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Teaching can be a wonderfully rewarding occupation as change and growth are observed in students. However, teaching can exact a high price if teachers suffer anxiety, exhaustion, and even depression through the school year. Instead of struggling with the ability to maintain good mental health, new teachers need to incorporate strategies which help them feel the joy of the profession rather than suffer in silence.

Here a few tips to help maintain your mental health:

  • Put it in perspective. Recognize the good aspects of life and retain hope for the future.
  • Get time away. If you feel the stress building, take a break. Walk away from the situation or take some deep breaths.
  • Engage in activities such as physical exercise, sports, or hobbies that can relieve stress and anxiety.
  • Strengthen connections with family and friends who can provide emotional support.
  • Talk it out. Sometimes the best stress-reducer is simply sharing your stress with someone close to you. The act of talking it out and getting support and empathy from someone else is often an excellent way of blowing off steam and reducing stress. Have a support system of trusted people.
  • Cultivate allies at work. Just knowing you have one or more co-workers who are willing to assist you in times of stress will reduce your stress level. Just remember to reciprocate and help them when they are in need.
  • Find humor in the situation. When you or the people around you start taking things too seriously, find a way to break through with laughter. Share a joke or funny story.
  • Have realistic expectations for yourself and those around you.
  • Realize nobody is perfect. We learn from overcoming obstacles.
  • Maintain a positive attitude and learn to reward yourself for little accomplishments.

If you find yourself sinking into depression or you need help with mental health issues, JSD insurance in partnership with Blomquist Hale is your professional resource. Call them for confidential and professional help. It is free of charge for you and eligible dependents.

Bloomquist Hale Employee Assistance

Contact Information: What They Can Help With:
Salt Lake City: 801-262-9619
Provo/Orem: 801-225-9222
Ogden: 801-392-6833
Other Locations 801-926-9619
or 24/7 Crisis Services
Stress, Anxiety or Depression
Relationship & Family Problems
Grief or Loss
Work-Related Issues
Personal & Emotional Changes
Senior Care, Planning & Support
Substance Abuse & Addictions
Financial or Legal Challenges

 

Handling Frustration Around The Holidays

Below you will find a few ideas to help decrease the stress that is creating a negative impact on your health. It is important to find ways to cope and empower yourself to face the stress of the holidays.

  • Acknowledge your feelings
  • Reach out
  • Be realistic
  • Take a breather
  • Seek professional help if you need it
  • Learn to say no
  • Don't abandon healthy habits
  • Set aside differences
  • Stick to a budget

How Do I Spend My Legislative Money?
Have you ever wondered what is best to buy with your legislative money?

Rules Regarding the Use of Legislative Money

  1. The money should be spent PRIMARILY on consumables that you cannot purchase through the district warehouse, or that you wish to buy above and beyond what other funding allows
  2. Non-consumable items you purchase will follow you through the school district.  However, if you pool your money and purchase items with a colleague or team, the items should stay at the school where they were purchased.
  3. If you leave the school district, any items purchased with legislative money will remain at the school you leave.  Remember, this is only if you leave the district.
  4. Be sure to turn in receipts ONLY for the total amount you are given.  Anything spent over that total amount belongs to you and can go with you if you move districts.
  5. It can be helpful to write "purchased with legislative funds" or "purchased with personal money" on non-consumable items you buy.
  6. Check with your secretary for the final due date and protocol for submitting receipts,  as procedures will vary by school.

Purchasing Ideas

markers giant sticky notes
colored pencils dry erase markers
glue vis-a-vis makers
scissors mini white boards
crayons class sets of approved books
organization tubs books for classroom library
candy (for incentives and rewards/activities) picture books for teaching
pens bookshelves
pencils wire baskets
class sets of highlighters technology tools
post-it notes paper
jump drives notepads
classroom posters teacher guides
dry erase paper workbooks
rubber bands stapler
3 ring binders electric pencil sharpener
3 x 5 note cards 3-hole punch
classroom set of calculators storage crates
binder clips name badges
push pins awards

 

Jordan Family Education Center
Located at River’s Edge School
319 West 11000 SouthSouth Jordan, UT 84095
801-565-7442

The Jordan Family Education Center provides support services and classes for families and students in Jordan School District. These services are provided by the District’s school psychologists, counselors, and school psychology interns.  The center offers classes and short-term counseling on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. There are three-quarters packed full of interesting classes and support groups covering a variety of topics like parenting skills, dealing with adolescence, attention deficit, anger, anxiety, autism, blended families and much more.

For information about classes and counseling, call 801-565-7442. These services are available to families at no cost as a service of the District.

In addition to Jordan School District services, listed below are several other resources for families and caregivers in Utah.

Parents, guardians, and caregivers play a vital role in student success. Parents face similar issues from helping a beginning reader to applying for college financial aid. The resources listed here provide great ideas for building the home-school partnership.

http://www.uen.org/parents/

http://healthservices.jordandistrict.org/

http://www.utahparentcenter.org/

We all teach, lead and learn under different Mindframes. They envelop our personal lives as well as into our professional conversations. John Hattie and Peter Dewitt have written about the Mindframes our students need for learning. Those Mindframes are equally as important for teachers and school leaders as well.

Check out the video below to see more about these Mindframes.

Hattie's Mindframes (now there are 10)

  1. I am an evaluator
  2. I am a change agent
  3. I talk about learning and not about teaching
  4. I see assessment as feedback to me
  5. I engage in dialogue and not monologue
  6. I enjoy challenge
  7. I engage in positive relationships
  8. I use the language of learning
  9. I see learning as hard work
  10. I collaborate

If you have never used http://web.archive.org/web/20160910185152/https://www.khanacademy.org/in your classroom, it might be a good time to do so.  If it has been a while since you have been there, it might be a good time to go back.  Khan Academy is a wonderful resource that is constantly expanding to offer more and more help to children in a variety of subjects.  While it started as simple tutorial math videos, it has evolved into a dynamic and interactive instructional support platform.  They ways that the resource could be used are various and exciting.  Potentially, it could be used to enhance and extend the learning for students beyond the walls of the classroom. They describe what they offer in this way.

"Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. We tackle math, science, computer programming, history, art history, economics, and more. Our math missions guide learners from kindergarten to calculus using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps. We've also partnered with institutions like NASA, The Museum of Modern Art, The California Academy of Sciences, and MIT to offer specialized content."

Perhaps most remarkable of all, it is free to use.

NASA Space PlaceIt’s back to school time, and at NASA Space Place, there are lots of activities to share with your students.

Planet Profiles
Find out more about our solar system’s eight amazing planets with the new planet profiles. Find out how long a year lasts on Uranus and why the sun doesn’t rise every “day” on Mercury.
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/planets/en

Planet Merit Badges
Every planet profile features planet merit badges that showcase each planet’s unique characteristics, as well as beautiful photos.

2015-16 Space Place calendar
You can decorate your classroom with the official Space Place calendar for the 2015-2016 school year. It has beautiful images, NASA facts and trivia, and links to relevant content. Download individual months or the entire set today.
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/calendar

Crafts, Crafts, Crafts!
Learn more about space, the sun, Earth, and comets with these fun activities.

Pinwheel Galaxy Pinwheel: A galaxy in the palm of your hand!
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/pinwheel-galaxy

Sun Paper: Marbled paper that looks just like our sun.
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/sun-paper

Earth Fan: A fan with all of Earth’s interesting layers.
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/earth-fan

Comet on a Stick: Your very own comet to fly around the room!
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/comet-stick