Summer break is winding down. Your mind is becoming consumed with thoughts about heading back to school. For some, it’s an easy transition, but for others, it’s a shock to the system. As the calendar flips to August, get yourself refocused on lesson plans, gathering materials, and preparing for your first days back to school. These ideas are meant to help make your job a little less stressful.
Take little steps. Don’t try and do everything at once. Create a timeline of things you need to do before school begins and list the things you want or need. Plotting them on the timeline will help alleviate the feeling many get of being overwhelmed.
Make the first steps fun. Whatever you choose to do first, make it as fun as possible. Doing the easier things first, like creating classroom decorations and posters will remind you how much you love teaching and make the tougher items easier. Do more mundane things like unit planning or curriculum development at a café, park, or any place that offers distractions with good food and coffee.
Find a friend. Working with a colleague can make the tasks more enjoyable while cutting the work time in half.
Connect with kids. Interact with past or present students. Send out emails to new students welcoming them, and see if any previous students would like to help you get your classroom together. Seeing students will bring you joy and remind you why you went into teaching.
Organize your mind. The attitude brought into the new school year can often dictate how that year will go. Educators need to find thoughts that energize, empower and affirm all the good things that lie ahead.
Be rested, relaxed and ready – it will help the kids stay calm and focused.
Be organized and tidy – students will be impressed.
Have too much and too many of everything – there is nothing worse than being short on name tags or pens and pencils.
Over plan the lesson – make sure the lessons fill the time and don’t leave you scrambling to fill before lunch or recess.
Rehearse – practice your welcome back speech, check the pacing and if you are using technology arrive early to make sure it is in place and working.
Be ready for anything and everything – make sure a first aid kit ready, have the dean or assistant principal’s phone extension and have rules in place to handle any unexpected situations.
Start learning names immediately – this helps you connect to students quicker and shows them you are interested and care.
Back-to-school is right around the corner, and if you have been spending your summer catching up on all of the things you put off last school year, it’s time for a break. Finish up what is necessary, and enjoy these last weeks of summer before school stars up again!
Here are some ways to maximize the rest of your summer break to help you return rested. Plus, some tips to get your mind rejuvenated going into those first few weeks of school:
1. These last weeks of summer:Relax…..or Play
Book a last minute trip somewhere. Enjoy a weekend getaway to a city you’ve never been to, take road trip, or plan a stay-cation to explore your city
Treat yourself to a great meal, enjoy a day at the spa, or try a new yoga class
Spend a day poolside with friends or by yourself
Visit your favorite museum
Take your kids to an amusement park, go camping or bike riding
Go shopping for just what makes you happy
Volunteer for a cause that makes you feel good
Spend a day binge watching movies
Explore free concerts and festivals in your area
Stay up late and sleep in
2. Right Before School Starts: Reflect and Evaluate
During the last weeks of summer it is important to get your mind ready to go back-to-school. However, you don’t have to stress about getting prepared. Take it day-by-day and follow these tips by Special Education Coach Elizabeth Stein from her article Three Things You Can Do This Summer to Be a Better Teacher in the Fall:
Practice Mindfulness Everyday. Be more aware and accepting of circumstances and surroundings happening around you in every day life to better deal with stress and control your emotions in the classroom.
Read, Reflect and Plan. Find a book that you actually enjoy, that can double for pleasure and professional reading purposes. Reflect on it’s content and try to create a list of ideas that can elevate your instruction plans for the year.
Connect, Collaborate, Listen and Share. Spend a few days researching new technology-based tools and then link up with other instructors over lunch before the new school year. Share ideas and techniques with them and discover what they have learned, instead of doing it all on your own.
3. Those First Few Weeks: Don’t Burn Yourself Out
And finally, when the school year begins it is important to keep yourself in a positive head-space. Spend equal time doing things for school and things that make you happy to prevent getting burnt out. Wendi Pillars has written a piece for Edweek.org titled, Six Signs of – and Solutions for – Teacher Burnout. Burnout signs include:
Exhaustion
Anxiety
Feeling overwhelmed
Isolation
Wendi says when you are feeling any of these symptoms, it is important to practice these lessons:
Let go
Find balance
Be selfish sometimes
Embrace gratitude
Accept healing
Allow yourself to become stronger, more determined and focused by practicing Wendi’s steps to prevent burn out, in life and in the classroom. Remember, these lessons in those first few weeks of school when it seems like you are constantly on the go and don’t have time for yourself anymore. Even though you are so used to doing things for others, it is okay to take time for yourself and do the things you love, as well as teaching.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters and nurses. Get a quote at 1.800.800.9410 or www.calcas.com.
