the ability in myself, but the fact that God has called me to this work and that He will work in and through me to accomplish His purposes. I'm not trusting in my ability, I am trusting in His faithfulness. That is the difference. When it comes down to it, don't believe in yourself, believe in what God can and will do in and through you. That's my plea.

some practical applications

What does this look like? Or maybe the better question is “How do I retrain my mind, if I find I am often relying on myself, to look to God instead?” This is not a one-time decision, "Okay, I'm going to trust in God versus myself." This is something that we have to continually work on. Every time we catch ourselves trusting in our own abilities, we have to go back to him.

Here are three practical thoughts for you when facing challenges:

When you're facing challenges, fears, and frustrations, pray about them and ask God to intervene and guide you. This doesn't mean we just sit passively by and do nothing. As teachers, we would continue to innovate and take the next best step that we know to do, but rather than stressing and trusting in ourselves, our trust is in Him. That's the difference. Praying about it is an incredibly important way to realign. Taking the problem to God and talking to Him about it realigns the way we're viewing it really quickly.
Meditate on scriptural truths to renew your mind so that you are thinking rightly. We want to be meditating on scriptural truths all the time, and there are so many different ways you can do this. Memorizing scripture, Bible reading, and Bible study are incredibly helpful. Another thing I've done, especially when struggling, is to write out a list of truths that I know to be true and going back to them when I'm experiencing doubts and fears. In this way, rather than just trying to muster up strength in myself, I'm going to God and His truth.
Surround yourself with Godly influences that will point you to Christ when you’re struggling to keep your eyes on Him. Who do you go to when you're struggling? Is that a person who's going to point you to Christ? If not, start developing friendships with people that you know will point you to Christ when you need him the most.

I actually have two things that I'd like to share with you that can help out with this, particularly around meditating on scriptural truths and helping to point you to Christ. One is our Rise Up Summit, a free conference for Christian educators. It is all about renewing our minds, renewing our strength, renewing our strategies, so that we can teach effectively with the power of the Holy Spirit. Check it out here.

The second resource is Teach 4 the Heart +, which helps reduce the stress of teaching by implementing wise strategies & learning to trust our faithful God - so you can joyfully teach and love the students God has given you. See what Teach 4 the Heart + can do for you here.

does your heart crave even more?

Consider signing up for the Teach 4 the Heart Podcast. This free resource is one additional way you can receive Gospel encouragement and practical teaching tips grounded in a Biblical worldview. Oh, and it's totally FREE!

Make sure you never miss an episode: Click here to learn how.

resources mentioned:

How to Reduce Disruptions Without Yelling, Begging or Bribing

The Teach 4 the Heart Mentorship is now Teach 4 the Heart +. Check it out here!

spread the word!

Did you find this post helpful? Clue in your fellow teachers by sharing the post directly (just copy the URL) or by clicking one of the buttons to automatically share on social media.

0 shares

Pin it for later

The post Dear Teacher, Stop Believing in Yourself appeared first on Teach 4 the Heart.

Turning Around a Rough Teaching Experience

Linda Kardamis — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Today, I'm sharing a bit of my own story - how my first year of teaching went (spoiler: it wasn't good), what I learned, how I turned things around, and how I think that story will be helpful for you.

listen here:

The Teach 4 the Heart Mentorship is now Teach 4 the Heart +. Check it out here!

My Teaching Dream- High hopes

If you've been a part of the Teach4theHeart community for long, you've heard me share bits and pieces of my own story, but I've never actually shared the whole thing. I'm really excited to share that with you today.

As far back as I can remember, I really wanted to be a teacher. This came into clear focus as I got older in high school and was always tutoring my friends and my classmates. I loved it when they came to me and said, "Hey, can you help me with my math homework?" And I would walk them through the steps and they would say, "Oh, I get it now." I just loved it.

As a high school senior, I finally made the decision that I was going to be a teacher. I was so excited and passionate about it. It was really my dream to be a teacher. I remember going to college and as soon as I got into those education classes, the more excited I got to be a teacher. I just couldn't wait.

Student Teaching-what i didn't learn

I did my student teaching internship at a school that was associated with the college and it was so exciting to finally be in the classroom- to get my feet wet and get a little bit of experience. I even got the award for teaching assistant of the year.

Why am I sharing this? I want you to get a picture for how excited I was, how amped I was, and how much passion and preparation came into my first year. But despite all that, as you’ll see later in my story, everything wasn’t easy. Now that I look back, I can see the warning signs, but I didn't really notice them at the time.

One of the warning signs was when I was doing my internship, I really struggled to deal with discipline issues. When I say I struggled, I mean I kind of avoided it. The school that I did my internship at was incredibly strict. It was so strict that if a student even said one thing to a classmate next to them, it was supposed to be an automatic detention. I really felt like it was over the top, so I struggled to enforce that policy.

So because it was so strict and because the teacher was normally in the room during the internship, I didn't really have to deal with a lot. The students were pretty good the majority of the time. And when I did have to deal with something, a little bit went a long way. I remember this one incident where the teacher was not in the room and it was just us. I was teaching the class by myself and one of the kids went to the board and brought the chalk back and was messing around with it, writing on another student.

