These are only a few options... the possibilities are endless and we all respond to them differently depending on our personal likes.
Here is my top 5 list of ways to self-nurture. 1. Daily walks with my husband and Dog Daily is a word I use loosely as I live in Edmonton Alberta. Sometimes it is just too cold to go on a stroll through the park but we try. We are very lucky to live right downtown so there are endless possibilities as to where we will end up on our walks. We often head over to Churchill Square so join in the festivities there, or head down to the Legislature to play in the fountains. If we are feeling a little more adventurous, we hop onto the LRT and see where it takes us. I find when out I am out in the fresh air, work and stress disappear from my mind. 2. Facetime with the kids Since we live away from all of our family, I need to find different ways to connect with my family and all the children that I so often miss. Facetime has been my go-to for the past year. It makes me feel like I can simply hang out and play with the kids, or share a glass of wine with my girlfriend without having to travel. Yes, I miss the physical face to face but this is a great substitute. 3. School Believe it or not, the joy of my schooling way outweighs the stress. Learning for me is exciting and stimulating. I find that I often need to shut down my school related browsers when I am at work as it can dig into topics for hours on end. Learning and challenging myself to better my career and expertise keeps me moving forward. 4. Puzzles For a few years, I got sucked into all the Facebook games where you challenge your friends, build cities, and play 100 versions of solitaire, but very recently I got back into actual puzzles. Yes, like the 1000 pieces that live at your dining room table for months on end. I am so happy that I have the time and space for these again. I find it slows my mind and puts me into a relaxed state. It even tires my eyes so it is great to do in the evening. 5. Watching / Playing Sports For most, watching sports is not relaxing. It can actually be stressful in itself and when my team is down I feel it too. Still, this is an activity that my husband and I love to do together. We attend all Eskimo games, many Oilers games, watch endless sports on TV and even play in softball leagues in the summer. This time together is exciting and gives us endless amounts of trivia to discuss throughout the week. What do you do to create balance in your life?
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Starting any new job can be stressful. You are surrounded by new people, new responsibilities and even need to struggle with a new and often jammed photocopier. Any stressful job situation can lead to 1 of 2 things, you will learn and thrive, or you will quit.
This reigns true for most professions including teaching. Who would have thought that anyone would spend countless hours in a university library, attend lecture after lecture, and allow the best years of your life to pass by while cramming for exams, just to quit your job in the first 5 years. It happens to 50% of teachers. You read that right... 50% of teachers will quit during their first 5 years. Although teachers have been "trained" for the job (I put that in quotes as most of your training does not come from university but happens on site) there are way too many stress factors, among others, that cause the professional to move to another path. So you are finally done your degree, you have your paper in hand, and if you are lucky enough to score your dream job in your local school district!!! NOW WHAT???? You enter into your own classroom with a class list and blank wall space. Where do you tart? What do you teach? How do you even know where to put your desk? Much (even all of theses questions) is ignored in your education. You are thrown to the dogs and forced to learn as you go. A new teacher has unrealistic expectations from day 1 of the school year. You must teach, they must learn, you must follow all your provincial outcomes, you must take on more responsibilities (often more than other teachers to prove your value) and show no weakness. Very often, unless you are unafraid to beg for help... you are alone in the battle. You feel stressed, your job satisfaction lowers, your family life suffers, and you sink then give up. Granted there are other reasons to leave teaching other than stress. There are many teachers that choose to quit to raise a family, or there are teachers that think more money = more happiness so they find a better paying job. Either way, these contribute to that 50% in the first 5 years. From there, the schools need to replace these teachers with other "new" teachers and will face the same restaffing problems throughout the years to come. My experience was a little different, and somewhat more discouraging. I graduated from UBC-O in 2006 when new teaching jobs were non existent. This was the year of downsizing. I had no chance at finding work after 6 years in university with Math and French (two very desirable teaching subjects) on my resume. For years I worked in the private industry, trying year in and year out to get into school district #23 with no avail. Looking back now, I would not trade in the experience I got before getting into the district for anything. With a vast array of experience with many different types of learners, I was actually prepared to teach when the district hired me. I was confident, experienced, and without stress as I knew I was doing a great job from the time they said go. Unfortunately... after solidifying my job in the district, I fell into the 50%. I was there for almost 3 years when the district went on strike and, as a casual employee, I could not afford to wait it out. Living in Kelowna is expensive and I did not want my family to suffer. I moved onto other work. I am still in the education industry but far from teaching. In the future, I believe there is another classroom that I will call home but change is hard and so is being the new teacher again. I think that the transition could be smooth based on all that I have learned and my ability to reach out when in need but that too will depend on the teaching staff that will surround me and their willingness to help. Are you one of the 50%? If so, I would love to hear your story. |
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