As a fire prevention officer of a fire department, I take fire prevention seriously. At the fire department, we can only inspect commercial buildings for fire codes, but you can do your own inspection to make sure your household is safe. Here are a few tips to make your house just a bit safer for yourself and firefighters.
Do not overload electrical outlets. In commercial buildings, multi plugs are limited to ones that are only certified by Underwriters Laboratory. Multiplugs and certain surge protectors can overheat causing fires.
If you use an extension cord, unplug it after every use. Same as the multiplugs, extension cords can overheat over time causing a fire.
Make sure your smoke detectors have fresh batteries. Smoke detectors save lives – period! Make sure your smoke detectors are in good working order and have fresh batteries. If a fire occurs, they will save your life. The more smoke detectors you have, the safer you are, but try not to put one in or around the kitchen (in case you cook, like I do).
Make sure your electrical panel is clear of obstructions. Firefighters have limited vision in the smoke of a house fire. We must be able to locate and shut off the power to the house to ensure our safety. Keeping the area around the electrical panel clear and clean is an absolute help. A rule in businesses is to keep three feet of clearance around the electrical panel.
In the wintertime, if you use a space heater, make sure to give them space. A rule of thumb for space heaters is put approximately five feet of surrounding clearance. If you have an older model, you may want to consider replacing it. Older space heaters do not have the mechanism to turn off if knocked over. Also, before leaving that the room with the space heater for extended periods of time, unplug the space heater. This will prevent a fire.
These may seem like small things you can do, but they will prevent a fire or help a firefighter battle your house fire (hopefully won’t get to that point). It’s always better to err on the side of caution, then having to deal with a house fire.
Nick Magoteaux has been in public safety for over 15 years. Nick has experience in law enforcement, dispatching, firefighting, and emergency medical service. Nick currently works for four different fire departments in Southwest Ohio, including the busiest fire department per capita in the state. Nick is also the founder and co-executive director of Brothers Helping Brothers, a fire service 501c3 non-profit that specializes in equipment grants to small and rural fire department in the US. Contact Nick at nmagoteaux@brothershelpingbrothers.org.
You always amaze us. From great achievements, awards, and celebrations, you impress us with all of your many accomplishments. We’ve been lucky to be there with you for many of them.
California Casualty contingent and California Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond, celebrating Distinguished Schools with Mickey and Minnie Mouse
On the education side, California Casualty is proud to sponsor the California Distinguished Schools Awards and Gala. It was a thrilling night at Disneyland in April, as we honored the 162 public middle and high schools and 18 districts that were named 2019 Distinguished Schools and Exemplary Districts.
California Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond, thanked California Casualty for its help. “We couldn’t provide this platform of acknowledgement without our partnership with California Casualty, a long-time sponsor of our California School Recognition Program,” he said.
Nina Ericksen presenting the Distinguished School banner to Medea Creek Middle School
Our CEO, Beau Brown, expressed how fortunate we were to be a part of the special event. “We are elated to join the Department of Education, California Teachers Association and the Association of California School Administrators in congratulating all of the schools and districts being honored, especially the dedicated staff who worked so hard for this designation. Their dedication and innovative leadership has helped California continue to be one of the top states preparing students for graduation, college and beyond.”
Athletics Grant presentation at Lewis Middle School
Also in April, we announced the 64 public middle schools and high schools in 32 states that were recipients of the 2019 Thomas R. Brown Athletics Grants. A total of $67,149 was awarded this year to help schools affected by tight budgets purchase equipment, improve safety or provide new uniforms. A couple examples included Lewis Middle School in CA, where the grant will help provide uniforms that will be shared by the basketball, cross country and Special Olympics teams, and Meadville Area High School in PA, where the baseball team will buy safety equipment and update the scoreboard.
California Casualty is also a proud supporter of the Create Real Impact Contest, which awards students ages 14-22 for their creative works to spread the word about the dangers of distracted driving. Educational Grants totaling $12,000 were awarded in the 2019 Spring contest, including Caden Turner’s $1,500 grand prize for his video, “Listen Up.” The Missouri teen was honored during a district school board meeting in April.
Other grand prize recipients were:
Ashlee Walkowiak, WI, in the writing category for her work titled, “Be Different”
Everen Graves, CA, in the music category for the song “So Much to Live For”
Lindsey Sanchez, GA, in the art category for the poster “Camera Filters”
Information about the Create Real Impact Contest and the Spring 2019 winners can be found at www.createrealimpact.com.