I remember being so proud of myself that I noticed what was happening and I went over there and I held out my hand, saying, "Give me the chalk." He gave me the chalk and I was mentally patting myself on the back like I dealt with the discipline issue. Now I look back and think, “Oh my goodness.” I did not get enough experience dealing with issues. I was not prepared and that really, really carried over when I started my first classroom.

My first job- it all goes sideways

Then I got my first teaching job at a Christian school in Ohio teaching middle school math. I was so excited. When I started, I was super prepared in some areas. I was really organized and had every minute planned. I was really good at teaching the content. I think my preparedness in those areas made me a little overconfident because I did not have a plan for how I was going to deal with misbehavior. I just completely neglected to prepare for that area.

The other part of the reason that this happened was that the school where I did my internship was so strict. I knew I didn't want to be like that, but I neglected to think through what I wanted to do instead. I think it was a combination of busyness, inexperience, not realizing the importance, and also my personality. I hate disciplining and correcting. So by nature of my personality, I think I just avoided it and hoped that my organization and preparedness would be enough. I didn't think through it or realize how important it was.

So anyway, the first couple of days actually went really smoothly. Not a lot went wrong. When kids were a little bit disruptive, I just kind of gave them a look. I think that was my plan- to just give looks. But a “teacher look” will only get you so far if there's nothing backing it up and the students figured that out pretty quickly.

It was probably about a few days in and those small misbehaviors started creeping in and I just figured, “They’re not a big deal, right?” Remember, I didn't want to hand out a detention for every little incident of talking. So I didn't do a lot. I gave some looks or I ignored little things. Honestly, I wish we could just ignore stuff. I wish we could just ignore students not paying attention, wandering around the room, or talking to their neighbor, but it didn't work out that way for me. As I said, I didn't know what to do.

I was so scared to give consequences that there came a time where I had to give my first detention. It really needed to happen. I had avoided it as long as I could. I literally had to call my new husband and say, "Tim, I have to give this kid a detention. I need you to help me think through this." I don't even know what I was expecting him to say, but I just needed to get up my courage to hand this kid his detention. I just really struggled to deal with stuff when I first started.

In this environment where I'm really hesitant to deal with stuff, it shouldn't have shocked me when in October, my principal (who is a wonderful mentor) called me into his office. He said, "Do you realize what's happening behind your back?" I remember thinking, "Well, stuff shouldn't be happening behind my back. I'm pretty good at writing on the board and looking at the same time." I wouldn't turn my back completely to the class. I would only half-turn it and I'd keep an eye out.

But I guess there was a lot happening behind my back and stories were filtering into him of things happening right in front of me. Every day it was getting a little bit worse, and it was starting to hit a really bad point where my principal had gotten complaints or he'd noticed. It had gotten back to him. I remember him telling me, "You have to muster every ounce of authority that you can and reign this in."

I think I probably had tears welling up in my eyes, but I held it together until I got to my car and then, all bets were off. I just was bawling, thinking, "I don't know what to do. This is so hard."

Maybe you're resonating like, “This is exactly the same struggle I have.” Or maybe you're like, "I'm good. I can correct students. No problem. But I am so unorganized or I have trouble with the content or I have trouble with parents." I don't know. We all have different struggles. It's really interesting how God has given each of us strengths, areas we are naturally good at. And in other areas, it is just really, really hard. My worst area was in dealing with issues with classroom management.

Those classes in that first year were just so bad. Just a year or two ago, 10 years away from my first year of teaching, we were in our life group at our church and in walks someone and I knew I knew here. When I finally I placed her, I thought, "She is one of my students from my worst class, my first year of teaching." She was in the eighth grade class, so I had her that first year and I never had her again. I was just so embarrassed. I was thinking, "I was a horrible teacher when you were in my class." It was not pretty. I remember I even had to say something to her like, "Yeah, that was a really rough year," because it was just so embarrassing.

what i learned from it and how i fixed it

But I’m really thankful that my principal talked to me. It was a really hard thing to hear, but that was the wake up call that I needed to realize, “Okay, I can't just continue the way it is.” We need those wake up calls sometimes. That moment to say, "Okay, something has to change."

So I talked to one of my mentors and she shared an idea with me that I've shared before. She's the one that gave me the idea- “If students are talking, put their name on the board and then if they keep talking, you give them a consequence.” And we came up with the consequence that made sense in our school. And she said, "If you walk in the class and there are 10 students talking, you just start writing names on the board and they'll see and they'll get it under control."

I used that system and it really helped me, even though it was hard to implement. It was not a sudden improvement. Not at all. When your students are used to acting a certain way and then you're trying to change it in the middle of the year, it's like trying to turn the Titanic. It is a slow turn. It is like fighting tooth and nail for every little change. That's exactly what it was like. It was really hard. I had major pushback. I remember students arguing and debating with me and I was ignorant and let them argue with me.

