WAIT! Don't leave yet because it is going to get better I promise!!!
I began my school year two weeks ago with an issue that I am now having to confront face to face. I have had a sore knee for a while now and it recently got to the point that I wasn't able to walk normally. I have forced myself to suffer through the day knowing that I am sacrificing my own well-being to only be in trouble later. It is a stress for me because I have to take 1 day off a week for five weeks to receive injections. I always feel guilty for being out, don't you? Teaching is a stressful occupation and full of daily challenges that sometimes we just can't prepare for.
I recently came across two wonderful books that have been such a blessing to me both personally and professionally. The author of both of these books is Angela Watson and her books have given me a long needed "attitude adjustment" this past month. Today I am honored to have Angela on my "oh so humble" blog. Now I am going to turn it over to Angela from TheCornerstoneforTeachers.com and she is going to talk to us a bit. She was a classroom teacher for eleven years, and currently works as an instructional coach and educational consultant based in New York City.
Thanks so much for inviting me to share about my books, Deb! Teaching is an incredibly stressful profession, and there is a huge need for resources to help educators deal with all the challenges we face on a daily basis. I wish that I could tell you that there is some miracle solution that instantly reverses teacher burnout. But, I learned just about everything the hard way! There were so many days when I came home from school in tears, exhausted and feeling hopeless about how I could ever solve all the problems that were piled on my plate. It was a long process, but eventually I learned a better way, and started to enjoy our profession again. When kids misbehaved, I learned not to take it as a personal attack and instead responded calmly. When my principal shoved yet another task on me and wanted it done by the end of the day, I practiced responding in a productive way that didn't raise my blood pressure and cause me to become resentful. Basically, I learned how to have a more positive, flexible, and resilient mindset-- and I wrote a book to share how I did it. Awakened: Change Your Mindset to Transform Your Teaching provides simple steps to help you feel peaceful and energized no matter what’s happening around you. Drawing upon principles of stress management, cognitive behavioral therapy, spiritual truths, and personal experiences, Awakened helps you develop thought habits that produce an unshakeable sense of contentment, motivation, and purpose. You can learn how to take a fresh approach to the challenges of teaching!
Angela has offered to give away a copy of either or both of these books to one reader of Fabulously First! Here's how the contest works:
Just enter below which book you would like to receive if you win and an email in which to be contacted. Please feel free to leave a comment for Angela below. I know she will appreciate it very much!
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