Karen and Field Marketing Manager DeeDee Tempeleton
And because nurses give so much, California Casualty gives back with the $1,000 Nurse’s Night Out award. Medford, Oregon ICU nurse Karen Dwyer was the most recent winner. At the check presentation in May, Karen said she will use the funds to buy a new bicycle for an upcoming cross country bike trip. “It makes me feel good to receive this honor, and it’s a wonderful way to show appreciation for the caring we give to people – especially as we start Nurses Week,” she said.
Oregon & Ohio nurses can apply for the next Nurse’s Night Out at www.nursesnight.com.
Tanya and NVFC’s Bob Timko with Jr. Firefighter recipient Robert Dowd
California Casualty has worked with firefighter organizations since 1974. We’ve provided support for various trainings, benefits and activities, as well as Firehouse Makeovers and Work Hard/Play Hard giveaways.
An important program that California Casualty sponsors is the National Volunteer Fire Council’s annual Junior Firefighter and Junior Firefighter Program of the Year Awards. The 2019 recipients are Robert Dowd and the Westport, Massachusetts Fire Department’s Explorer Post #744. California Casualty’s Account Relations Manager, Tanya Rigsby, helped present Robert’s award at the NVFC awards gala at the end of April. Robert remarked that it was nice to be recognized for the hard work he’s put into the fire service, and how important it is that California Casualty helps in the effort to develop future fire professionals. “The support that I have received from California Casualty has been unparalleled, and it has pushed me harder to be my best and helped me focus on reaching future goals that will put me at an advantage in life,” he said.
We also ask a lot from our law enforcement officers, with all too many losing their lives as they do their jobs. It is important that we remember and honor those who give the ultimate sacrifice.
National Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony
California Casualty was proud, once again, to attend the National Law Enforcement Memorial and help sponsor the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) TOP COPS awards.
Vice President of Partner Relations, Roxanne Dean, and Alina Fayerman, Account Relations Manager, represented the company as family, friends and the public honored 371 fallen officers from 2018 at the nation’s capital.
Roxanne and Alina were also present as the TOP COP Awards were presented to law enforcement officers from 10 federal, state, county, tribal and local agencies from across the country, for actions from the previous year that went above and beyond the call of duty.
California Casualty salutes the law enforcement officers for all the work they do to make a difference for their communities.
You all do extraordinary things, and California Casualty continues to thank you for your hard work. Educators have until June 30 to apply for a Music and Arts Grant at www.calcasmusicartsgrant.com, and until July 12 for a $7,500 School Lounge Makeover at www.NewSchoolLounge.com. First responders can enter to win a $7,500 Garage Makeover from California Casualty at www.Contest4Heroes.com. Pass the information on to your colleagues too. The entry deadline is October.
TAKEAWAY:
Learn more about the many resources and ways we honor the professions we serve at our blog, https://mycalcas.com.
When something happens to your vehicle, it’s an unexpected and unappreciated disruption to your life. We often take for granted the convenience our vehicle provides – until it is out of commission following an accident or other covered claim. That’s why you need rental car reimbursement.
Rental car reimbursement, also known as rental car coverage or transportation expense, is a wonderful feature of your auto insurance. When added to your policy that already has collision and comprehensive, it pays the cost of renting a vehicle until repairs from a covered accident or loss are completed on your ride.
Did you know?
Insurance will only reimburse you for the daily rental rate. Other expenses, such as the cost of gas or security deposit for the car, are typically your responsibility.
The rental car company can bill the insurer directly if you choose one that partners with your insurer.
Lower rental rates are available to those involved in an accident, but you must let the rental agent know that you are renting due to an accident.
There are typically two types of parameters for reimbursing your temporary rental: a daily rate and a per-claim limit.
Choosing the right amount of rental reimbursement is important. Some insureds may need only the minimum coverage amount while others may need more.
If you have a large family that requires a larger SUV or van to commute to work, school and all of the extracurricular events your family participates in, then you should consider a higher amount of rental car reimbursement. Also, take into account where you live. What are the going rates for a rental car, truck or SUV that would fit your needs should your personal vehicle be out of commission for a number of days? Be sure you have the limits that make sense for your needs.
An accident is disruptive enough; having the right rental reimbursement coverage will save you time, money and headaches while you’re getting your vehicle back on the road.
TAKEAWAY:
A California Casualty advisor is ready to give you a policy review, make sure that you have comprehensive and collision coverage, and check the amount you have for rental car reimbursement. Give a call today at 1.800.800.9410 option 3, or visit www.calcas.com/customer-service.
Nick Magoteaux has been in public safety for over 15 years. Nick has experience in law enforcement, dispatching, firefighting, and emergency medical service. Nick currently works for four different fire departments in Southwest Ohio, including the busiest fire department per capita in the state. Nick is also the founder and co-executive director of 