I remember letting three or four sixth grade boys stay after class on a regular basis and tell me all the reasons why they thought I wasn't being fair. I would try to reason with them and explain to them why I was doing what I was doing and why it mattered. Looking back, this was such a bad idea. I didn't owe them that explanation. I shouldn't have let them stay there and argue with me. That was crazy. My point is that I was learning. I had to learn the hard way that I shouldn't let them stay back and argue. I had to learn by experience.

But slowly, I gained experience and things started to turn around a little bit. Having the names on the board was a plan. And honestly, almost any plan is better than no plan because you're taking action. You're seeing if it works for you and then you're tweaking it and editing it. And it was making a difference. Slowly by slowly, I was making progress. The students were starting to be more controlled. It was getting slightly better and I was getting more confident. I wasn't so scared to address issues. When something happened, I was starting to deal with it more consistently. Not perfectly, but I was getting better. I wasn't so scared. I was becoming more consistent. And so that was really valuable.

It was not a straight line though. That's another thing to keep in mind is progress is not a straight line. It's not like you're getting better every day and you never have any backslides. Picture a stock market graph. It's up and down. Two steps forward, one step back, three steps forward, two steps back. It's not linear, right? I do remember another rock bottom moment for me happened in the spring. I don't want to get into the whole long story, but basically I was really frustrated. Students were not completing their work and we thought we'd come up with a solution for how to adjust this and then I found out last minute that solution wasn't going to work. And I was just so frustrated again. I can't get these students to do their work. And I was still dealing with all the arguing.

I remember at one point in the spring of the year, I was so frustrated and I didn't feel like I could face my class. I was supposed to be monitoring devotions before 1st period and I was hiding in this bathroom hallway just bawling my eyes. I felt like I needed a minute to just cry and release the feelings. I freaked out a little bit, and then I got up. I went back into that class and I was there. I'm sure it was not the best version of me that there ever was, but I kept trying.

And as I said, I slowly got used to dealing with problems. I got used to ignoring arguing, and my students started getting gradually better. The biggest key though was that I was building my skills. I was getting better. I was figuring out what worked and what didn't. And that was so important. I'm so glad that I didn't give up. Just an encouragement for those of you out there. Hopefully you can learn from my lessons and avoid some things. But if you're remembering this story in the middle of the year, struggling to kind of turn things around, don't give up. You are learning, you are growing. Even if your class this year isn't exactly what you want it to be, it is making a difference.

The "Aha" moment- from horror to hope

The real “aha moment” came the next year. On the start of my second year, I started day one with my plan. I had tweaked my warning system and I was ready. I was prepared to catch the very first problems and deal with them kindly, but consistently right away. I was terrified, but I did it. I had learned from my mistakes. I did it and I stayed pretty consistent. Not perfect by any means, but fairly consistent. What was really amazing is that I even had some of the same classes. My first year I had, if I'm oversimplifying this, basically three easy classes and three hard classes. I taught two sections of sixth, two sections of seventh, two sections of eighth. And I had one easier and one harder in each of them.

So I taught sixth, seventh, and eighth grade again the next year. The sixth graders became the seventh graders and the seventh graders became the eighth graders. So two of my really challenging classes I had again the next year. And even with the exact same or mostly same students in those classes, it was still a night and day difference because the beginning of school is this beautiful, natural reset, even if you have the same students. When I started off right on day one and I was consistent and I dealt with those first issues, they realized pretty quickly, “Okay, this is going to be different. This is how things are going to be.” All of that work and toil and sweat and tears that I had put into that first year, it just clicked that first week of my second year coming back and restarting. It was a wonderful thing.

I'm not going to say that from then on, everything was a breeze. Of course not. There are always new challenges that come up in teaching, but I was able to really have the type of classroom that I wanted to have. I was able to build the relationships and we were able to do more fun activities. And honestly, in a lot of my classes, by a few months into the year, I didn't need the warning system anymore. I didn't need as much structure. I kept it for my more challenging classes, but I was able to let go of it for some of the others. And it really only got better from there.

So what about you?

I hope that this story was helpful for you in hearing my experience and what I went through. I'm sure your story is not exactly the same as mine, but maybe you can find some parallels and see some of the lessons that came out of it and apply them to your situation as well.

Having to learn so many things the hard way through my own trial and error and realizing the value of a mentor that came in at just the right time and gave me the piece of advice that I really needed- those are some of the reasons why we've created Teach 4 the Heart +, which we are so excited to share with you and invite you to.

In Teach 4 the Heart +, we help you reduce the stress of teaching by implementing wise strategies & learning to trust our faithful God so you can joyfully teach & love the students God has given you!

Now, we'd love to hear your story and how you've learned and grown as a teacher. You can hop over to our Facebook group to share your story and talk and collaborate with other Christian teachers there.

resources mentioned:

Disruptive Students? The Quick and Easy Method to Control Your Class

How to Reduce Disruptions without Yelling, Begging, or Bribing

Teach 4 the Heart Facebook Group

Looking for A Helpful Jumpstart with classroom management?

Check out our free class: How to Reduce Disruptions without Yelling, Begging, or Bribing.

Get the free training here.

spread the word!

Did you find this post helpful? Clue in your fellow teachers by sharing the post directly (just copy the URL) or by clicking one of the buttons to automatically share on social media.

0 shares