What I learned this January

The most important lesson I learned this month: Be Careful Of Your Words

Words are such a powerful tool that we have. We can use our words to uplift or destroy those we come in contact with. This January, I was reminded that it is important that I choose and use my words wisely. My words have a lasting effect on the people that I care about. When a student writes you a note telling you how much what you have said has changed their life you can’t help but feel joy. Or when your student tells you a corny joke, you can’t help but smile. The words that are spoken to you matters!

There have been many times that I have regretted something that has left my mouth. Wished I never responded angrily to a complaint. Wished I never responded to a negative comment. Wished I ignored the desire to make a witty comment. On numerous occasions, I have replayed the words I have spoken and wished that I said something differently. This month I tried some practical step to keep me regretting my words.

First, I started to think before I spoke anything. I thought to myself:
a. What’s my motive for what I’m saying?

b. How're my words going to affect someone else?

This helped me to be more intentional with my words and kept me out of some trouble. I have not mastered this process but I am making a conscious effort to be more careful with my words

Second, I waited before I spoke. This sounds very similar to the first step but that’s because once a word leaves your mouth it's lasting effects can be felt for a long time. Therefore, take another moment to think about what you are going to speak and wait. During that waiting time replace the condescending or sarcastic words with clear, concise, and courteous words that will get your point across in an effective manner.

Thirdly, before I spoke, I listened.  Sometimes we miss the point others are making when we are listening to respond. When we take time to listen we can help to diffuse conflicts and open up new lines of communication. Active listening is one of the most important skills that a teacher or career driven person can have.  

Take all the steps you can to stop yourself from releasing words that may cause emotional damage. 
Let’s take the pledge: I will use my words only to uplift.

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10 Lessons That 2017 Has Taught Me

1. Change is Inevitable 

2017 was a year of changes. Each change helped me to become a stronger person. 

My friends moved to England to pursue their dreams of becoming filmmakers. I am happy for them but at the same time, I knew that I would miss them. What I learned from their departure was that distance does not equate to the ending of a friendship, in actuality it made our friendship stronger.  Another change that I had to withstand was a change in school administration, this was a difficult one for me and one that I am still getting accustomed to.

2. Take Risks

2017 was a year that I decided to take a risk and start a business.

I took a risk and started Mel Bee’s Resources. This new platform gave me the opportunity to show my creative side and share my passions with others. I enjoy creating forms that will make tracking information easier and worksheets that my students enjoy completing. Sharing is something that I enjoy doing and this new platform is giving me the chance to do so. I’m hoping that through Mel Bee’s Resources I can connect with numerous teachers around the world.

3. Complete Goals

2017 was a year that I reflected and progress monitored the goals that I made at the start of the year.

Goal setting is an essential skill to develop, however, when setting goals you must progress monitor throughout the process. I found myself at the start of 2017 creating lofty goals but midway through the year I noticed that I was not making any progress. My goals were too large. It’s imperative to start small with your goal setting so that the success that you achieve will be a motivating factor to continue. In 2018, create small achievable goals that will bring you closer to your larger goals.

My 2017 Vision Board

4. Stay Organized

2017 reminded me to stay organized.

Let me start off by saying that I am not the most organized person in the world. This is something that I am definitely trying to work on. I have a system that works for me but I think I can do better. Hence, the reason that I have been creating a lot of productivity resources to keep me organized in my personal and work life. In addition to creating productivity tools, I have been utilizing my Happy Planner. I have a teacher Happy Planner and a personal Happy Planner. These two planners have helped me to stay organized and has increased my productivity immensely.

                                                         My Teacher Happy Planner

Happy Planner: Amazon Affiliate Link 

5. Create a Balance between Work and Home Life

   2017 taught me the importance of separating work and home.

   As much as I love teaching 2017 taught me that I am more than a teacher and I must spend time doing activities that have nothing to do with teaching. Additionally, 2017 taught me that I need to increase my productivity at work. I find myself engaging in staff lounge conversations (still do, I’m working on changing this) and wasting precious time that I could use to accomplish my to-do list. I’m learning that in order to create a work and home life balance I must minimize the time spent on doing frivolous things. For me, this is the biggest lesson of 2017 because I find myself doing a lot of school work at home and it got very tiring. I’m hoping in 2018 that I can balance my life. I’m ready to live my best life in 2018. Let’s go on this journey together. 
Let's take the pledge: I will not spend more than 5 minutes in the staff lounge conversing with colleagues.

Check back for more blog posts on lessons that I have learned each month. This year, I’m going to look for all the lessons that life is trying to teach me.

Grow With Me in 2018.

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What To Do Over Winter Break?

Take this winter break and relax! You deserve it, do something new that makes you happy. You have about to 5 or 6 months of school left where you will have endless to-do lists items to complete, take this time and spend with your family. Laugh, read a book and enjoy this time of freedom. The work with be there next year. 

In the upcoming year we can work on utilizing our time better. Time management is often something that teachers struggle with and this is something that I would like to fix in 2018. So next year, we will create a schedule, utilize a planning system, and create and use an organizational system. 2018 will be the year that we will have a work home balance. 

The goal for 2018 is to make new memories, spend time enjoying the people and world around us. Let's live our best life in 2018. 

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I have come to realize that teaching is one of the hardest jobs where you play multiple roles. You are a teacher, mother/father, sister/brother, social worker, nurse, chef, maid, and so much more. It can often be emotionally and physically draining. Sometimes it is okay to just release the emotions that you are holding in. Just today I witnessed a situation at work that caused me to cry. I had to leave my classroom and just cry and release all the emotions that I was feeling. It felt good to let it all out. Just know that you are not alone and that you are making a difference. Today, you might cry but remember that in the midst of all of that you are changing lives.

You are a Superhero.

Keep Pushing and Making a Difference.

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Social Studies is a vocabulary rich subject which students need an understanding of the definition of the words in order to grasp the different concepts. To aid students in the grasping the definitions of the words it is important to pre-teach vocabulary. At the start of each unit I gave my students a vocabulary list with all the unit’s vocabulary. I then have the students use a vocabulary chart where they define the words, create their own definitions, use the word in a sentence and then create an image to help with remembering the meaning of the word.

Example of Chart:

Vocabulary Word	How the word is defined	How I define the word	How I use the word in a sentence	How I create a picture to help me remember

Using this chart helps my students manipulate and use the vocabulary words before they are exposed to the concepts. Often times after my students are instructed on the different concepts they will go back and change the way that they defined the words and how they used it in a sentence. The vocabulary chart that I use in class is consider a working document where students are constantly referring to and changing information. The exposure to the unit’s vocabulary words helps my students focus on learning and applying the concepts rather than trying to decipher the meaning of the vocabulary words.

Students have the option of using the vocabulary chart in their social studies interactive notebook or on Google Classroom™.  Check out my TeachersPaysTeachers’ store for vocabulary list for the different units that I teach.

Thinking like a Historian unit’s Vocabulary Words

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